Working retail is tough enough with regular human customers, but what about when they’re owls, wolves, koalas…and a woolly mammoth? Welcome to the Hokkyoku Department Store, where new employee Akino’s customers are talking animals–including extinct species! Just like any shopper, each has their own complicated request that Akino must strive to satisfy. From a wealthy laughing owl searching for the perfect present to delight his wife to a thespian sea mink attempting to find a gift for a long-awaited reunion with her father, Akino must learn to meet their needs, while also dealing with her challenging coworkers and elusive floor manager.
a concierge learning how to be the best possible concierge she can be
from nightmare customers to a lovely and well-timed proposal, this manga has a storybook quality to it that i find fascinating. me? i don’t know what the fuck a concierge is or does, but i guess it’s all this stuff!
it’s a sweet book!
(look at this lovely patternwork)
(and these renditions of vintage advertisements)
my people
A surprisingly satisfying read. What IF we treated animals with respect and care, paying attention to their needs and desires like we do for humans? The manga has a story-book quality to it for much of the manga, but it does outright tell the viewer: this is a reflection of the rampant consumerism that drove many animals to extinction, and these animals are part of the world’s respected guests. A character exists to refute the idea that it’s “playing god” to try to revive animals that went extinct due to consequences of human desire or influence and after getting to say his piece (“why should we treat them better than other animals?” etc etc) and at the end is dismissed for his humans-first philosophy.
It’s a lovely story overall that pays mind to an overarching subtlety of moral conscientiousness (until the end where it informs the reader of the author’s intent). Going above and beyond to help creatures that may need help in one way or another, whether it’s finding the scent they need or to help in breeding efforts.
