Still worth a very big smile: Pokémon Concierge

On the subject of positivity:  Pokémon Concierge is still amazing.  This past Wednesday, Laura and I both wanted to watch something that would give us a quick boost of serotonin, dopamine, or some other happy little neurotransmitter...BUT we don't always agree on what sort of show fits that mold.  (I tend to go for cheap/cheesy/nostalgic SF or fantasy, while Laura gravitates toward...I guess it'd be fair to say semi-classic but fairly standard American television, often involving adults playing teenagers and that, in her words, "turns her brain off."  Think One Tree Hill and Dawson's Creek...)

But then she hit on the answer...and, as stated above, Pokémon Concierge is still amazing.  Hitting Netflix last December, this show is pretty much the streaming embodiment of the word delightful.  The stop-motion animation is just beautiful, and the story is so sweet it'll almost make you forget that it's a franchise based upon combat between intelligent creatures who live in servitude.  In fact, if there's anything negative someone could find with Pokémon Concierge, it's probably that: I'm sure it's just too damn adorable for some tastes.

Here's the trailer, in case you haven't been introduced to this masterpiece...

Yep.  Delightful.

(It's also really short.  I would love for 2025 to bring us a second season.)

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Now...for the violent part!  Here's a Psyduck (as one is a hero of the series) to be thrown into the Underground Elemental Beastfighting pits...

Psyduck

Image from here

2' 7", 43 lbs (Scale: --)

Handling Difficulty (wild): 8

10 HP, 11 Defense (small size)

Types: Mind, Water

Weakness: Electric, Mind

Strength 1

Dexterity 2

Knowledge 1

Presence 3

Skills: Psychic Powers +2, Toughness +1 (it has to endure that headache all the time...)

Attack: Headache (mental attack, 1D6-1 Mind damage; when hit, the target must make a Presence save or lose their next action)

(Pocket) Monstrous Monday: Psyduck (and Pokémon Concierge)

As 2024 rolls on...another element of Monstrous Matters that I'd love to revisit (maybe pretty often) is Underground Elemental Beastfighting - a sort of grim/gritty take on Pokémon rooted in the facts that (1) I love the franchise, and (2) there are some genuinely questionable ethical standards at the heart of it.  (Y'know, the forced combat and all.  Although please feel free to let me know if you're of the belief that Pokémon always love to fight...it is certainly a point of great philosophical debate...)

As luck and fate would have it, I also want to spread the word about the newest Pokémon show, Netflix's Pokémon Concierge.  I love this show.  The stop-motion animation is beautiful.  The story is touching and non-combat-related.  It is just a delightful experience.  Laura and I have already watched it more than once, and she's not really even a Pokémon fan.

Now, however, she is definitely a Psyduck fan.  While a number of monsters get screentime in Pokémon Concierge, there's a certain worried duck Pokémon that is undoubtedly the monstrous star of the show.

Image from HERE

So...here he is for the beastfighting pits..."converted," with a method similar to the one(s) I've used before, from an old TCG card (but with a fair amount of winging it - no pun intended - thrown in)...

Psyduck

(2'7", 43 lbs., CON +2)

HD 1d6+2 (5 HP), AC 13
Actions:  Headache +3 (Psychic attack; if hit, an Elemental Beast-trainer can't act for 1 round); Fury Swipes +3 (1d3 slashing damage)
Weakness:  Electric

(And seriously, you should watch Pokémon Concierge.  I think the whole season is less than an hour and a half.  I definitely wish there was more of it...)