Otaku Elf

"Dear Takamimi Hime-no-Mikoto, I'm sick and tired of praying the same things over and over again! Can I offer you something...like a Gunpla MG model or video games that will bless both me and you with your hidden life as a hardline Otaku Elf? Any kind of blessing will do, so as long as you do your job as a deity!" A love letter to Otakuism, and in the same but different vein as the show that aired next to each other, mangaka Akihiko Higuchi's Edomae Elf a.k.a Otaku Elf can be regarded as being the better show (as compared to Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers) whenit comes to Otaku culture, fusing both tradition and modern values into a trivia-like enjoyment that otherwise is a rather unique take and is something that has not been done before in the last few years as a supernatural, fantasy comedy work. If you've been to Japan before, the Land of the Rising Sun has no shortage of shrines no matter which city or town you go to visit to say: Pray for good luck, buy good luck charms, and hope that the gods will bless you in your favour even once in your life. What's not seen behind-the-scenes is the work of the Miko a.k.a shrine maidens, who work as hard as the job implies: to take care of the housekeeping and stuff like that, even more so with the goddesses and deities, and make sure that everything is in proper order. That is what the central characters are here for: Koito Koganei and her "goddess" Eldarie Irma Fanomene, or Elda for short. Both miko and goddess of Takamimi Shrine, located in the Tokyo Metropolitan area of Tsukushima in Chuo City, is a shrine with more than 400 years of rich history since the Edo period, but with a surprise twist: that the object of worship...is a recluse of a crazed Otaku. Therefore, the beautiful female elf, aged 621 years old, being reverse Isekai-ed into Earth over 400 years ago by the founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, became Takamimi Shrine's Hime-no-Mikoto "deity"...that hilariously relapses into painful, but relatable comedy as she lazes around the shrine, engaging in the couch potato of the human life: eat (and drink Red Bull, proudly sponsored), sleep, play video games, watch anime, and repeat the process again and again, daily. And that adds to the detriment of her miko, the 16-year-old 15th generation shrine maiden, who has to bear her hardline Otaku idiosyncrasies day and night, fulfilling and opposing her whims as a useless goddess who has a pension for protecting all things Otaku-related, which initially fuels the anger between miko and goddess, only to then accept it as their way of life, because like-minded beings think alike, right...? Despite the hectic life between Miko and the goddess of the Takamimi Shrine, Koito is not alone, for her younger sister Koyuzu is well-endowed and mature given her unknown-but-young age, and within the Tsukushima neighbourhood of theirs, she is quite well known among the people over the local seafood market, more than a well-rounded, talented cook that Elda loves at first sight. And friends be friends in the growing-up stage of life, for Koito's best friend Koma Sakuraba is a ball of interesting and hilarity on her own, initially playing better to Elda's requests, and just being a good, nurtured friend at heart to Koito. For a miko that looks just as hard as she was both in school and at work, Koito has a good heart for the people too, thanks to Elda, who, despite her faults and her extreme shyness, is immensely popular in the local neighbourhood, mostly because of her unaging nature. Alas, both Miko and the goddess are not alone in their shrine endeavours, because there are others who share their heritage as well. There are warring factions over which side is the best, and that holds true for both Miko and the goddess Himawari Kohinata and Yordeilla Lila Fenomenea a.k.a Yord of the Hiromimi Shrine. The female dark elf who's a year older than Elda and (like her) summoned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, instead, is the petite child that has the traits of extreme energy and has traversed far and wide across Japan...except that she has a bad sense of orientation that beckons the somewhat clueless Himawari to act as her mother figure of sorts. But the best is yet to come, for the 3rd miko and goddess pairing who hails from Uramimi Shrine: Isuzu Koimari and Hylaria Aira Mirarasta a.k.a Haira, is more out there as being risk takers in their own good and bad ways. Specifically, the girl who is the same age as Koito, is a famous influencer, of whom the former is a huge fan. But Haira is another goofball of an elf. As the one who's summoned by one of Oda Nobunaga's leading generals, Maeda Toshiie, at age 726, she's the Onee-chan/big sister character when compared to Elda and Yord as the oldest of the Isekai-ed elves, but if there is a taboo about Haira, it is that of the proposition to not give her any money, because she is a compulsive gambler. And despite Isuzu raking in her influence through the likes of people on social media, and often scolding Haira for her compulsive gambling behaviour, she is a big fan of Haira, who dresses eloquently to the amusement of the former, taking photos of her and spending all of her money to acquire her photos for books and bands of seemingly never-ending photo albums. As mentioned earlier in the review, there are subtle trivia-like stories of both the modern day and "back in those times" segments with Elda, explaining how people back in her time of the Edo period would have done things in their own fashion, which I thought helped to increase viewership, especially for those who are history buffs, and adds a sense of depth to the series. The show understands the importance of having "endearing character dynamics and deeper themes", with Elda not only living gaming, but having a "deep sense of care for the community" she cares for, with silliness grounded in characters that aren't "one-off jokes". I love it when works show the genuine side of characters feeling real and close to real life, there aren't many source works that emanate or imitate the way that only Otaku Elf can, and that to me, is a silent, but honourable W. <Insert Success Kid meme here> After working on what has been a successful streak of Isekai shows over the last 2 to 3 years, studio C2C has proven itself to be a powerhouse studio of capability, that provide them whatever variable genres of shows to adapt, and it will live up to its name of impeccable and great animation to boot. Though in the case of Otaku Elf, the hit-or-miss in-house director Takebumi Anzai is back after his stint of failure with Fall 2021's PuraOre! Pride of Orange and the somewhat interesting Spring 2019's Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, his contributions are few, even against other well-known in-house directors like Shinji Ishihira (who directed Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita a.k.a Reincarnated as a Sword) and Toshiyuki Kubooka (who directed Majo no Tabitabi a.k.a Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina). Takebumi Anzai's job is very simple: adapt Akihiko Higuchi's manga series and follow it to a T. It's just that simple. Though there is that one episode (Episode 10) where the manga's extra (i.e. omake) content was added into the anime as an added bonus of sorts, and episode director Michita Shiraishi hit the sweet spot for me to give additional points to praise about the anime in general. The music is interesting, to say the least. Nanawo Akari's OP song "Kien Romance" has this Enka-like stylistic music personality to it that I feel is a great fit for the anime, and it's so infectiously good that it can become like a karaoke song for singalong sessions. The same goes likewise with Cody・Lee (李)'s ED, which is more of a relaxing breather of sorts, rummaging within the grasps of the mix between 2D and the real-life inspiration scenery of the referenced Takamimi Shrine. Above it all, Edomae Elf a.k.a Otaku Elf is not a big series, so I'd put it as the kind of show that goes under the radar, only for it to be an underrated hidden gem of sorts. Regardless, if you're looking for a comfy, chill pill of a time, this show would do you justice, blending both tradition and modern-day elements for a work that you just won't find anywhere else, even if you look hard enough. Try this show out; you will be pleasantly surprised.

I believe this show was a waste of potential. The idea is cool and different. In short, the story is basically about the daily life of Koito (a shrine maiden - 'miko') and Elda (the deity of the shrine). The cool and different idea relies on Elda, which is an Elf and on top of that a recluse who is into Otaku-things. The problem is that they didn´t explore much of that uniqueness, and in the end the anime might end up just being 'another one' you will add to your list. For example: If Elda wasn´t an Elf, it wouldn´t change much except for thepsychological effect that instead of a human she´s an Elf - they ocassionaly and randomly talk about her past (Edo period etc) but it doesn´t add much. She being recluse is poorly explored as well - they just show she´s afraid of going out and of interaction with other people and that is basically it. -------- OTHERS: - The secondary / support characters are fine. Honorable mention to Yord which made things more interesting and enjoyable to watch. Ah! There is Koito´s imouto (Koyuzu); the cute reliable imouto ^~^ - The animation is good enough but where this anime shines most is its art, which is very pretty in my opinion. - Catchy OP music. As expected every seiyu did an amazing job, but honorable mention to Yord and specially Elda´s seiyu. CONCLUSION: An anime that had potential for more but its uniquness wasn´t fully explored, but it might have a few scenes here and then that you might enjoy, specially if you are looking for a chill / easy going anime.

Edomae Elf ( Shut in elf/ Otaku elf) is exactly what its title states. Its a mythical elf (mythical for the sake of it) who likes to sit inside her room play video games, read manga and watch anime. Her Miko ( attendant - for lack of a better word) is a sixteen year old girl who dreams of being a stylish lady. The show revolves around the daily life of Elda (Elf) and Koito (Miko) and how they tackle the ridiculousness of their entire situation. An elf who is treated as a deity by the entire city and is offered video games and toysas offerings. As per the residents, she acts as an anchor of stability in an ever changing world, and regardless the nature of the lazy deity everyone loves her. Elda often shows her protective side with Koito, helping her in times of distress, that shows her age and maturity, though this is often the other way around. There is nothing unique coming out of the story, its just a happy slice of life, with entertaining and diverse side characters, people are bound to enjoy Koito's younger sister and Koma -chan, her best friend. The plot lines are refreshing, with episodes featuring a wide range of information on Japanese history, facts that will tease the mind of any history head. Otaku elf is a fun watch, something you can sit and watch with friends or as a palette cleanser. It has brilliant animation and probably one of the best animated outros in recent anime. Scores - Animation and artstyle - 41/50 Story line - 15/20 Enjoyment - 15/20 Songs, ed, op, ost - 7/10 Total - 77/100 (80/100 rounded up)

Otaku Elf. A very flavorful, fun, and enjoyable show. Though it is not what I expected. I only got into the anime because of the main voice actress being Ami Koshimizu, a definite yet underrated VA. She has a tremendous body of work. I was mainly introduced to her when I watched Oregairu. Her voice as Kawasaki Saki was fantastic, and well delivered. Here you see her profession, as she is able to change it up from her usual voice work. I do enjoy her overall work, and I do not watch every anime she is in but Otaku Elf stuck out for me. While,it is not this epic, amazing, oh my goodness "this was the greatest anime episode ever". It has its own value, true there are supporting characters but they are not as strong support for the show. Given, it is only twelve episodes I found myself liking some episodes over others. We do see other characters who are like Elda the main character of the show. They aren't as important, but they bring their own unique appeal. Safely, I can say that while it's not a top tier anime for the spring 2023 season, it has special appeal as a dark horse for anyone who wants to watch. A gem with a small selection of animes for this season to really like.