Otaku Elf

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihiko Higuchi. It has been serialized in Kodansha's ''Shōnen Magazine Edge'' since June 2019, with its chapters collected into seven ''tankōbon'' volumes as of March 2023. An anime television series adaptation by C2C premiered in April 2023.

Plot

16-year-old Koito Koganei has recently become a ''miko'' at the Takamimi Shrine after her grandfather's death, and thus the caretaker of the shrine's living "deity", a beautiful ageless elf by the name of Elda. However, Elda is a shut-in who greatly fears going beyond the boundaries of the shrine ever since a boy accidentally taunted her about her ears 60 years ago. As a result, Koito tries to get Elda out of her self-made shell and enjoy life in the larger world, with somewhat mixed success.

Characters

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:Koito inherited her ''miko'' position in the 15th generation of her family after her grandfather died, along with a lot of frustration since her shrine's "goddess" - an elf summoned hundreds of years ago - is not the kind of awe-inspiring being outlined in fantasy fiction. Despite this, she cares for Elda after the elf had comforted her over her mother's death when she was six years old.
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:A beautiful female elf, age 621, who was summoned from another world to Earth over 400 years ago by Tokugawa Ieyasu. She became the local "deity" of the Takamimi Shrine under the title , but instead of attending to her "divine" duties, she has become a hardline otaku who prefers to lounge in the house and pass her time with anime, video games, eating and energy drinks. Her only magical talent is making telepathic contact with other persons. Despite her faults and her extreme shyness, she is immensely popular in the local neighborhood, mostly because of her unaging nature.
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:Koito's schoolmate and best friend.
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:Koito's younger sister. Despite her tender age, she is a talented cook whose dishes are greatly favored by Elda.
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:A 622-year-old female dark elf and the "deity" of the Hiromimi Shrine bearing the honorary name Hiromimi Hime no Mikoto. She was summoned to Earth at the same time as Elda, except by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. She is extremely energetic and, unlike Elda, has traveled far and wide across Japan, but has in turn a bad sense of orientation. And despite being Elda's elder by one year, she looks and behaves much like a child.
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:A blonde girl who, like Koito, is sixteen years old, fifteenth ''miko'' in her family line, and Yord's caretaker.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Akihiko Higuchi, ''Otaku Elf'' began serialization in Kodansha's ''Shōnen Magazine Edge'' on June 17, 2019. As of March 2023, seven ''tankōbon'' volumes have been published. In North America, Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the series in print and digital formats.

Volume list

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced in June 2022. It is produced by C2C and directed by Takebumi Anzai, with scripts written by Shōgo Yasukawa, character designs handled by Takeshi Oda, who also serves as chief animation director, and music composed by Akito Matsuda. The series premiered on April 8, 2023, on the Animeism programming block on MBS and other affiliates. The opening theme song, , was performed by Akari Nanawo, while the ending theme song, , was performed by Cody Lee. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series, and is streaming it on HIDIVE. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific and is streaming on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.

Episode list

Reception

The anime was received positively. Alex Henderson of ''Anime Feminist'' reviewed the first episode, stating that the show understands the importance of having "endearing character dynamics and deeper themes",
with Elda not only living gaming, but has a "deep sense of care for the community" she cares for, and described the show as a supernatural comedy with silliness grounded in characters that aren't "one-off jokes", without any fan service.

Notes

References

External links

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{{Animeism

Anime series based on manga
Animeism
C2C (studio)
Comedy anime and manga
Elves in popular culture
Fantasy anime and manga
Kodansha manga
Medialink
Nikkatsu
Otaku in fiction
Sentai Filmworks
Seven Seas Entertainment titles
Shōnen manga