The Spring 2025 Manga Guide

The Last Elf

What's It About? 

In a world where steam and steel are rapidly replacing ancient magic, Aharu, the last surviving elf, embarks on a journey across a war-scarred land. With her loyal owl companion Glyph at her side, she seeks out the forgotten spirits who once fought alongside her people, offering them one final chance to return to their realm. But there are those who would see this last elf erased from history, just like the spirits she seeks to set free.

The Last Elf has a story and art by Akira Sawano. English translation by M. Jean. Lettering by Ochie Caraan. Published by Seven Seas (March 18, 2025). Rated T.

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

It's not fair to call The Last Elf Bargain Basement Frieren, but it's hard to deny that it feels a bit like it. Those similarities are, for the most part, on the surface—fantasy worlds where major events are long passed and a lone elf woman remains. Aharu is picking up the pieces after a war, of course, not trying to reconnect with a past she didn't realize she'd lost touch with, but there's still a sense that the stories are both trying to tap into the same sense of melancholy.

In the case of The Last Elf, that's very hit or miss. The three storylines in this book, spread out over four chapters, all attempt genuine emotion, and only the second one succeeds. In part, that may be because it has two chapters to spread its plot over. Aharu's ability to undo the damage from the war is based on her ability to break the contracts that hold spirits to the land or people, and that allows her to interact with a variety of people and spirits who are trapped – including a ghost and his wife, who made a contract to be able to continue waiting for him after he died at war. This story is compelling because it explores how the war affected both people and spirits, and how it warped even the purest of motives. Its conclusion is also satisfying because it's not one-sided. Milly and Samuel get to leave together as they wanted, which is different from the great spirit in the first chapter and the various undead soldiers in the fourth.

If there's one issue with this book, it's that it doesn't quite take things far enough. Humor feels a little forced (and not all that funny), and corners are cut in the emotional plotlines. Aharu is a perfectly plucky protagonist, but we don't know enough about her to form a strong bond, and while I like the setting of a fantasy world that has made a deliberate shift to an industrial revolution, it also isn't developed enough. I could see these problems disappearing in a second volume, and despite my tone, I didn't dislike the book. But when compared with other, more heartfelt fantasy stories, this one ends up feeling a bit transparent.

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Dee
Rating:

The Last Elf seems like it's still finding its identity. The first three chapters follow an episodic “spirit-of-the-week” format, with Aharu sending spirits (and the humans entangled with them) on to the next world. There's action and peril, but the overall tone is more melancholy, almost gentle—a requiem for a lost world. Aharu mourns the loss of spirits and magic, but accepts it as inevitable, and we're encouraged to feel the same. It's reminiscent of manga about neglected kami or yokai in the modern era.

Then Chapter Four hits and the plot kicks into overdrive, introducing us to imperial militaries and spirit butchers. The story ramps up the tension and dramatic irony, while also adding moments of levity and hope. Aharu's personality expands to reveal more layers, ranging from friendly silliness to a stubborn (and even bitter) undercurrent, especially when the government is involved. I thought this was a story about quiet grief; now I think it's a story about cycles of violence and fighting back against an authoritarian regime that seeks to rewrite history and erase entire peoples and cultures along the way.

So, you know. Light escapist fantasy unrelated to current events whatsoever.

The mangaka still seems to be finding their stride in both the art and the story. Detailed backgrounds and busy action sequences give the world a sense of mess and grit that is appropriate to the industrial revolution-like setting, but this can lead to some unclear panel-to-panel action. Early on, there's also a relative lack of expressiveness to the characters (except for Glyph, Aharu's wonderful owl), which made it difficult to connect with the short stories. This improves significantly in the final chapter, especially when Aharu starts making friends.

While I was never bored, I'm also not quite sure what to make of The Last Elf. I don't know if it's going to be more like Natsume's Book of Friends or Fullmetal Alchemist. And if it's planning to delve into politics, do I trust it to handle a story about industrialized societies without falling into nostalgia for an imagined “good ol' days”—or (less likely, but far worse) handwaving away genocide and environmental destruction in the name of so-called “progress”?

After one volume, The Last Elf is a big ol' question mark. I'm curious, but hesitant to recommend it. Readers willing to take a risk may find a gemstone here, but they may also end up with just a rock.