Otaku Elf

Episodes 1-3

First off, I gotta say thanks to all you kids out there. Otaku Elf was a show I felt I'd enjoy covering but figured was far too low-key to get voted in for streaming reviews. So like an enshrined elf accepting gifts from a caring community, I must express my gratitude for this offering. It's honestly hard to pretend that the characteristic kinship with Elda in this anime isn't a big part of my draw toward it. Here we have an ages-old, socially awkward dork who subsists on toy collecting, appreciates all manner of food, and hates the cold. She is just like me fr. But is that enough to carry a show, least of all one that needs to be discussed in reviews, for an entire season?

It turns out it doesn't have to. The real trick to Otaku Elf is that it's got layers to its content apart from characteristic comedy, which is visible from the very first episode, but comes into relief as we get into the next ones. The comedy is still the most compelling component, as even segments that sell the sweet bond between Elda and Koito will be predicated on things like them eating too many snacks and spoiling their appetites. And that's all well and good; it's a friendly familiarity that welcomes you into the atmosphere of the show alongside everything else it seeks to do.

What that winds up coming through in Otaku Elf's surprisingly broad commitment to the bit. It's not a simple case, as one might expect, of Elda being sucked into the siren song of a slovenly nerd lifestyle just because she found herself reverse-isekai'd into modern-day Japan. No, it turns out that despite being around since the Edo period, she has always been like this. This allows the series to explore its other angle, as Elda's experiences with the kind of nerd stuff one could be an otaku for in those past times provides an opportunity for Otaku Elf to be, of all things, an edutainment series.

It's a unique brand of enriching fun because it's not just using the context for your standard figures-and-events history but explicitly honing in on the area's culture in olden times. So we get Elda reminiscing about the very first pack-in collectibles in woodblock paintings that came with medicine or enacting her own "Steamed Hams" sketch with Koito as they argue over how far the dish of monjayaki has come. It's an exercise that prompts all sorts of imagined extrapolations. We see how taken Elda is with her legally-distinct Nintendo Switch these days, so perhaps she's been a fan of the company since they made hanafuda cards.

Like talking with a beloved older relative, hearing about the old days also forms the emotional core of Otaku Elf that lets it rise above being a mere sketch comedy. Elda is goofy, but even at her most slovenly, she's not selfish, ultimately knowing the right thing to do is share her hard-ordered pudding with her friends/family. It's easy to see why the people of Takamimi appreciate her presence, which the show communicates by an understanding of traditions demonstrated in the third episode. The miko initiation ritual does provide a vector for the townspeople to revere Elda, even as its genesis was from something as benign as a late-night food run. It's the understanding irreverence for these traditions, the series argues, that makes them most important to the people maintaining that personal connection to them; They may be silly, but like a bowl of instant ramen on a cold evening, they can still be earnestly comforting in their warmth.

That comforting warmth is the edge Otaku Elf has beyond its compelling comedy, and it's doing everything else right alongside it. I must particularly praise Ami Koshimizu for solidly anchoring the show. Her turn as Elda genuinely sells the social anxieties of the 600-year-old nervous wreck, dialing up that relatable factor without turning her into an utterly spoiled punch-line. She doesn't need to say actual words, as some of the best parts of any given episode are just her lurking through a comedic beat while making distinctive Elda Noises. I look forward to this week after week. It's a show all about being earnestly loved by people, which makes it nice that Otaku Elf already has so many different facets to love.

Rating:

Otaku Elf is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

Chris is keeping busy keeping up with the new anime season, and is excited to have you along. You can also find him writing about other stuff over on his blog, as well as spamming fanart retweets on his Twitter, for however much longer that lasts.