Otaku Elf (Volume 1) - An Elf Summoned from Another World Who's a Total Homebody

When Koito turned sixteen she became the Miko for the local god, Elda, an elf summoned from another world during the Edo period who watches over the region. Well, she doesn’t really like to go outside or talk to anyone…

Otaku Elf (Volume 1) – An Elf Summoned from Another World Who’s a Total Homebody

What happened?

Koito has taken over the position that her mother once held and she’s surprised to learn that Elda is a complete shut-in. She doesn’t like to go outside or have people other than her Miko come into the shrine. Well, the delivery agents are fine, but they bring her things she wants so that makes sense. It’s a struggle for Koito who is determined to succeed despite Elda’s eccentricities.

When pressed on the matter, Elda revealed that she last went out sixty years ago and someone made fun of her ears. So, that was enough. Now, she stays at home, playing games, watching anime, and reading manga. Luckily the local businesses and families continue to send gifts in the hopes that Elda will bless them. However, other than immortality, Elda has no real powers.

Koito completes many jobs for Elda such as collecting toys from fast food chains, however, she has taken it upon herself to convince Elda to step into the outside world and see the changes for herself. She’s been in Tokyo for four hundred years and it must be tough seeing the people you know die and the world change around her. Koito is not going to give up, though.

What did you think?

So, this is an interesting idea and it did have some genuinely funny moments. Not laugh out loud so of moments, but ones that you acknowledge and then keep reading. It was well done and some of the artwork was fantastic. I guess the biggest drawback for me was that this is a slice-of-life story and it’s never been my favourite genre. Even more so in this instance as it felt like a series of smaller events that didn’t really go anywhere.

I can see fans of the slice-of-life genre getting into this one as it is an interesting premise. It’s just not really my sort of thing. There were some nice links to historical figures and it did explain how some things have changed over time, some that Elda hadn’t noticed since she had shut herself inside. It was cute and an easy-going read, so if that’s something you’re looking for it’s worth trying this series out. I may continue to read the series, but it’ll be fairly low on my priorities.