Otaku Elf

Otaku Elf (江戸前エルフ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihiko Higuchi. It began serialization in Kodansha's Shōnen Magazine Edge in June 2019. After the magazine ended publication, the series was moved to the Comic Days website in December 2023. Its chapters have been collected in nine tankōbon volumes as of February 2024. An anime television series adaptation produced by C2C aired from April to June 2023.

Plot
Sixteen-year-old Koito Koganei has recently become a miko at the Takamimi Shrine, 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

 * Koito Koganei (小金井 小糸)
 * Koito inherited her miko position in the 15th generation of her family after her mother 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.
 * Koito inherited her miko position in the 15th generation of her family after her mother 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.


 * Elda (エルダ) / Eldarie Irma Fanomene (エルダリエ・イルマ・ファノメネル)
 * 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 Takamimi Hime no Mikoto (高耳毘売命), 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 watching anime, playing video games, eating food and drinking 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.
 * 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 Takamimi Hime no Mikoto (高耳毘売命), 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 watching anime, playing video games, eating food and drinking 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.


 * Koma Sakuraba (桜庭 高麗)
 * Koito's schoolmate and best friend.
 * Koito's schoolmate and best friend.


 * Koyuzu Koganei (小金井 小柚子)
 * Koito's younger sister. Despite her tender age, she is a well-rounded and talented cook whose dishes are greatly favored by Elda. She is also a famous person at the local wholesale seafood market, and is admired by everyone there.
 * Koito's younger sister. Despite her tender age, she is a well-rounded and talented cook whose dishes are greatly favored by Elda. She is also a famous person at the local wholesale seafood market, and is admired by everyone there.


 * Yord (ヨルデ) / Yordeilla Lila Fenomenea (ヨルデリラ・リラ・フェノメネア)
 * A 622-year-old female dark elf and the "deity" of the Hiromimi Shrine bearing the honorary name Hiromimi Hime no Mikoto (廣耳比売命). 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.
 * A 622-year-old female dark elf and the "deity" of the Hiromimi Shrine bearing the honorary name Hiromimi Hime no Mikoto (廣耳比売命). 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.


 * Himawari Kohinata (小日向 向日葵)
 * A blonde girl who, like Koito, is sixteen years old, fifteenth miko in her family line, and Yord's caretaker.
 * A blonde girl who, like Koito, is sixteen years old, fifteenth miko in her family line, and Yord's caretaker.


 * Haira (ハイラ) / Hylaria Aira Mirarasta (ハイラリア・アイラ・ミララスタ)
 * Known as Uramimi Hime no Mikoto (麗耳毘売命), and by her nickname "Haira", she is the enshrined deity of Uramimi Shrine summoned by Lord Maeda Toshiie. At the age of 726, she is the oldest of the three elves summoned to this world, thus her demanding that Elda call her "onee-sama". She has a gambling addiction, much to the partial dismay of her miko.
 * Known as Uramimi Hime no Mikoto (麗耳毘売命), and by her nickname "Haira", she is the enshrined deity of Uramimi Shrine summoned by Lord Maeda Toshiie. At the age of 726, she is the oldest of the three elves summoned to this world, thus her demanding that Elda call her "onee-sama". She has a gambling addiction, much to the partial dismay of her miko.


 * Isuzu Koimari (小伊万里 いすず)
 * She is Haira's caretaker who is the same age as Koito. She is also a famous influencer, of which Koito is a fan of. Though she scolds Haira for her gambling, she loves to take photo portraits of her and spends all of her allowance printing them at a print shop as a hobby.
 * She is Haira's caretaker who is the same age as Koito. She is also a famous influencer, of which Koito is a fan of. Though she scolds Haira for her gambling, she loves to take photo portraits of her and spends all of her allowance printing them at a print shop as a hobby.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Akihiko Higuchi, Otaku Elf began serialization in Kodansha's Shōnen Magazine Edge on June 17, 2019. After the magazine ended publication on October 18, 2023, the series was transferred to the Comic Days website starting on December 20. As of February 2024, eight tankōbon volumes have been published. In North America, Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the series in print and digital formats.

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in June 2022. It was 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 aired from April 8 to June 24, 2023, on the Animeism programming block on MBS and other affiliates. The opening theme, "Kien Romance" (奇縁ロマンス), was performed by Nanawo Akari, while the ending theme, "Odoru Hikari" (おどる ひかり), was performed by Cody Lee. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series, and they streamed it on Hidive. Medialink licensed the series in Asia-Pacific and they streamed on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel.

Reception
Alex Henderson of Anime Feminist reviewed the first episode, stating that the series understands the importance of having "endearing character dynamics and deeper themes", with Elda not only loving gaming, but has a "deep sense of care for the community" she cares for, and described it as a supernatural comedy with silliness grounded in characters that are not "one-off jokes", without any fan service.