Otaku Elf Vol. 5

江戸前エルフ [Edomae Elf] #5

by Akihiko Higuchi

A lighthearted fantasy about a quirky elf from another world who's fascinated by video games--and the local girls who have to deal with her.

Koganei Koito works as the teenage shrine maiden at the Takamimi Shrine, catering to the whims of its resident: a centuries-old elf who loves video games as much as she hates going outside! Line up your offerings for the otaku elf--some energy drinks, chips and video games will do nicely--and watch her new friends scramble to keep up!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2021

About the author

Worked as an assistant in Eureka Seven manga.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with gentle, slice-of-life series is that every so often it's too easy to see them as just plain boring. There's a whole chapter here dedicated to carbonation machines and carbonated beverages. Yuuuuuuup. Another chapter has a bored character trying to make a big deal out of a missing toy and admitting in the end the resulting shenanigans were "not super interesting."

A good rule of thumb when writing: don't let the characters point out how boring the story is in the actual story.

I have another volume on hand from the library. Here's hoping it will be super interesting.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's some mild male gaze on Koma's chest in this volume, something which I hadn't noticed before and which I hope doesn't get more egregious as we go along. Other than that, the infotainment factor has just the right amount of detail to not bog down the gentle comedy of these short stories.

Next volume looks like it will start with a "baby" episode, which I'm not all that excited about. Maybe they'll talk about baby-rearing in the Edo period and make it easier to tolerate.

[Bentgaidin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoying another volume of 'Otaku Elf' - we get an archery training montage, a mock court case, and exploding fizzy drinks! The series continues to be good light fun, with a sprinkling of history, and I'm very excited about the anime adaptation that's starting up this April; I hope it's got some of the melancholy edge I've loved.