Edomae Elf

Initially this is another one of those animes of the season that I did not intend to watch. Edomae Elf seemed like a nice little funny show because oh well, an elf girl gets summoned to our world and being made a goddess of a local shrine. But she ends up picking up otaku habits and indulges in them heavily and basically is a typical hikikomori AKA shut-in. Yeah. Sounds funny enough but it wasn’t really interesting for me to pick it up at first go. Perhaps later in life when I’m bored or ran out of animes to watch. And then call it fate or miracle, I saw Mamiko Noto’s name on the list. HOLY SH*T!!! IT’S THAT MAMIKO NOTO!!! MY GOODNESS, MY GODDESS!!! YES IT IS!!! OMFG!!! With all logic thrown out of the window, this series then ended up on my watch list. Heh. So glad to be alive.

Episode 1
Koito Koganei just became a miko priestess of a shrine that is run by her grandpa and ancestors. She tends to the goddess that resides there known as Takamimi Hime No Mikoto AKA Elda. What does she want now? An energy drink! As you can see, Elda is a 621 year old elf and is infatuated with Japan’s otaku culture! Of course Koito isn’t impressed and worse of all, she has no divine powers but is beloved by many. Yes, she has not stepped out of her room for ages and no one except the miko is only allowed to see her. It is no surprise that Koito is often tired in school. Her best friend, Koma Sakuraba understands this. They discuss as we learn Elda was summoned here 400 years ago from another world! Reverse isekai?! Koma also knows that Koito is searching for a mysterious lady in white whom she met 10 years ago during her depressed period. As they go around town, it seems that many old folks like Elda despite never seeing her. A granny even mentions that it is good to know that some things don’t change. Not that Koito understands. As Elda completes her plastic model, she gets scared when she notices an unknown girl outside her room. Koito where? Help, please? Luckily she is back as she introduces this girl as Koyuzu who is her younger sister. The one who prepared all her extravagant meals? Yup, this little girl. Be thankful! Koito and Elda discuss about the latter being a shut-in. Well, it wasn’t always the case. She only became one about 60 years ago. Because a little brat teased her long ears! That’s the reason?! Yeah, ears are supposed to be an elf’s most beautiful part! Koito tries to force her to take a step outside by removing her favourite stuffs. Panic ensues as Elda accuses her for being the unkindest miko. Koito feels hurt and runs away. As she hangs out at a park, she remember coming here 10 years ago. The time when mom just died and a funeral was held. That’s when that mysterious lady came to comfort her. Surprisingly, Elda comes out looking for her. Proof she can do it too. As they go back, Koito wonders why she became a goddess. It’s a promise made to a friend to look after Edo by becoming a goddess. And that friend is Ieyasu Tokugawa?! Seriously?! Just a few walk, Elda is having sores on her legs! As for how she knew where to find Koito, it seems she has been there 10 years ago. Yes, Elda is that lady in white! She sounded different as she was coming down with a cold that day. Oh man, that sure wrecked Koito’s dreams…

Episode 2
Despite Koyuzu is right in front of Elda, the latter whispers through Koito to get her message across. Is she still shy? Eventually Koito tells her to talk to Koyuzu herself. The talk about her great cooking turns into some history lesson because well, food back in those ages weren’t as tasty as it is now. Later Elda orders a few boxes. It seems she hopes to strike it lucky to get some frog tank figurine series she wants. Too bad, all 3 figurines come out as the same tadpole whatever! Losing hope, she places another online order… Koito returns as Elda is ecstatic that she has bought her lucky combo prize as per requested. Yeah, that frog tank series. But soon Elda gets scared when Koito introduces Koma to her. Who this girl?! She is doing so since Koma wants to see her so much. First thing Koma does is to tease her long ears! Oh my! Hope they won’t become enemies! So as they talk, Elda brags and shows off all her frog tank series collection. And some history about prizes being added to goods for the first time during Edo. Noting that Elda is missing some of it, Koma knows there is a shop where they sell such rare items. Elda wants Koito to go get it. Well, go there yourself! Elda is scared going outside so Koma tells her that she should go out more often because she is beautiful and should show it off. Just this once, Koma will do her a favour and get it for her. Later, Elda and Koito get into an argument about the soul food for Tsukishima. While Koito says it is monjayaki, it is tsukudani for Elda. Well, times have changed. Koito shows her what monjayaki is and since it is so alien to her, definitely she has never eaten it. Plus, it is different from the monja she knows. With Koyuzu here, it is perfect timing to go eat at a monjayaki restaurant run by Kirara Kadoi as she wants to have some ideas about this dish. That’s right, if you want to eat this delicious treat, better go out with them. After all, Koyuzu thinks it is good for Elda as she is always eating alone. Okay, Elda will make this an exception and go out and eat with them. And so you know Elda loves it once she gets a taste of this heavenly monjayaki. Eating together is fun too, right? Yeah, Elda also ate enough for 10! Oh, Koito starting to worry about the bill being a little longer than usual…

Episode 3
Elda is elated since some online pudding she ordered 5 months ago has now arrived. When Koito returns, Elda hides this prized package from her. Until Koito offers to share some ice cream she bought did she feel guilty and let the cat out of the bag. So as they share this pudding, Elda talks about how Edo preserved their food. This leads to Elda talking about the various bottles she has kept in her collection and some of them are from overseas and eventually foreign animals like elephants being brought to Edo and the people started becoming obsessed with them. Elda then shows more stashes of such rare goodies she ordered. They started eating and enjoying all of them. Yes, such a bliss. But then hell comes because they get lectured by Koyuzu for spoiling dinner! Oh dear. We’re sorry… In the dead of the night, more precisely 2am in the morning, Koito and Elda begin their procession to walk around town. This is part of the official ceremony to show that Koito has succeeded as a miko. Yeah, so cold that Elda is putting on layers! Take it off! She claims the cold will kill her, an immortal! An immortal can die?! So as they walk around the quiet streets at this hour, they have to be careful and watch their steps since it is quite dark. But Elda believes it is still better than before because back then they only had the moonlight to depend on and thus people rarely go out during night time. Although the people don’t come out to see Elda, their voices singing and praising her can be heard from inside the building. Then they stumble into Koyuzu as she brings them to a convenient store. Because Elda herself complained she wanted to eat ramen in the middle of the night during this! Koito not impressed everybody is spoiling her. So they get their ramen cup and start enjoying it. Sure warmed them up in this cold night. Elda notes Koito eating the same ramen cup as her mom, Sayoko. Koito has lots of questions but decides to put it off later and savour the moment.

Episode 4
Koito stumbles into a crying girl. Upon seeing her elf ears, oh boy. Yolde is crying like a kid because she is lost and her guardian, Himawari Kohinata is nowhere to be seen. Yes, Yolde has a bad sense of direction and got separated. But thankfully, they reunite again at the shrine. And so we learn Yolde is the goddess for the Hiromimi shrine in Osaka. Himawari is her priestess. The elves are rivals. Well, at least in the context of because she was summoned by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Both elves decide to settle their Ringberry Bjorling battle, the reason Yolde is here. Oh my, what is that? Turns out to be tic tac toe! Another draw! For the 399th time! So when Koito explains how nobody is going to win this, this makes Yolde panic. Himawari manages to bluff her way by saying it has turned into some sort of friendship between them. With Yolde giving them some food gifts they bought, Elda corrects her term of kudarimono as meibutsu. Suddenly this makes Yolde cry like a baby. Because Elda is acting smarter than her despite Yolde being older than her by a year! WTF?! That seniority is what makes Yolde try to better at everything than Elda. Yolde thinks this is a loss but Elda manages to convince her it isn’t so. Just like that, Yolde is back to being that little brat. Then they head off to a concert. Wow, really tiring to handle these people. No wonder Elda is always annoyed by her. But Koito is glad to have seen a gentler side of Elda today. Soon, Elda catches a cold (from Yolde as she too is down with one). Akane Sasaki tends to her and believes this cold is only contagious among elves. HOW DOES SHE KNOW?! Anyway, Elda is already throwing a tantrum she doesn’t want Akane but her mom to tend her. Too bad, she already resigned. Yeah, here comes the big needle! Once that drama is over, Elda talks to Koito about the class system during Edo that is so strict that one can’t choose any profession easily. The only profession that anyone is allowed to be was a doctor. Of course this means there were many bad ones so Elda gave up seeing one each time she got sick and prayed to God instead. Yeah, the irony… Koito attends to every whims and fancies of Elda. Well, she’s sick so might as well keep her company. This reminds her how mom often did the same thing. She decides to go make porridge. But when she is done, looks like Koyuzu made her a rice cutlet bowl since she wanted one. Well, at least she is enjoying it. Meanwhile Yolde throws a tantrum of wanting to eat beef skewers and all…

Episode 5
Since Elda is using the spirits to communicate with Koito, I guess it is time to introduce to her the convenience of a Smartphone! Gee, I’m surprised she didn’t catch onto this convenience. She lends Elda and old phone of hers so she could start texting her. Sceptical at first but soon Elda gets used and is thrilled with the several applications. Yes, now she is a Smartphone addict and uses it to text Koito to get stuffs for her. Yes, just about everything. So in the dead of the night, Elda texts her about craving for some food. Hmm… No response. So Elda goes to check on sleeping Koito and both give each other a jump scare. Koito realizes the monster she has created and the need to do something about this. Suddenly a bright light. Turns out Elda’s spirits are sulking since she has abandoned using her in favour of the phone. This is when Elda realizes her wrong and decides to give it up. She has them after all. And so that ends her Smartphone addiction as it gets sealed away. Koito will now be careful about introducing such concepts to her. Though, she is still the biggest loser as Elda continues to use the spirits to get her errands done. Elda creates some big sloppy sandwich and enjoys it. Too sloppy that her dress is stained. So when Koito returns, she thought she saw blood all over! So when they calm down, Koito thinking of using some of the shrine offerings to clean her clothes. Because Koito has saved up and bought a trench coat, it sure doesn’t suit her. At least according to Koma. So they let Elda try it out and she looks even so out of place. But with the correct posture, oh damn, she looks like some Parisian model?! Koito can’t help snap pics of her. So cool! More history lessons how back then the shogunate banned such flashy clothing and hence people created very small intricate and detailed patterns that cannot be seen from afar but only when close up. As Koito feels down as she wanted to wear that trench coat for her coming of age ceremony, Elda shows off a beautiful furisode that she has kept. It has been worn by the shrine’s miko ancestors. She lets Koito try it and she looks stunning. Elda hopes she won’t rush to become an adult. Well, looks like Koito has set sights on buying these awesome (and expensive) high heels…

Episode 6
Because Koito hasn’t been tending to Elda recently, she thinks she is sick of her. When she goes to get Koito to hang out with her and once again she passes, she really thinks so. Noticing she dropped a charm, it is from another shrine! Unfaithful! So she confronts her about this and turns out this is a charm to help her study as her exams are coming up. This leads to Elda telling how she learnt Japanese in temple schools and some history about that which made Japan one of the top literate nations of the time. Koito is focused in studying but Elda keeps bugging her to hang out! After some explaining, Elda’s twisted logic is that she can hang out more with her after she works hard. Okay, whatever. However Koito soon gets distracted by cleaning her room and Smartphone shenanigans. Can’t waste more time like this. So she thinks of having Elda as a study buddy. She is good in history, right? Despite getting all answers correct, such incidents bring back bad memories! Koito gives up so desperate Elda claims will treat her to some sushi if she does great. And with that, Koito is so motivated! Elda prays for her to fail but too bad Koito did well… Koito takes Elda to the top of Tokyo Skytree for some major ritual that happens once in 50 years. Yeah, this elf is scared of heights. More history lessons about buildings in Edo so you bet Elda is annoyed humans have to make more tall buildings. She also talks about Ieyasu loving to see Mt Fuji and has some attachment to it. This leads to her explaining that Princess Kaguya had a hidden side. Something about Mt Fuji’s name’s origins came from that story. When Kaguya bade her lover farewell, she gave an elixir of youth and immortality to him. But he was sad and destroyed that elixir on top of Mt Fuji. Hence the name of the immortal mountain, fu-shi-yama became Fujiyama AKA Mt Fuji. Koito holds Elda’s hand as they walk their way to the top. There is a point where Koito cannot go further but Elda doesn’t care and just brings her along. So they can fall together?! So they pray to Mt Fuji at this highest sanctuary and they make some wishes. Including some selfish ones. Especially hoping the other would improve on their bad habit! May it all come true! Yeah, it won’t be fun then…

Episode 7
Koyuzu seeks Koito’s help since she is doing a project researching games of the olden days. Of course, who knows it all the better than Elda herself. So she explains some of those Edo games and its origins like ikanobori, dolls and of course origami in which Elda is so good at. Yeah, hundreds of years of practice did the job! But there is one last game in which Elda wants to show them. After making the preparations, they make soap bubbles. Some history about soap vendors making soapberries. At the end of the day, Koyuzu admits her project was a lie. Because she noticed Koito has been so busy with school and her miko duties, she is rarely at home. Hence she came up with this so as to play with her once more. Time for a nice sisterly hug. How sweet. Elda dreams of following the frog tank series trail and ends up getting lost in Shibuya. She fears the people will tease her ears and screams to Koito for help. What nightmare. Anyway, there is this very rare golden frog tank that is sold as a lottery but she never won. Such a shame. Because Koito knows another one is up for offer: As a prize for a raffles lottery. Of course to qualify for that, one must eat at a shop and get a stamp from it. Earn 5 stamps and you earn a chance at that raffle. Of course this golden frog tank is one of the lowest prize as the grand prize is a trip to Hawaii. Well, if Elda wants it so badly, she has to work for it. This means going out in public. Yeah, wearing a gas mask? Well, everybody who sees her, make a small prayer. It’s not all that bad. This has her telling a brief history of street merchants in Edo that come to your doorstep. Of course she had hers lining up in front of the shrine and it made the then miko furious. As they visit stores and get their stamp, the final stop is the monjayaki store. Is it closed? Well, Akane is here and being drunk so Kadoi had to close it. So they put up with her drunk outburst and leave once they have the final stamp. So as Kadoi talks to Akane about this raffle that Elda is entering, Akane notes she too entered but won this golden frog thingy. Oh my, that’s what Elda wanted! At the raffles, Elda has Koito do the honours. Still reeling from that tadpole trauma? Unleash your unlimited potential! Koito does so and gets… The golden tank frog prize! OMG! Felt like a winner today. In actuality, Akane and Kadoi rushed all the way here to tell the raffle staffs to rig the entire thing just for Elda to win this prize. Yes, the elf is pampered once more.

Episode 8
Looks like we have another elf visiting the shrine. This time it is Haira who is the goddess of Uramimi shrine in Kanazawa who was summoned by Toshiie Maeda. As much as Haira wants Elda to address her as her big sister, they are not actually blood related. As Haira is 726 years old, she makes it a point to treat those younger than her as her sisters. Not that Elda appreciates it and feels more embarrassed. Haira claims her miko has some business to attend to so she came here on her own accord. Then they learn Haira lost her money. The real truth is that she is a gambling addict and couldn’t help scratch those lotteries on her way. Imagine if her miko finds out about it… And so her real reason to come here is to actual see a major horse race! No money, how to bet?! Of course the other reason is to see Elda and this makes her blush. So with Elda seeking permission to stay here, as they go prepare her room, looks like her miko has arrived. Doesn’t Isuzu Koimari look familiar? Why, she is a famous online influencer! Sorry my dear Koito, it is not influenza! So we see Isuzu the kind of serious girl and you bet the atmosphere is tense. Knowing that hell will break loose if she finds out Haira lost the money via gambling, Koito and Elda try to distract her with other topics. She almost find out when Haira still hasn’t checked into the hotel so they managed to give excuse she is staying here because of Elda. Phew. As Isuzu sleeps with Koito, she talks about Haira’s gambling habits. Koito knows she is treading through a minefield here and has to be careful. But eventually Koito finds out about the gambling. Boom. It’s over. But what’s this? Isuzu is relieved and happy that Haira is doing what she likes?! It is revealed that Isuzu is actually obsessed with Haira and shows her extensive photo collection of her to Koito. Here, have one. Gee, thanks? Isuzu has been admiring Haira since young and couldn’t wait for the day to grow up just to see her. Sounds familiar? Next day as they leave, Isuzu asks Koito because elves will outlive them, isn’t it better not to be friends with them so as not to make them upset? Koito disagrees with that. Isuzu has a special rare gift to Elda: A super rare glossy card of Haira. Uhm… Gee… Thanks?

Episode 9
It is rainy season so Elda is worried with her favourite manga all getting wet from the leaks. They call a carpenter to come fix it but the girls get carried away if he can fix some other rooms of their desires. They go ask grandpa and of course they got scolded. As they wait, they talk about the umbrella trend back in the Edo days. Koyuzu returns all soaked despite wearing a raincoat. So as they dry her and she ponders the term kappa used as raincoats, more of Elda’s wisdom of how the word originated about. Once the rain finally stops and the sun is out, the sisters are happy that they can go outside. Elda? She’s happy to go back inside! Later Koito is mad at Elda because her room is a pig sty! Yeah, she took out all her stuffs but doesn’t know how to put it back and left it there. And so they’re going to have a clean-up operation. Be careful not to step on those Lego Logo blocks on the floor! Koito creates 2 boxes for Elda to put in. Stuffs she won’t use and those that she will. Of course knowing her, she puts everything in the latter! In that case, Koito puts it all in the former. As the cleaning continues, this prompts Elda to remember during Edo how the shogun declared December 13th to clean away all the soot. During the cleaning, they discover video tapes. One of them is a recording before Koito was born. What’s that, asks Koito! OMG! DO YOU FEEL OLD NOW!!! Apparently Elda’s old friends came by and had extra footage to shoot. But it is in Betamax format. OMFG!!! I AM REALLY FEELING OLD RIGHT NOW!!! Elda thinks granny should have a player of that format. Koito heads down there to watch it and this means Elda is left to clean alone! As granny guides Koito on how to view the tape, she sees Elda in it. Looks the same. Unchanged. Looks and even attitude. And then there is Sayoko too who is of the same age as Koito. Oh… Is Koito stunned in seeing it all? That stone emotion… Koito returns and tells Elda what she saw. But she lets Elda hold on to it. Elda wants to toss Koito in the air. Because it was Edo’s tradition once the cleaning is done. Not sure why, though. Koito won’t allow it since it is too embarrassing.

Episode 10
Fancy to see a day in life for our dear Elda? As you would expect, we see her get up late, do her usual otaku stuffs she enjoys like browsing the internet, etc. Eat when the time comes. But slacks in her goddess duties. Then more otaku time like playing games and snacking. Then bathing and enjoying a drink despite doing nothing until the wee hours of the morning before she calls it a night at 4am. Yeah. What a great life. Or a useless one! Heck, got to admit because with all that, it means all is right in the world! Peace reigns! Now we see what is going on over at Yolde’s side. Well, uhm, basically Yolde and Himawari just sharing their food and talking about stuffs. Finally, Haira at Kanazawa. Isuzu is going to make another photo book entry. Of course it is all about Haira as she prepares to take pics of her. I guess this means Haira can’t be sneaky and go out and do some gambling! And because she still owes Isuzu some money she borrowed from, I guess they’ll have to make do with Isuzu taking pictures of Haira doing some gardening. Haira notes Isuzu enjoying her influencer life. Isuzu hints she will take Haira anywhere she wants to go. Haira doesn’t mind as long as she is with Isuzu. But no Las Vegas! And so Isuzu completes her 200th photo book of Haira and sends one to Elda and Koito. Extreme. Finally we see the daily life of Koito. Ah, such a responsible girl. Getting up early to do her miko duties as well as attend school. Despite not impressed with Elda’s slacking ways, I guess in a way she still enjoys her company. Oh well, there is always hope in wishing for a better tomorrow. Yeah, peace be upon Earth as always!

Episode 11
Oh no! There has been a burglar in the shrine! And the stolen item that Elda can’t find is… Some plastic model of hers? Yeah, that long ass name… Anyway, it is a rare model that is no more on sale. Elda is panicking but it is time for Koma to play detective! Because she has time. As she looks and asks around for clues, it seems Koito is looking a lot more suspicious although she denies it. Eventually, Koma comes up with the conclusion that the culprit is among us and the only one who has free access to Elda’s place is… Koito! She admits it and explains during the cleaning session, she accidentally broke that model. She tried to fix it but to no avail. So she wrapped it all up in scotch tape. Here. Hope you’re happy. NOOO!!!! And so a trial is put on for Koito. WTF Akane and Kadoi are the jury because they need some adult input? So after some history lessons from Elda about the courts in Edo and both sides plead their cases, the adults point out to Elda as the one at fault. I mean, she is always slacking and Koito was trying to be the responsible one, right? In the end, Koito admits she was still at fault for hiding it and wants to be punished. And so she will watch with Elda all the episodes of this mecha series! Oh my. Elda looking eager watching all of them but Koito is already half asleep… The adults pull Koma away for lost time. Gonna make her work for it. Soon it will be the Yumimimi Festival. It is just next week so everyone is going all out to make this year’s festival a success. As Elda talks about Ieyasu’s development of Edo and the progress he made over the city to prosper as it is today one of the festival’s ritual is having her as the goddess being put on a boat to hold a target. An archer will fire 3 times at it. The closer it is to the centre, it signifies a better catch. Long story short, it was a heart stopping moment for her but the final arrow, let’s say it didn’t hit the intended target. Fearing grandpa’s shaky hands, Elda hopes perhaps Koito can be the archer this time. So as they practice, Elda almost died as Koito almost gave a head shot! Oh well, maybe they’ll leave it to grandpa. But Koyuzu comes with bad news. Grandpa has sprained his wrist and it will take 3 weeks to heal. Oh dear. And he wants Koito to be his replacement. Elda is going to die…

Episode 12
As Koito practises, it seems all her shots miss the target and almost hit Elda! Elda talks about some old long range archery game in Edo where it’s not really a competition so it isn’t about hitting or missing the target. However Koito still fears of disappointing everyone if she misses. Oh my, if Koito panics, Elda can’t panic! Elda then tries and hits the target. Some wind technique thingy? Too complicated for Koito to learn. But she’ll keep practising. All missed and somehow all nearly hit Elda! Yeah, she really gonna die. The day comes as Koito sets out to the river, getting ready to shoot at Elda across holding the target. Elda tries to ease her uneasiness but it seems Koito can’t hear and misinterpret her words. However the watching crowd could hear and find their banter funny. Koito fires the first shot. Missed. But Elda isn’t flinching. Second shot. Also missed. Knowing she will fail the third shot, she fires high up into the air so as not to hit her. But that is when Elda jumps just to catch it with her target but falls into the water. Since it hits bull’s eye, I guess everybody will be happy with this year’s bountiful catch. Everyone gives lots of offerings to Elda and this revs up Koito for the next festival. Oh dear… Elda is experiencing a streak of bad luck and thinks she is cursed. By who? Koito?! For slacking on the job?! Yeah, she might want to kill her for that… Elda doesn’t even have faith in their own charms. Well, she’s the goddess here, right? She talks about the old fortune tellers of Edo like how they stand at intersections and tell passers-by their fortunes. So not sure about them hiding in some corner but obviously nobody is going to show up. With Koyuzu learning what happened, she’ll bring some luck and cook whatever Elda wants. She wants a sea bream because its bone is said to bring luck. After dinner, they put it to the test by having her pull out some fortune slips. Bad luck! Oh dear. It didn’t work?! Koyuzu lends her own good luck charm. Looks like her luck has shifted a bit. With Koito lending hers, now she has good fortune! Yahoo! But then all get scolded by grandpa since doing this is forbidden. So, is this unlucky or what?

The Legend Of Elda: A Link To The Otaku Pastime
Well folks, that so much wraps it up for this series. As long as Elda and the other elves can continue to have fun in this world (a bit of panic and inconvenience from time to time is tolerable), the peace of Japan, no, make that the peace of the entire world is kept! After all, the elves have been forcibly pulled from their own home world for centuries and have never been back ever since. Truly reverse isekai. So might as well have fun throughout the ages since humans continue to worship them as their shrine goddesses. What does Jesus Christ have to say about that! Oops sorry, wrong religion!

As seen, there is not much of a storyline or plot here. In fact, each episode feels like a standalone filler almost independent of each other. It works for this series since the whole point of it is to see and laugh at the shenanigans and antics of our favourite otaku elf. I mean, you’re not expecting the world to be in danger and thus Elda has to summon some greater spirits to ward off the Demon Lord from another world trying to invade ours, AREN’T YOU???!!! Therefore, the episodic feels of each episode feels just right as we don’t have rack our brains on any confusing plot. It’s just Elda and the girls having their everyday fun. That is all. So those hoping for some sort of storyline would definitely be disappointed.

If watching random skits sound too boring for you, be informed that in every episode, Elda will tend to give very brief descriptions about the live of Edo. Basically, part of the many and myriad (and weird) cultures of Edo during that time. This is quite interesting and fascinating as we see how far Japan has come as a country as well as some of the strange customs that people do back in the days. So keep your eyes and ears peeled for such little history lessons. Of course they are only very brief and if you are really interested, the internet is your best friend to do more research and be further enlightened. But I have to ask why Elda only relates those from the Edo period. Perhaps it is to showcase how different the livelihoods were. Only then you can see the obvious changes and shifts in humans’ short fleeting lives. Because I don’t hear her talking comparisons about events at the turn of the century like World War I and even World War II! Where was she when Hiroshima and Nagasaki got bombed?! Hiding in her elf hole, maybe. HAHAHA!!! Oops, sorry…

However, after watching the entire series, there were a few questions that left boggling my mind. I don’t think it was ever addressed but there is a chance that I might not be paying attention. Nah! It’s the former! For instance, the biggest issue that bugged me was who was the miko priestess before Koito? What I meant is that if her mom Sayoko died about 10 years ago, surely there would be a replacement to fill in that role, right? It couldn’t be Koito as when this series started, she just succeeded. From who? Don’t tell me she was playing the substitute for the last 10 years and only now when she comes of age, she is now Elda’s official miko. Or did they fly in a substitute miko from another shrine from another prefecture? Since the miko has to be female, grandpa definitely is out of the question to fill that role. So tell me again, who was servicing Elda in between Sayako’s death and Koito’s official inauguration?

The mind boggling part is how the elves were summoned by Japan’s warring generals. Yeah, it was amusing to learn that this is one of the basic setting of the plot. Yeah, not sure if they planned to summon some higher deity but damn, all 3 summoned here were elves? So how did that change history? Funny. I bet Oda Nobunaga lost because he didn’t summon his own elf! I will also bet that perhaps there are other summoned elves because you’re not going to tell me that in the entire history of Japan especially during those warring periods, only 3 high profiled people managed to do the summoning and hence only 3 elves AKA goddesses. Yeah, I can’t wait to see the elves that were summoned by Mitsuhide Akechi, Masamune Date, Shingen Takeda and Kenshin Uesugi! Did I miss out any?! Or the elves summoned are only particular to those whose shrine that has ~mimi name? It’s all in the ears… Come to think of it, even assuming if all summoned elves each, since these elves can’t do any special abilities, I guess they’re all useless! The tide didn’t turn in anyone’s favour! Summoned for nothing! No wonder history didn’t change!

Character wise, they’re fun and funny in their own way but considering the pacing of this series, don’t expect much or even deep character development. Basically they remain the same from start to finish so don’t expect any mind blowing changes. Like for Elda who is basically a useless bum if I should put it in the simplest and crudest form to describe her! Maybe not fair to say that because there are times when she shows her compassion and greatness. However, all that is quite far and few in between so basically she is still a useless bum! Yes, what else has an elf elevated to a goddess status got to do every day but to eat, sleep and have fun? Doesn’t it destroy our stereotypical view of the elegance of elves?! Sorry people, this one is prone to panic attacks, shy around strangers, loves to laze around and do nothing (except for her favourite otaku hobbies) and even slacks on the job. Heck, she doesn’t even have self-confidence and a pessimist at times. Just like your typical ordinary human. Yeah, she blended in so well that she’s literally one of us. So Elda, continue to be you because that is how everyone loves you. You’re a local celebrity, you know!

Though, the funny part is that Elda doesn’t really quite catch on the Smartphone phenomena. In a sense, she isn’t a Smartphone addict because that’s like the trend today. Well, it is a good thing because she doesn’t have to be like many of us mindless zombies. Being a crazy otaku is okay but not a Smartphone addict! Theirs is a difference! Thus, Elda can stay happy and familiar with her ‘ancient’ device AKA laptop as she orders her favourite otaku merchandise and food online from there. No siree, we’re not going to let the Smartphone dominate your life! Strangely, does she have any social media page for others to follow? Can’t imagine she start becoming a whore for likes and followers! Considering elves like her live for so long, it is interesting to see what kind of human technology she will adapt to in the coming years. Oh sorry, centuries.

Even the other elves are as quirky as her, each with their own bad habits. Like Yolde being a brat and Haira being a gambling addict. Yes really, are elves this sloppy? Or did they turn this way after being summoned to our world? But whatever the case may be, they look like they are enjoying life and in this era, it couldn’t be any better with all the modern conveniences as well as different forms of entertainment. As long as these goddesses are happy, the people are happy and yes, peace reigns. Oddly, it is said that nobody except the miko can see them but as we have seen them on many occasions, going out and do stuffs in public. So is there a loophole or something? Perhaps this only applies to the goddess being holed up in her room in the shrine. Nobody should be allowed to infringe on that sacredness (more like privacy) but if she steps outside, it is fair game.

As for Koito, at first it looks like she is doing it all out of obligation. Oh you know, it is part of her duties that has been handed down from generations. But of course we can see that she just like the other people in town, everyone loves Elda. Heck, does Elda have any enemies?! I don’t think so. The thought of being struck down or cursed by the goddess is enough to make the most evil of evilest person think twice even if that isn’t true. Anyway, there are many times that Koito can be seen as frustrated and unimpressed with Elda. Obviously, a useless bum who can’t even do the minimum and is fully dependent on her miko. What is Koito? Her mom?! So yeah, sometimes there are strains in their relationship and even more so, Koito has to juggle with her normal school life which can be quite taxing for a young girl for her. At the end of the day, Koito isn’t perfect and has her own flaws but she gets by with the support of Elda. Okay, make that supporting Elda. Right, it’s the passion to serve her goddess! The same can be said for Isuzu and Himawari for their respective elves they serve. They might not show it, but it takes passion to be devoted. Not many can brag about the exclusivity in serving elves, right?

Other characters are rather okay and only play their role sufficiently. That is why some of them just feel minimal and lack any sort of memorable impact. Like Koyuzu whom I feel is the cute loli poster girl of the series. Her role is mainly to cook good food for Elda and that’s probably it. She’s always smiling and cheerful and does most of the chores like an adult that would put most of us grownups to shame. Then there is Koma who is Koito’s best friend. She is quite lively and outgoing and it is said that she is quite a smart and sharp person. Well, I don’t see her doing all that. Maybe they don’t want to take away the spotlight away from Elda x Koito. So she’s there as ‘proof’ that Koito isn’t a loner nor ostracized in class because of her miko duties. She has a friend who can confide with sometimes. Akane and Kadoi feel like they need to have some adults here so as to show it isn’t just the kids that are running the show. But the most enigmatic character goes to grandpa. Because we have never seen his face or hear his voice! He doesn’t even have spoken lines! So it makes me wonder sometimes if he is just a figment of everyone’s imagination or he must be some sort of ghost!

On a trivial note, I seem to notice that some of the episode titles are parodies after certain series. For instance, episode 8’s “Kanojo To Elf No Jijou” could be a reference to the retro anime series, Kare Kano. Definitely episode 12’s “Kore Ga Watashi No Gosaijin” is a reference to Kore Ga Watashi No Goshujin-sama, right? And obviously episode 11’s “Meitantei-Koma-chan” is referring to Detective Conan, no? Then there are a couple in English like episode 6’s “Stand By Me” and episode 9’s “Time After Time”. However for the rest of the episode titles, I am not sure as I am not well versed in other movies or shows. It could be just a coincidence that these titles are parodied so and not all of them.

I also have to mention the product placement. The obvious one being in the first episode. You know the energy drink, Red Bull? They didn’t even bother to change its name to some weird-cum-funny knockoff brand name so it makes me wonder if they actually sponsor the series. Because others like Chanel are ‘misspelled’ as Channel while Fanta seems to be known here as Fonta. I’m sure Logo seems a pretty familiar toy brand somewhere… So did Red Bull give a chunk of their offerings to Elda here? Well, I don’t see her chugging down this energy drink in subsequent episodes. As such, this also means the various otaku brands here, I am not sure if they are parodies as I myself isn’t that obsessed of an otaku. Heh. Feel free to spot and identify them all.

For the art and animation, they are pretty okay but I have to say that the background and sceneries are quite high quality. I suppose they want to showcase their animation chops because some of the streets are downright detailed and it’s quite nice to look at. The visuals and colouring are quite bright and vivid too. Though, the characters are pretty standard affair with the girls looking cute like your typical 2D anime chicks. For the record, I don’t find Elda looking that pretty… Holy sh*t! It’s not the ears, baby! Maybe all that otaku influence has made her looking so. Yeah, then what am I?! This anime is done by C2C who did Majo No Tabitabi, Benriya Saitou-san Isekai Ni Iku, Harukana Receive and Hitoribochhi No Marumaru Seikatsu.

Well, it’s that part again. Yes, the part where I get to again sing praises about Mamiko Noto as the voice of Haira! As said, the real motivation why I watched this series. Despite being a cameo character and only appeared for like 2 episodes, she shows that she still has it because as Haira, she has displayed a variety of different tones and moods of her character. So once again, kudos to my favourite seiyuu for being there for me when I needed her. Heh. Then there is Rie Kugimiya as Yolde and she is in her trademark squeaky voice so it’s good to hear her again in such bratty roles other than tsundere ones (her specialty, heh). Completing the veteran seiyuus for the elven characters is Ami Koshimizu as Elda. If I have to point out, it sounds like she is struggling to voice Elda. Well actually, she is trying to make Elda sound like a meek and scared elf. Therefore when she goes into panic mode and her voice trying to reach a higher pitch, it sounds, uhm, shall I say slightly muffled? A bit out of breath? Because I do notice that Elda in such panic modes, her voice is like one constant monotonous pitch. In this context, I think Ami Koshimizu did quite a good job in making her character sound so.

I thought it was loli specialist, Yui Ogura or Rina Hidaka as Koyuzu but I guess I was double wrong. It’s Hitomi Sekine (Mizue in Rokudou No Onna-tachi). The rest of the other casts are Yuka Okazaki as Koito (Asuka in BanG Dream), Haruka Aikawa as Koma, Kana Ichinose as Isuzu (Marlya in Fairy Gone), Teru Ikuta as Himawari (Futaba in Revue Starlight), Yumi Uchiyama as Akane (Mare in Overlord) and Juri Kimura as Kadoi (Kyouko in Seiren). The opening theme is Kien Romance by Akari Nanawo. Personally, it sounds both fun and strange. Probably because of the singer’s voice being a bit too squeaky hitting the high notes although the song has a mix some traditional tune in it and hip hop, some parts are a bit catchy to listen to. The ending theme is Odoru Hikari by Cody Lee. It’s a moderate but lively pop rock and just so-so for me. I just find it weird the female voice singing her lines, she’s like trying to sound like she’s whispering while singing. Weird. The ending credits animation is interesting because it’s like this 3D view of the characters in still backgrounds (which I believe are real pictures). Something a bit like The Matrix, you know, the 360 degrees rotation scene while the action is paused? That one. Quite neat.

Overall, if you need a light and fun anime to laugh, this one will do the trick for the season. Not very heavy and even casual viewers can have a few chuckles with all the silliness. It might not be a game changer nor some sort of masterpiece, but once again we can take heart that species from other worlds will always be fascinated with our technology and entertainment. Especially Japan! Oh Japan, what will the world be without all those otaku stuffs! I’m sure if they summon dwarves, orcs, goblins, mermaids or the beastfolk, they too will be taken in and turn into a major otaku. Can’t wait to see a Demon Lord version of that! Yes, the real goddess and religion that we all worship fervently is the otaku culture!