Otaku Elf
Entry updated 7 August 2023. Tagged: TV.
Japanese animated tv series (2023). Original title Edomae Elf. C2C. Directed by Takebumi Anzai. Written by Shōgo Yasukawa, based on the Manga by Akihiko Higuchi. Voice cast includes Ami Koshimizu and Yuka Ozaki. Twelve 24-minute episodes. Colour.
400 years ago, Elda (Koshimizu), an Immortal elf from another Dimension, took over the role of goddess (Gods and Demons) for the Takamimi shrine in Tokyo (see Religion). This was at the request of Tokugawa Ieyasu, historical founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. In the present day, Elda is 621 and cared for by the shrine's miko, 16-year-old Koito Koganei (Ozaki). As a shrine goddess Elda is duty-bound to perform rituals, but needs to be prodded into them – she would prefer to be playing Videogames, eating, buying Collectibles, reading Manga, watching Anime, creating dioramas for her Mecha toys, along with the other pastimes of a shut-in or otaku. We are told that 60 years ago a child's taunts about her long pointed ears led to her becoming a recluse; for her this is a recent event, though we eventually realize there is another reason for her self-isolation (however, she has always been a collector). Though looking like a tall young woman, she has some elderly traits, such as a dislike of the unfamiliar, whilst shyness led to her inventing a tradition that only the miko speaks to the shrine goddess ... and the "Amazin" delivery person. Despite being a shut-in Elda is beloved: the locals are brought to the shrine to meet her when they are born and she will always be a presence in their lives – a sign of permanence when all else changes or is lost. So their offerings to the shrine are thoughtfully chosen – potato crisps, Red Bull, VR sets (see Virtual Reality) and so fourth.
Elda casually drops anecdotes about centuries-old events (see History in SF) into her conversation as if they were recent history – we learn her addiction to collecting started during the Edo period, which was the first time a prize was added to merchandise – a woodblock painting (called "Toyama pictures") that came with the purchase of medicine, as well as "Hikifuda cards", essentially a business flier (see Advertising). The first appearance of elephants in the region, brought by foreign traders, led to their being featured in "storybooks and dice games and even sword guards were made with elephant print patterns". Elda collected them all. Other conversations involve comparisons between Communications then and now – as well as Games, fashion, gambling and media celebrity – conveying a sense that though the means change, humanity's nature does not.
Elda has no divine powers (see Magic), but can control spirits that are essentially voice messages. At least two other elves are shrine goddesses, at the request of two other warlords from Tokugawa Ieyasu's era: which was shortly after Japan's first contact with Europeans. Why western Supernatural Creatures were asked to fill these roles is not clear: there is clearly much backstory to be revealed.
Otaku Elf is primarily a gentle episodic slice-of-life anime, with elves, part of whose Humour comes from the contrast between Elda and humanity's perceptions of Time; but there is also an underlying melancholy, derived from the contrasting life spans – which Elda clearly feels deeply (the other reason for her self-isolation): all the people she befriends die, so Koito's desire to be grown up makes her unhappy. At one point Koito finds a 20-year-old Betamax tape in the shrine: watching it she sees her mother as a teenager, who had also been Elda's miko: Elda is unchanged in looks and personality, her mother is now dead. As the miko for one of the other elves asks, "We'll be gone before they are ... don't you sometimes feel it would be better not to be friends with them, so we don't make them upset?" Koito responds, "I do. But, I think that must be wrong." Though not dominating the show, this mood adds a touching sombreness to an entertaining series. [SP]
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