ANIME REVIEW | A Cozy Time For Many in "Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!"
Reverse isekai anime isn’t a new thing. We’ve seen many fantasy characters enter the human world in such series as The Devil is a Part-Timer! and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! is somewhat comparative to the latter, as it focuses more on these fantastical beings experiencing real life at a calm pace. But does it spark enough joy and imagination to be placed alongside other classics in the genre?
Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! follows Kazuhiro (Yusuke Kobayashi), a salaryman who can travel to another world when he goes to bed. In said fantasy world, he’s a swordsman traveling with the elf girl Marie (Kaede Hondo), who also happens to like Kazuhiro…’s cooking. But during a battle with a dragon, Kazuhiro wakes up to find that Marie has traveled back to Tokyo with him. Now in a whole different world, Marie aims to experience all that Japan has to offer, all with Kazuhiro by her side.
The premise of the anime is pretty standard: Take a foreigner and place them in an unfamiliar setting. Many people who find themselves in a world far different from their own can certainly relate to that. Perhaps that’s why Marie is such a relatable character, as she’s reacting to every unique thing like it was the greatest thing she’s ever seen. (God knows how often I still do that in my current Tokyo setting!)
Although both Kazuhiro and Marie can travel back and forth between the worlds, it’s when Marie is in Japan where the series both shines and finds its soul. There’s something endearing about an elf girl that finds something magical about items we take for granted. Bathtubs, cooking stoves, various kinds of food cuisines, and even television fill Marie with so much awe, all things that we’re accustomed to. It’s also cute and funny seeing Marie attempting to learn Japanese by watching a classic anime DVD, something I’m sure many anime fans outside of Japan have long tried to do.
Where Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! shines is in the chemistry between Kazuhiro and Marie. At first, they treat each other as friends and adventure comrades. But as the two experience life together in Tokyo, something far greater starts to blossom in their hearts. Although it’s Marie who realizes it first, seeing how these two grow into becoming a loving couple is perhaps the most endearing thing about this story.
However, whenever the anime returns to the fantasy world, I can’t help but feel a lack of excitement. While it’s humorous seeing Kazuhiro interact with monsters like they’re his chums, everything else about the magical world just doesn’t feel enticing. The introduction of the dragon girl Wridra (Yumi Uchiyama) may bring some laughs, but everyone else in that realm just feels too one-dimensional. So whenever Marie and Kazuhiro pop back to the world of dragons and magic, I find the urge to look at my watch as I wait for this part to finish up.
It’s funny how Zero-G is doing Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! and the other elf girl anime — BEHENEKO — in the exact same season. Both series also have their similarities, especially with them having dragon ladies and cat people in their cast. There’s a bit of romance in them as well, but Ms. Elf! is less likely to raise eyebrows in the way BEHENEKO is. Granted, both shows have their quality moments, but I can’t help but feel like a bit more care and detail is being placed into the one about the elf and cat rather than the one about two consenting adults.
With that being said, Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! is still pretty to look at. Zero-G really does a good job capturing the beauty of Tokyo and its sights. The character designs are wonderful, especially when it comes to the cuteness and beauty of Marie. Sadly, when it comes to the fantasy world, it comes off as being generic rather than anything special. A shame, considering a magical world should have its feelings matched with its settings.
Both Kobayashi and Hondo are wonderful in their roles of Kazuhiro and Marie. The former does a great job portraying a caring and concerned cohabitant with the elf girl. He also displays a plethora of smarts, but not in a brainiac kind of way like Kobayashi does in his role of Senku in Dr. STONE. Hondo, on the other hand, is pure cuteness as Marie, something she’s been good at since her work as vampire girl Hikari in Interviews with Monster Girls.
As for the anime’s soundtrack, it’s passable. Composer Kanako Hara (A Destructive God Sits Next to Me) conjures up a paint-by-numbers kind of score that doesn’t do much to add flair to the scenarios happening on-screen. Rico Sasaki’s opener “Palette Days” does a good job bringing the calm and majestic vibes that the anime offers. While VTubers Kaede Higuchi and Kanae do an okay job with the ending theme “Yummy Yummy”, I can’t help but cringe whenever they sing “How delicious!”off-key.
There’s a lot more to like than dislike in Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! When Kazuhiro and Marie take on their Tokyo surroundings, it’s a wonderful watch. However, I wish more were done with the fantasy world parts, as they can sometimes be a bore to watch through. Thankfully, more time is spent in the real world than in the fantasy one, and seeing how our two leads grow from friends to lovers is sweet. Viewers looking for something warm and fuzzy to watch may want to add Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! to their list, especially if you crave cuteness in the same way Marie craves Earth food.
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Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-8 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
