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Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! #1
Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! Volume 1
Kazuhiro Kitase's only hobby is sleeping. Ever since he was young, he would enter a wondrous world within his dreams and go on thrilling adventures. One day, he goes on an adventure with an elf girl he became friends with in his dream world, but it's put to an abrupt halt when they both get scorched with a dragon's breath! As he wakes up from his dream, he notices a familiar figure sleeping next to him...the elf girl from his dreams?! Join Kazuhiro on his new adventures through Japan with Ms. Elf!
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2018
66 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 1, 2019
A good blend of isekai and reverse isekai, the blurb for this new series by JNC already caught my eye when they announced it. I wasn't honestly expecting anything much, however, but I daresay the author has managed to pull off the story here quite well.
While the book sells itself as a reverse isekai, there is a quite a bit of isekai elements too as the protagonists travel between each other's worlds and learning about them respectively. I find it quite nice that the first volume alternates between good ol' ruin treasure hunting and discovering libraries and parks for the first time.
The writing here is also quite a stand out, as the author really does take the time to write long flowing paragraphs when needed and flowery descriptions too. A lot of light novels tend to have rather simplistic or barebones writing, so it does feel like a treat when you read one that has really decent writing.
Welcome to Japan, Ms Elf! starts out quite strong and I have high hopes for the next volume, especially since this volume with a rather big cliffhanger. The only slightly annoying thing I'd find here is that the male protagonist tends to be kind of bland at times, so hopefully the next volume improves on that.
While the book sells itself as a reverse isekai, there is a quite a bit of isekai elements too as the protagonists travel between each other's worlds and learning about them respectively. I find it quite nice that the first volume alternates between good ol' ruin treasure hunting and discovering libraries and parks for the first time.
The writing here is also quite a stand out, as the author really does take the time to write long flowing paragraphs when needed and flowery descriptions too. A lot of light novels tend to have rather simplistic or barebones writing, so it does feel like a treat when you read one that has really decent writing.
Welcome to Japan, Ms Elf! starts out quite strong and I have high hopes for the next volume, especially since this volume with a rather big cliffhanger. The only slightly annoying thing I'd find here is that the male protagonist tends to be kind of bland at times, so hopefully the next volume improves on that.
May 31, 2021
This book had a lot of potential,and I absolutely love the parts of Marie being in Japan. Sadly the parts in the fantasy world are a bit lacking. Hopefully future volumes are more Japan thab fantasy world.
February 26, 2019
Solid little opening story to a more fluffy, but still action oriented dual setting Isekai + real world story. This really is a shared setting more than anything I've read yet in the LN genre, the main character moving between worlds when he goes unconscious.
The title character of the Elf is really more of an ally / friend who he has known in the dream world for a long time (he's been going there since he was 5, and he's 20 in the real world now), and they're now starting to really work together on the regular... Until she and he both die in each others arms to a monster. Luckily, our hero's skill allows him to bring back to his world any food and / or people around him when he dies, so Ms Elf gets to go to Japan with him.
I think the Elf is a decent character, but maybe it didn't really explore her life enough yet (we get a vague mention of her guild mates being tough on her because her level is lower than others, I think she mentions nobility too). I'm hoping we see both of their close ones / family in the future (we get a promise of a vacation trip at some point to Kazuhiho's grandfather's countryside home after Ms Elf takes a liking to an anime's picturesque scenery).
Three side characters get really only introduced in this volume: a librarian, a dragon, and a young cat boy beast dude. None of them really get any major play, just really introductory sequences, the dragon probably the most we learn about to get a sense for her worldly importance and personality.
One thing I was struck by was the quality of description elements in scenes. They really try to put you there in the scene. From descriptions of sand, heat, water veins, to descriptions of action elements and fast travel traversal methods. I do think Japan might need a bit more emphasis though. The first scene they see the cherry blossoms, but I didn't really get a breathtaking picture there. There's probably more natural wonder they can find, in addition to some local customs and festival scenes in future volumes... And a beach chapter can always be fun, ha ha.
Ms Elf, Marie, and her male ally Kazuhiho are a great pair. They really play off each other well and care about the other one's well being. Marie in particular attempts to improve her Japanese ability to meet his and tries not to be a burden on him monetarily. In addition, Kazuhiho gives Marie the opportunity to work out what he's thinking sometimes about strategy, and they're on a similar wavelength. Marie and him share a lot of simple interactions you might expect from friends or lovers, just really genuine human contact and comfort, things as simple as brushing back hair, patting their head, falling onto the other's chest, and just generally lazing about. It's nice and comfy.
People always ask about Ecchi content in these types of works, and I don't think this is that bad (I hear some of the insert pictures look racy, but I haven't looked at those to confirm). There's basically 3 racy scenes: Marie waking up in the Earthly world naked in bed, Marie dropping her covers as she turns around to Kazuhiho after starting out the window at Japan that morning, and Marie jumping at Kazuhiho with nothing on as she gets scared out of the bath from an Earthquake. None of these are that bad in terms of description, though the guy has some slightly lecherous thoughts on his mind that pass quickly (just absentminded staring mostly, which he'll conclude by saying he's tempted to do because 'he's a man'). The characters hug each other tight while in pajamas in bed to go to the other world together when they fall asleep.
I'll definitely read more of these. The premium EBook from J-Novel has 3 short stories, so those may be worth it if you want to see more fun interactions between our elf and her Earthly companion. The volume definitely feels incomplete a bit as it just kind of ends, no cliffhanger, but not really a resolution or clear path ahead or even final line to leave us with. It ends on an Interlude in fact, a story that takes place outside of the major otherwoldly events, a simple shopping trip with Marie.
The title character of the Elf is really more of an ally / friend who he has known in the dream world for a long time (he's been going there since he was 5, and he's 20 in the real world now), and they're now starting to really work together on the regular... Until she and he both die in each others arms to a monster. Luckily, our hero's skill allows him to bring back to his world any food and / or people around him when he dies, so Ms Elf gets to go to Japan with him.
I think the Elf is a decent character, but maybe it didn't really explore her life enough yet (we get a vague mention of her guild mates being tough on her because her level is lower than others, I think she mentions nobility too). I'm hoping we see both of their close ones / family in the future (we get a promise of a vacation trip at some point to Kazuhiho's grandfather's countryside home after Ms Elf takes a liking to an anime's picturesque scenery).
Three side characters get really only introduced in this volume: a librarian, a dragon, and a young cat boy beast dude. None of them really get any major play, just really introductory sequences, the dragon probably the most we learn about to get a sense for her worldly importance and personality.
One thing I was struck by was the quality of description elements in scenes. They really try to put you there in the scene. From descriptions of sand, heat, water veins, to descriptions of action elements and fast travel traversal methods. I do think Japan might need a bit more emphasis though. The first scene they see the cherry blossoms, but I didn't really get a breathtaking picture there. There's probably more natural wonder they can find, in addition to some local customs and festival scenes in future volumes... And a beach chapter can always be fun, ha ha.
Ms Elf, Marie, and her male ally Kazuhiho are a great pair. They really play off each other well and care about the other one's well being. Marie in particular attempts to improve her Japanese ability to meet his and tries not to be a burden on him monetarily. In addition, Kazuhiho gives Marie the opportunity to work out what he's thinking sometimes about strategy, and they're on a similar wavelength. Marie and him share a lot of simple interactions you might expect from friends or lovers, just really genuine human contact and comfort, things as simple as brushing back hair, patting their head, falling onto the other's chest, and just generally lazing about. It's nice and comfy.
People always ask about Ecchi content in these types of works, and I don't think this is that bad (I hear some of the insert pictures look racy, but I haven't looked at those to confirm). There's basically 3 racy scenes: Marie waking up in the Earthly world naked in bed, Marie dropping her covers as she turns around to Kazuhiho after starting out the window at Japan that morning, and Marie jumping at Kazuhiho with nothing on as she gets scared out of the bath from an Earthquake. None of these are that bad in terms of description, though the guy has some slightly lecherous thoughts on his mind that pass quickly (just absentminded staring mostly, which he'll conclude by saying he's tempted to do because 'he's a man'). The characters hug each other tight while in pajamas in bed to go to the other world together when they fall asleep.
I'll definitely read more of these. The premium EBook from J-Novel has 3 short stories, so those may be worth it if you want to see more fun interactions between our elf and her Earthly companion. The volume definitely feels incomplete a bit as it just kind of ends, no cliffhanger, but not really a resolution or clear path ahead or even final line to leave us with. It ends on an Interlude in fact, a story that takes place outside of the major otherwoldly events, a simple shopping trip with Marie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2020
My thoughts on "Welcome to the Welcome To Japan, Ms. Elf!" (日本へようこそエルフさん。)
Written by Makishima Suzuki
Art by Yappen
Translated by Hiroya Watanabe
The story:
Ever since Kazuhiro was a kid he dreamed about these realistic fantasy world, he could control his dreams so being in a fantasy world while sleeping was his favorite activity.
One day while in his dream world he dies while protecting a female elf, when he wakes up he finds that same elf sleeping beside him. A fantasy character in modern-day Japan. Then he discovers his dream world is actually an alternate world.
Enjoyment:
I love my trashy happy and light-hearted novels. This one doesn't have the best story out there, nor the best characters, nor the best writing. But one thing that it sure has going for it is its enjoyability.
The verdict:
As I said, I really like reading books about happy people doing happy things. And a story about having a fantastical being from another world come to modern-day Japan is a very interesting premise. I really like my trashy series so this book gets a 6/10
Written by Makishima Suzuki
Art by Yappen
Translated by Hiroya Watanabe
The story:
Ever since Kazuhiro was a kid he dreamed about these realistic fantasy world, he could control his dreams so being in a fantasy world while sleeping was his favorite activity.
One day while in his dream world he dies while protecting a female elf, when he wakes up he finds that same elf sleeping beside him. A fantasy character in modern-day Japan. Then he discovers his dream world is actually an alternate world.
Enjoyment:
I love my trashy happy and light-hearted novels. This one doesn't have the best story out there, nor the best characters, nor the best writing. But one thing that it sure has going for it is its enjoyability.
The verdict:
As I said, I really like reading books about happy people doing happy things. And a story about having a fantastical being from another world come to modern-day Japan is a very interesting premise. I really like my trashy series so this book gets a 6/10
May 2, 2024
Quite the fun little light novel. Though the character involved is a little OP, that is not the point of this light novel. Essentially when protag-kun goes tot sleep he is isekai'd into another world, though to him he calls it a dream world and didn't think it was actually real. Every time he dies in the dream world, he wakes up back in Japan in his bed. He eventually made friends with an elf lady in the dream world, one day while hanging out with her they end up being spotted by and dragon. Right before they die he grabs her to shield her and they both end up dead. However when he wakes up in Japan, he realizes the ended up bring the Elf with him. He shows her around Japan and feeds her delicious food. Thus their friendship deepens because they start spending every moment together, they explore the dream world together and spend their days in Japan together.
Lots of descriptions of food and sight seeing in Japan along with other world RPG adventures. It was an enjoyable read.
Lots of descriptions of food and sight seeing in Japan along with other world RPG adventures. It was an enjoyable read.
August 26, 2019
This one is marketed as a reverse isekai, where a cute elf girl from another world visits modern Japan. Turns out that's only half the book. Every other chapter is a traditional isekai where the main protagonists joins his elf friend in her world for some light-hearted adventuring.
Quality feel-good escapism. This quote from the first volume summarizes what this series is all about: ”I’d come home from work and an adorable elf would be waiting for me, making some bento. Then we’d depart to another world together. Wouldn't that be a wonderful life?”.
Quality feel-good escapism. This quote from the first volume summarizes what this series is all about: ”I’d come home from work and an adorable elf would be waiting for me, making some bento. Then we’d depart to another world together. Wouldn't that be a wonderful life?”.
June 6, 2020
This series will not set the world on fire. It is a nice plot with solid writing. The characters follow the standard conventions.
The people described in this book are very Japanese when it comes to emotions. The displays are minimal and description of environment and situation always over rule feelings. That is neither good nor bad, just very Japanese. Note, I don't know any Japanese personally, so my only real reference in the books I have read by Japanese...
I like the flow of the story. I think the descriptions of Japan are interesting.
Not a bad book.
The people described in this book are very Japanese when it comes to emotions. The displays are minimal and description of environment and situation always over rule feelings. That is neither good nor bad, just very Japanese. Note, I don't know any Japanese personally, so my only real reference in the books I have read by Japanese...
I like the flow of the story. I think the descriptions of Japan are interesting.
Not a bad book.
April 9, 2019
Interesting concept
A young man is able to travel to another world every time he falls asleep. He's completely safe because of he "dies" he wakes back up safely in his own bed. What happens though when he "dies" and brings an inhabitant from the other world back to Japan? It was an interesting first entry, an introduction to some of the main characters, and it'll be interesting to see how the story develops from here.
A young man is able to travel to another world every time he falls asleep. He's completely safe because of he "dies" he wakes back up safely in his own bed. What happens though when he "dies" and brings an inhabitant from the other world back to Japan? It was an interesting first entry, an introduction to some of the main characters, and it'll be interesting to see how the story develops from here.
February 24, 2019
Story is a standout among the light novel genre. I normally don’t write reviews. However,I saw this light novel getting only three stars during it early reviews. I’m not sure if they read the same novel as I did, it would be a shame if you missed this story because of that.
May 1, 2019
A fun, quick read. Nice contrasting settings.
Needs more food.
Needs more food.
June 20, 2019
One of my favorites!
I am loving the back and forth travel between worlds, and the light hearted fun shared by the characters. I look forward to future releases in the series.
I am loving the back and forth travel between worlds, and the light hearted fun shared by the characters. I look forward to future releases in the series.
December 30, 2021
I enjoy the reverse world aspect of this series. It's simple and light hearted
June 9, 2022
Kinda boring.
November 17, 2022
Suffers from the usual light novel issues of a slightly stilted translation and plain awful game mechanics garbage but the cuteness at its core saves it. Light and breezy
September 14, 2022
男女主角死回現實世界後，是先請她穿好衣服、吃頓日式料理、逛公園賞櫻後才開始討論發生什麼事
危機感不足
本書卷末發現到的地下迷宮，看後續集數的簡介好像要到第4集才探索完
這劇情發展好慢……
危機感不足
本書卷末發現到的地下迷宮，看後續集數的簡介好像要到第4集才探索完
這劇情發展好慢……
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 25, 2019something different
mix of SOL in Japan and D&D type adventure in the parallel world
both flavors handled well
mix of SOL in Japan and D&D type adventure in the parallel world
both flavors handled well
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews