Adorable Reverse Isekai Anime Drops Its Charming Preview Trailer: Watch

A new teaser trailer for Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! has been unveiled to the public, showing off the colorful animation from studio Zero-G and several cute moments from the anime. The series is a reverse Isekai, focusing on an elf mage who finds herself in modern-day Japan thanks to some dream magic. The anime is based on a light novel series of the same name and is a blend of fantasy, romance, slice-of-life, and mild action. The show is scheduled to begin airing on January 11th and will stream on Crunchyroll. It is set up to be one of the hot new shows premiering in the first quarter of 2025.

The show stars Kazuhiro Kitase, a 20-something-year-old salaryman who has had dreams about a fantasy world since he was a child. One night, he and his elf friend, Marie, are killed in the dream. But when Kitase wakes up, he finds that Marie has joined him in the real world. The main novel series would soon reveal that Kitase can go back to the fantasy world anytime he falls asleep and can bring anything he touches back with him. Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! is primarily about Marie enjoying modern-day Japan while hiding her elf ears from the public. Yusuke Kobayashi provides the voice for Kitase, while Kade Hondo voices Marie. Kobayashi is known for playing Subaru in another Isekai, Re:Zero.

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The Reverse Isekai Makes Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! Unique

Typical Isekai centers on a normal person from the real world getting trapped in a fantasy land, whereas a reverse Isekai is about someone (or something) from a strange land getting stuck in the real world. While reverse Iskais have existed before Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf, the trope is still uncommon enough that the overall premise for the upcoming anime feels novel. In contrast to the high-stakes action from other Isekai, Zero-G is advertising Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf as a fun slice-of-life romance featuring an elf from another world.

While having adventures in the fantasy world is still very much part of Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf, the series will also equally focus on Marie discovering new Earth food and walking in Japanese cities. The shonen series is for low-stakes, romance fans who enjoy some action in their shojo. There are currently nine volumes of the light novels released to the public. The manga adaptation of Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf has recently launched its 10th volume.

H/T: Crunchyroll