Sun Tzu and Anime: Otaku Elf Character Analysis
Otaku Elf Character Analysis
It's time to once again let an ancient genius assess the present, as Sun Tzu's incredible wisdom returns to rate more of anime's finest.
As a quick refresher, here's how the rating system works. Sun Tzu cited Five Essential Victory Factors: Morality, Weather, Terrain, Good Leadership, and Preparation. Those under consideration can earn 0-10 points each here. However, he also cited Five Fatal Failings of Leadership: Recklessness, Cowardice, A Hasty Temper (Anger, for simplicity), Delicacy of Honor (DOH), and Caring too much about the troops (Over-caring). Those under consideration can lose 0-10 points in each. At the end, the scores are tallied, with each character aiming for 40 or better.
This time, we're looking at a cozy group: the Elves and their mikos (attendants) from Otaku Elf. As always, to keep things fair, we'll analyze them in the order they're formally introduced.
Advertisement
Character Analysis: Koito Kaganei
Otaku Elf: Koito Kaganei
Otaku Elf: Koito Kaganei
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 8 | She's very nice, as well as very tolerant of Elda and a great big sister. Still, she's got a selfish streak, namely in her attempts to grow bigger. |
| Weather | 7 | She's very capable under most circumstances, but badly mishandled the arc where rain leaked through the inner sanctuary roof. |
| Terrain | 7 | She knows her way around the city, but was a little clumsy while cleaning the sanctuary, hence the infamous "trial" for breaking Elda's model. |
| Good Leadership | 6 | She's good at coaxing Elda out of her shell, yet isn't always very assertive, and does occasionally freeze under pressure. |
| Preparation | 4 | She handles her shrine duties well, but was completely caught off-guard by Elda's reclusiveness. Worse, she later slacked off on her homework and is a bad cook. |
| Total | 32 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -9 | Major red flag. She constantly underestimates others, especially the other enshrined elves, and is extremely impulsive, namely her bad habit of constantly buying "mature looking" items…although she knows they don't suit her. |
| Cowardice | -6 | She freezes occasionally, and is too shy to admit her growing feelings for Elda. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. She's a hothead, and easily triggered by Elda's antics and her BFF Koma's teasing. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very cocky at times, as well as very vain, hence her constant attempts to look more mature and/or grow. |
| Over-caring | -4 | She secretly cares very deeply for Elda, and even hints at falling for her. |
| Total | -33 |
Final Assessment
Score: -1 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Elda
Otaku Elf: Elda
Otaku Elf: Elda
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 5 | She's got some very sweet moments, namely when she went to find Koito after she ran away, but her spoiled nature often causes trouble. |
| Weather | 4 | She's capable, given her ability to read the wind when demonstrating archery, but completely overreacted to the cold during the winter solstice ceremony, as well as when the inner sanctuary roof leaked. |
| Terrain | 4 | She knows past Tokyo very well, and her spirits allow her to communicate over great distances. Unfortunately, she doesn't know modern Tokyo, and has a serious clumsy streak, usually when tripping over her own messes. |
| Good Leadership | 4 | She's got potential, particularly when discussing the past, food, and gaming. But, aside from those, she's more follower than leader. |
| Preparation | 6 | She's surprisingly studious, especially when collecting toys, snacks, or new games/manga, but often slacks off with her shrine duties or cleaning her room. |
| Total | 23 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others and is extremely impulsive, namely when spending her allowance collecting trinkets like the Frog Tanks or sneaking snacks. Furthermore, she's extremely careless, often losing or breaking things rather than stowing them, as well as shirking her shrine duties for naps or playing. |
| Cowardice | -10 | Epic red flag. Not only is she a social recluse, the list of things she's afraid of (ex. heights, touching animals) is endless. |
| Anger | -7 | Slight red flag. She's got a sharp temper, especially when resisting Koito's attempts at getting her to go outside, plus she overreacted when Akane tried to give her a shot for her cold. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -9 | Major red flag. She's very cocky when it comes to gaming and history, and is also extremely vain, most notably when a little boy's jab about her ears turned her into a shut-in for 60 years. |
| Over-caring | -7 | Slight red flag. She cares deeply for her fellow enshrined elves, but particularly for Koito, considering how worrying about her made her voluntarily leave the shrine for the first time in years. |
| Total | -43 |
Final Assessment
Score: -20 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Himawari Kohinata
Otaku Elf: Himawari Kohinata
Otaku Elf: Himawari Kohinata
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 9 | She's a little gruff, but is actually very nice, especially when it comes to handling Yolde's eccentricities. |
| Weather | 8 | She seems capable, both when finding her way in the rain to meet Elda, as well as keeping track of Yolde back home. |
| Terrain | 8 | She's very good at navigating Tokyo, but did lose Yolde after arriving there. |
| Good Leadership | 7 | She's very good at her shrine duties, although she's not always very assertive, like when she wanted to do her homework, only to get talked into hanging with Yolde instead. |
| Preparation | 6 | She's very good at planning, but is constantly forced to wing things due to Yolde's antics, especially her infamous snack attacks. |
| Total | 38 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -8 | Serious red flag. She constantly underestimates Yolde, and she's got a slight impulsive streak, particularly when it comes to her own snack habits. |
| Cowardice | 0 | She's very bold, so no worries here. |
| Anger | -5 | She's got a temper, one that's easily triggered by Yolde, although it thankfully doesn't show too often. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -3 | She's got a few cocky moments, but not enough to worry. |
| Over-caring | -6 | She constantly worries about Yolde, and soon becomes very close to Koito. |
| Total | -22 |
Final Assessment
Score: 16 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Yolde
Otaku Elf: Yolde
Otaku Elf: Yolde
Advertisement
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 6 | She's very nice with parishioners, but has a deep selfish streak. Also, her ultra-competitive nature makes her very bossy at times. |
| Weather | 5 | She's normally capable, but completely melted down in the rain when she got lost in Tokyo. |
| Terrain | 3 | She knows certain locations, but her terrible sense of direction cripples her in her wanderings. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She's extremely bossy with Elda, but outside of that is a consummate follower. |
| Preparation | 4 | She can plan certain things, like going to the Tokyo concert, but mostly wings everything else. |
| Total | 21 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She often underestimates Elda, and is extremely impulsive, both with snacking and her need to defeat Elda at everything from their Ringberry Bjorling (Tic-Tac-Toe) competition to how high their fevers were during their joint colds. |
| Cowardice | -7 | Slight red flag. She's very insecure, particularly when she gets lost, and failing at anything crushes her. |
| Anger | -5 | She's got a temper, although it doesn't appear too often. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -10 | Epic red flag. She's extremely vain, both in her competitive streak and need to prove Kyoto's grandness. |
| Over-caring | -5 | Although she doesn't openly show it, she cares a lot for Elda, and really loves Himawari too. |
| Total | -37 |
Final Assessment
Score: -16 (Nightmare scenario)
Character Analysis: Isuzu Koimari
Otaku Elf: Isuzu Koimari
Otaku Elf: Isuzu Koimari
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 8 | She's a little icy at first, but is actually sweet and generous, especially with sharing her albums of Haira. |
| Weather | 10 | Due to her keen eye, awareness, and influencer talent, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 9 | Thanks to her agility, awareness, and biking skills, this isn't an issue either. |
| Good Leadership | 7 | She's okay when it comes to Haira, but isn't always assertive, and sometimes has trouble interacting with others. |
| Preparation | 5 | She's capable, but can't stop Haira's rampant gambling, and she's surprisingly unaware of what her charge grows in her garden. |
| Total | 39 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -7 | Slight red flag. She constantly underestimates Haira, and she sometimes isn't very clear with her feelings, like when she first went to see Elda. |
| Cowardice | -2 | She's a little insecure, but not enough to worry. |
| Anger | -4 | She's got a temper, although it's only ever triggered by Haira, and doesn't appear that often. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -3 | She's a little vain at times, but not enough to worry. |
| Over-caring | -7 | She constantly worries about Haira, and she became very close to Koito after meeting her. |
| Total | -23 |
Final Assessment
Score: 16 (Great potential, yet deeply flawed)
Character Analysis: Haira
Otaku Elf: Haira
Otaku Elf: Haira
Victory Factors
| Factor | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Morality | 5 | She's sweet, but very bossy with Elda, and her rampant gambling often makes her very selfish. |
| Weather | 10 | Thanks to her awareness, outdoorsmanship skills, and umbrella, this isn't an issue. |
| Terrain | 9 | Due to her green thumb, keenness, and awareness, this isn't an issue either. |
| Good Leadership | 3 | She bosses Elda like mad, and tends to go rogue when her gambling addiction kicks in. |
| Preparation | 8 | She's surprisingly capable, given how smart she is about terrain and plants, but sadly tends to only use those skills to find new gambling mediums. |
| Total | 35 |
Fatal Failings
| Failing | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Recklessness | -10 | Epic red flag. She constantly underestimates others, and has a severe impulsive streak, most infamously when she went to see Elda, only to waste her hotel and souvenir money at a scratch ticket stand. |
| Cowardice | -7 | Slight red flag. She gets very nervous when Isuzu catches her, and tends to panic under pressure, like when Elda nearly blurted out what happened with the ticket stand in front of the latter, only to have Haira nearly suffocate her while stopping her comment. |
| Anger | -4 | She's very forceful with Elda, but otherwise is fairly mellow. |
| Delicacy of Honor | -7 | Slight red flag. She's highly defensive and cocky about her gambling, even though she mostly loses. |
| Over-caring | -6 | She cares a lot for Elda and Isuzu, although she's not very open about it. |
| Total | -34 |
Final Assessment
Score: 1 (Nightmare scenario)
Reviewing the Results
This was a messy cast, no doubt a huge source of the series' infamously farcical circumstances. Then again, it all harkens back to what's been said all along: follow Sun Tzu, and you'll win; ignore him, and you'll lose.
Otaku Elf Characters: Victory Factors Analysis
| Character | Morality | Weather | Terrain | Leadership | Preparation | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koito Kaganei | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 32 |
| Elda | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 23 |
| Himawari Kohinata | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 38 |
| Yolde | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 21 |
| Isuzu Koimari | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 39 |
| Haira | 5 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 35 |
Otaku Elf Characters: Fatal Failings Analysis
| Character | Recklessness | Cowardice | Anger | DOH | Over-caring | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koito Kaganei | -9 | -6 | -7 | -7 | -4 | -33 |
| Elda | -10 | -10 | -7 | -9 | -7 | -43 |
| Himawari Kohinata | -8 | 0 | -5 | -3 | -6 | -22 |
| Yolde | -10 | -7 | -5 | -10 | -5 | -37 |
| Isuzu Koimari | -7 | -2 | -4 | -3 | -7 | -23 |
| Haira | -10 | -7 | -4 | -7 | -6 | -34 |
Otaku Elf Characters: Final Scores
| Character | Final Score | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Koito Kaganei | -1 | Nightmare scenario |
| Elda | -20 | Nightmare scenario |
| Himawari Kohinata | 16 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
| Yolde | -16 | Nightmare scenario |
| Isuzu Koimari | 16 | Great potential, yet deeply flawed |
| Haira | 1 | Nightmare scenario |
Article by:Andrew Nickerson
Andrew's originally from Massachusetts, and has studied military history/tactics/strategy for almost 30 years. He has a BA in History (English minor) from UMASS Lowell and JD from Mass. School of Law. He can be found on Twitter (@AndrewNickers19) daily, analyzing characters via Sun Tzu.
Fun Fact: Andrew's a huge fan of anime music. He particularly recommends Crescent Love (Brighter than the Dawning Blue), Dream Riser (Girls Und Panzer), and the fight theme to Zoids: New Century.