Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1: Release date and time, where to watch, and more

Modified Jan 07, 2025 10:58 GMT

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 release date and time (Image via Zero-G)

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 is set to release on Friday, January 10, 2025, at 10 pm JST according to the series’ official website. As one of the most highly anticipated Winter 2025 series, fans are understandably desperate to know what to expect from the premiere episode.

While the upcoming episode is unlikely to have any prerelease leaks or spoilers made available, Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 does thankfully have confirmed release information and more.

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 release date and time

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 will kick off one of Winter 2025's most anticipated series overall (Image via Zero-G)

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 is set for a premiere in Japan at 10 pm JST on Friday, January 10, 2025. Essentially all overseas viewers will also see the episode air sometime during the day on Friday, January 10, but some may instead see it debut very early on Friday, January 10 locally. The exact time of release will vary by specific region and time zone.

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 is set to air in Japan at the following times in the corresponding time zones:

Time zones	Local date and time
Pacific Standard Time	5 am, Friday, January 10, 2025
Eastern Standard Time	8 am, Friday, January 10, 2025
Greenwich Mean Time	1 pm, Friday, January 10, 2025
Central European Time	2 pm, Friday, January 10, 2025
Indian Standard Time	6:30 pm, Friday, January 10, 2025
Philippine Standard Time	9 pm, Friday, January 10, 2025
Japanese Standard Time	10 pm, Friday, January 10, 2025
Australia Central Standard Time	11:30 pm, Friday, January 10, 2025

Where to watch Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 is unlikely to feature the series' eponymous elven main character (Image via Zero-G)

Fans will find easy access to Winter 2025’s standout reverse isekai series, which will be streamed weekly on Crunchyroll with English subtitles as it airs in Japan. Crunchyroll confirmed this with the release of their full Winter 2025 schedule and lineup in December 2024. However, the platform has yet to announce any alternate language dubs for the series as of this article’s writing.

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! plot summary

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The Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! anime series will adapt author Makishima Suzuki and illustrator Yappen’s original light novel series of the same name. The series began as a web novel on the Shosetsuka ni Naro website by Suzuki herself before being adapted into a light novel with Yappen’s artwork.

The light novels are released in English by J-Novel Club, which describes the series as follows:

“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!”

The slice-of-life reverse isekai series will likewise follow Kazuhiro Kitase as he explores Japan and accustoms himself to life with his newfound elf friend, Marie. Likewise, the series should also spend some time explaining exactly how Marie came to be, and also quickly establish the pair’s romantic interest in each other.

What to expect from Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 (speculative)

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Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! episode 1 will likely begin with a focus solely on Kazuhiro Kitase, wanting to emphasize his role as the main protagonist in the series. While Marie should also be established as a protagonist given the aforementioned reverse isekai genre of the series, the series will likely make it clear that she is subordinate to him in this regard.

The first episode will likely see Marie introduced in its final act at the earliest, with her arrival much more likely to come as an exciting cliffhanger for the first episode. This would also be a good way of attracting viewers to the series as soon as possible, creating a potentially viral moment. It would also make sense as a means of giving dedicated time to Kazuhiro Kitase before Marie is formally introduced.