Sticky Pages: Plus Sized Elf and The Art of Synecdoche
Good day deviants! Welcome to the first ever Sticky Pages, where we’ll review and talk about graphic novels, books, webcomics and more as they pertain to the kink community. Much as with Jack’s Sack, we’re not going to grade things on any kind of scale here. If something is worth your time and coin, I’ll encourage you to check it out. If not, I’ve zero qualms about saying as much. Like Jack’s Sack again, this series is entirely possible because of the generosity of deviants just like you. Want to see something reviewed here? Toss me a line on Twitter, and I’ll throw it up on my wish list.
That’s enough tongue wagging on an intro. We’re breaking new ground by talking about Plus Sized Elf volumes 1-4, and why the manga has gained so much traction in body positivity circles.
On Seeing Ourselves
Representation in the media is something a gross and uncaring majority will try to handwave away. But I am here right now to tell you representation matters. No matter how small or big, no matter how ham fisted it might feel, there’s a person out there that needs that right now just as I needed that red right hand. That very element is what drove me to seek out Synecdoche, the creator behind Plus Sized Elf.
I first started seeing art from the comic in the fall of 2018. Back then, I was still posting to Tumblr. Tumblr was (and despite how much it pains me to type this still is) fantastic at exposing casual users to art, music and culture they might otherwise not experience. I followed several blogs that focused on plus sized glamour models and porn stars, and started seeing her making the rounds.
Art property of Synecdoche
My first thought was oh shit, she’s really cute!
I reblogged the work, and went looking for more right away. As I finally uncovered a name and more images, something became really apparent. One, this artist was talented. Their ability to use shading on rounded surfaces evoked a sense of soft warmth. Likewise, they weren’t limited on a single axis-they could indeed draw all kinds of cute girls.
Property of Synecdoche
Shading, particularly the use of grays against solid ink lines, gave way to firm muscles and soft, huggable hips. I was drawn in. Unlike other ecchi/hentai artists at the time, there was this undeniable feeling of respect for what was drawn. These looked like girls and women I had seen in the real world, without the hyper exaggerations of others.
Then Tumblr hit the self destruct button, I started a site and more or less forgot about all of this. Flash forward, and I start seeing this same artist pop up in retweets on my timeline. These stills were part of a series, and it was getting translated. For the first time in my entire life, I kept an eye on a manga release date. I reasoned that even if the story was trash, the art would still be fantastic.
So spoilers, that first half was wrong.
A Healthy Mind Makes A Healthy Body
Plus Sized Elf features a full cast, but centers primarily around Naoe (a massage therapist) and Elfuda, the titular character that landed butt-first in our world. Elfuda would love for nothing more than to get back, but unfortunately the magic portal she needs to pass only allows you through if you’re a certain weight. The person in a position to help her is none other than Naoe, renowned in the region for his care towards his clients.
Now, okay. Right there, I can see where a few people might get concerned. Western media bombards every available media device with images of stick thin, airbrushed people selling products. The fashion and influencer industry are complicit in more destruction of individual identity than they’ll ever admit to. Opening with a plot detail like that could very easily be triggering for a few people. I clenched my jaw, having fought my own battle with an eating disorder and decided to keep reading.
I finished the first volume and immediately put the next two up on my wish list.
What seems like a terrible setup paves the way for a message of personal health being directly tied to mental health. Throughout the series, Naoe never shames Elfuda in the typical finger-wag derision we’re so used to here in the west. His dialogue and actions don’t reflect a place of malicious mold-fitting standards. Instead, he focuses on Efluda’s individual needs and integrates those into getting her home. Specifically, getting her to enjoy healthier alternatives to fast food fries. Success with that isn’t instantaneous, but a process that requires work from Elfuda and patience from Naoe. They succeed, only for Elfuda to return with a friend.
This begins an ongoing theme with the work. Every time an additional cast member is added, they seemingly always need Naoe’s help. While this seems repetitive, it actually aids the ongoing message that everyone’s health needs and bodies are different. Naoe approaches each with the same respect he showed Elfuda, complete with detailed exercises the reader themselves can do at home. Just as the characters are doing what fits their individual needs, the hope of the narrative is the reader will as well. It does this without being preachy, without judgement, and without an ounce of malice.
Throughout the work, Synecdoche’s art remains incredibly consistent. The line work is clean without being heavy, and there isn’t so much as a single stray pencil mark. The anatomy of the cast is not only proportional but realistic. Elfuda is plump, and has a tummy. An fitness focused ogre that joins later in the volume has heft to her biceps. The art will occasionally veer towards cartoony, but without what I would personally consider jarring. In the years it took to get this work stateside, Synecdoche only improved from those original images I saw on Tumblr.
Because this is a Splathouse review, I feel it’s pertinent to mention the following: There’s nudity in the comic (of course). Quite a few panels focus on butts. As strange as it might sound, this is actually where I paid a critical eye the most. Synecdoche’s character designs remain consistent even in the “cheesecake” focused panels, making these high-fantasy concepts feel more “at home” in the setting. To be totally blunt, Efluda reminded me of partners I’ve had instead of remaining firmly in the “other” of uncanny designs. Efluda and friends feel and look like people you’d actually meet on the street instead of terrifying eldritch hentai abominations. That made the comic for me personally.
Critically Critical
While I greatly enjoyed every volume, I have a few slight criticisms that need addressed.
Plus Size Elf seems to not exactly know who it’s audience is. It’s a cute, heart warming comic that also features plenty of tasteful fan service. I’ve a feeling some will come for the latter, and be alienated by the former. I’m not saying heartwarming stuff can’t be cheeky. Rather, I’m saying this balance is one the manga handles well and I’m curious how long it can maintain it.
The cast gets huge past a point. Just within the first two volumes there’s Naoe, Elfuda, Naoe’s boss, a dark elf, the dryad, the wolf girl, the ogre, the goblin and it just keeps expanding. While the stories featuring each are usually cute or informative in some way, it leads to later chapters either having a character featured for a single panel or not at all. Sometimes they show up later. The main focus is on the interaction between Elfuda and Naoe, and always feels solid. I can’t help but wonder if this is appealing to the thriving “monster girl” trend, some kind of genre trope or simply a way of accentuating what the narrative drives home.
Overall, I recommend Plus Sized Elf. It’s a lighthearted, entertaining manga with enough appeal for quite a few people. Go cop the first volume, and follow Synecdoche on twitter while you’re at it.
-j