Prepare to be swept away by a magical love story in a world of elves and humans with the upcoming release of Blessed Child, a captivating fantasy romance novella by Jacob. Scheduled to enchant readers in July 2024, the self-published book explores themes of redemption, love, and betrayal.

Set during the "Next Chapters" arc of 'Sword Art Online II,' the 'Calibur' manga is written by Reki Kawahara and drawn by Shii Kiya. Originally published by Kadokawa in 2015, it arrived in the United States courtesy of Yen Press in 2017. 

While Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, Leafa, Kline, and their friends are exploring Alfheim when they encounter a fairy who explains the legendary sword Excalibur has been stolen by the Frost Giant King who took it to Jotunheim. Deciding to take this sidequest, Kirito and his friend encounter a young woman called Freya who explains that the Frost Giant is using the sword to power his fortress and only she can stop them. While others are suspicious, Kline begins to fall for the NPC, even with ribbing from Kirito. As they continue the quest, they encounter some unexpected dangers that put the group at risk. 

I applaud Skii Kiya's artwork. The character designs were especially sublime. Besides how the original characters were designed, the Frost Giant King was especially done well. It was scaled perfectly and went well when the protagonists faced off against him. 

I am a huge fan of SAO and for some reason that is controversial to say. But I do and I enjoyed the "Excalibur" arc when I watched it in the anime. Seeing it in its secondary form, the original being the light novels, was pretty interesting. 

Despite watching the anime, I genuinely had a good time reading this portion of the sage. SAO is an expansive story that begins as an isekai before it transitions into more of a futuristic thriller. Here, we see when the characters have a reprieve and are just enjoying the virtual MMO that they have joined. It was fun, exciting, and I loved the dive into European legends to expand its lore. 

Jupiter Studios along with artist Kaltoma and character designer Tunagi bring us the fourth volume of Hunting In Another World With My Elf Wife. It was published by MAG Garden in Japan and brought to the United States by Seven Seas Entertainment. 

Shin and his elf wife Saran agree to go undercover with a group of adventurers to discover who is kidnapping elves and selling them to the nobility as slaves. The pair believe there is a connection to the underworld figure known as Crow Mask who seems to show up in their investigation repeatedly. Saran volunteers to be the bait to trap the slavers as they search and prepare, despite Shin's reservations. Armed with his firearms, he prepares to protect his wife, no matter the cost. 

This was perhaps the most thrilling chapter. Shin maintains his focus and sets up for a climactic battle that you are not expecting. Besides him, Saran gets a chance to shine, further developing her character. We get a glimpse into her past and how she is set apart from other elves. This was very well done. 

Whoever is writing this sure knows their firearms. It was cool seeing Shin determining which gun would work for the upcoming battles that he faces. Since he is in a world of magic, the use of a gun is not as straightforward, but he calculates and determines what would work. It fits together all very well. 

I will say, that Lady Nanotess is sort of outliving her usefulness. While I like her comedic side stories of her in the "real world" and helping Shin get resources, such as bullets, her role feels like it is diminishing. She started out as the spirit who reincarnated Shin in his new world and helped guide him, but even as early as volume four, she feels more like an in-game store than a character. Perhaps we will see her grow later on. 

Otherwise, I am having a good time with these adventures. I look forward to more adventures with Shin and Saran in this manga series.