Chillin' in My 30s After Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army is a comedic fantasy anime from the Japanese animation studio Encourage Films. It is an adaption of the manga by Rurekuchie who based it on a light novel series by Rokujūyon Okazawa and artist Sage Joh.

Dariel (Tomokazu Sugita) is a demon who lacks any magic power. As a result, he has become an administrator and essentially runs the Demon King's kingdom. After the war with the humans ends at a standstill, the newly appointed general Bashvaza (Atsushi Abe) fires him. Dariel ventures into the human world since he looks like one and happens to save the human woman Malika (Akane Fujita), who instantly falls in love with him. She takes him back to her village which borders the Demon Lands and he uses his skills to help it, even negotiating a deal with a nearby mine run by rock creatures called Knockers who know him. However, he faces unique challenges at every step including the outbreak of another war. 

For parents, be prepared for minor foul language, action violence, and some crude humor, but nothing gross. 

While the animation is very good, it did not blow me away. A lot of the characters resembled the tropes they were representing and that is fine, but it did not stand out. That being said, the magical abilities were very well done and captured my eye. It was truly a sticking point to the show. 

Dariel is a character you can cheer for. He starts on with who you would consider the bad guys or "demons." In this world, demons can use magic naturally while humans have to use weapons or other instruments to channel it. Dariel's place in this works very well as he goes from soldier to town mayor, settles down, and learns a startling secret to his past. It blended very well and watching his journey was very interesting. 

This is an aside, but the Knockers were cute little creatures. They added the extra seasoning to this and I was glad they were not a one-off group, but appeared multiple times. 

Now, the ending did feel a bit rushed. With only twelve episodes, I was fully expecting a cliffhanger, but it was tied up in a bow, but a wrinkled one. They kept hinting at other future story arcs, but none came to fruition and I think the studio knew it was not getting renewed so they just wrapped it up. There was nothing wrong with how it ended, it just needed another punch. That being said, it was still a very compelling story and one that is worth exploring. 

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.