English Dub Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle “The Princess and Forbidden Knowledge”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Princess Syalis is up to her usual mischief in the Demon King’s castle, always on the hunt for new ways to improve her sleep. From unlocking a powerful Grimoire to finding an enchanted sword deep in the forbidden forest, Syalis won’t stopped by any mere ghoul or goblin until she gets what she’s after: not being freed or rescued, but relaxing with some shut eye.

Our Take:

Three episodes in and things aren’t looking too good for Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle when it comes to developing any semblance of interesting plot. The premiere episode introduced the setup and the second episode introduced a few new characters, but in The Princess and Forbidden Knowledge nothing has changed as Syalis is back to doing what she does best: getting whatever she wants.

And the only thing she wants is sleep. Not to escape, or to make life more interesting, or to make friends, or explore the forbidden knowledge of the Grimoire she accidentally discovers at the beginning of the episode. No, like the show itself, Syalis is one dimensional to a fault.

The show really only has a single joke: Syalis breaks rules while getting something to enhance her sleep while the demons guarding her either a) let her pass them, or b) talk about how she could never get past them. One episode was fine, a second was pushing it, and at this point, I feel like the show has completely run out of legs to stand on when it comes to showing this same gag over and over again. We get it, the guards are incompetent and Syalis is a brat. Now move on!

Unfortunately, I’m not sure the series is even interested in moving on to more fertile storytelling grounds. The show introduced us to a potential foil for Syalis last week in the form of the Wolf-like captain of the guards, but he’s already relegated back to a background role this week in favor of promoting Alazif the Grimoire to the forefront. Alazif is a bit more fun of a character than we’re used to seeing on the show, and it’s nice to hear from someone who actually wants to escape. But it remains to be seen if the show forgets about the Grimoire too in the future.

At this point, if you’re still able to enjoy the joke that Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle offers, the rest of the show might be a slight, but bearable ride. However, for the vast majority of people watching, I would give this series a thumbs down after the three episode test. Watching it makes me sleepy, and while Syalis would think that’s high praise, it’s not great for a show that’s ostensibly made to be entertaining.