English Dub Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle “The Princess and Female Warriors”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Princess Syalis is still living her best life at the Demon Castle where she’s ostensibly a prisoner. But now she might actually make a friend, as the so-called Female Warriors are returning to the palace after a long absence.

One of the girls, named Harpy, wastes no time trying to befriend Syalis, as she’s always wanted to engage in girl talk with a human, but unfortunately the only thing the princess is interested in is stealing stuff to sleep better.

Our Take:

We’re almost halfway through Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle now, and while the series has taken steps toward shaking things up in the past, it’s always stayed relatively par for the course and played it safe. That doesn’t really change with The Princess and Female Warriors, but the show does take a few more chances than usual in how it presents itself.

The main thing is the introduction of two new characters. Harpy and Neo get more of the focus as the attention shifts away from Syalis and her mischief to be more about the new character’s reactions to it. It’s a subtle shift, but one that makes this week’s episode feel a bit fresher than previous outings of late.

Harpy is definitely the most interesting addition to the show. She’s pretty much polar opposites with Syalis. While the princess is severely disinterested in everything that’s not related to sleeping, Harpy is supremely fascinated by the human girl and is desperate to make a good impression. It’s a cute dynamic, and the two of them certainly make for some of the best interactions the series has had so far.

Neo, on the other hand, doesn’t really get to interact with Syalis at all this week. Instead of meeting in person, she’s brought into the storyline during a meeting of the Big Ten Council which the Demon King sits on. She chides him for his poor treatment of the girl, and insists that her so-called poor behavior is just due to her being kidnapped from her home. (I suppose one could make the argument that Syalis’ single-minded determination for sleep is because it’s the one state in which she can forget her current predicament, but that would be an extreme interpretation.)

Her storyline is a little darker than usual, as the Demon King plays her security footage of Syalis chopping up her brother and making him into a bed frame. It’s not quite as extreme as it sounds, since he is a stump after all, but it’s still a gruesome sight to watch for Neo, who goes to pay a visit to the princess later on. We’ll have to wait for next week to find out what she’s planning, but I am curious to find out if Syalis has finally made a formidable enemy.