Zzz…Zzz…Zzz…Zzz…Zzz…
What’s the Story?
A good night’s sleep is really important. So when the princess of the human realm, Sya, is kidnapped by the Demon King of course her top priority is sorting out her sleeping arrangements! Whether it’s raiding the castle’s treasure chests for special items or literally cutting down demons for materials, she’ll do whatever it takes to have the perfect night’s rest! The demons really have no idea what they’ve let themselves in for, honestly, I feel sorry for them.
The Review
Sometimes I see a comedy anime and my immediate thought is, well, that joke is going to wear itself out in no time. I mean, a show about a princess trying to get a good nights rest in a demon castle? How many jokes can you really make out of a premise like that? Turns out quite a lot actually, twelve episodes worth at the very least. I initially skipped this series when it first started airing, but a couple weeks later I started hearing good things about it and so I decided to check it out. I haven’t looked back since. I love this show, it had me laughing each and every week and was one of the shows I looked forward to most during Autumn 2020 when it first aired (and there were a lot of good shows in that season). Whether it was bopping my head along to the series’ opening or sitting in anticipation of the princess’ next crazy quest, this show is an absolute blast from start to finish.
Really this is a comedy of misunderstandings, featuring an eclectic cast of people each of whom all think in their own unique ways. The demons at least get a pass on this front because, well, they’re demons, there’s nothing that says they should think along the same lines as a human. So when they get confused by human behaviour or customs I get it, they have their own quirks and tendencies that make them all lovably odd. The character that worries the me the most is the princess because, well, her thought process is so bizarre at times. I’ll state it again for the record, the central premise of this show is that the princess has been kidnapped by demons and her first concern is for her to get a better quality pillow?!
Maybe it’s her sheltered upbringing, maybe it’s the fact that most of the other human characters we meet down the line are also pretty odd, but sometimes I just don’t get this princess. And that’s what makes her so funny! It’s a two fold punch really, you’ve got the strange way that the princess twists logic followed up by her sheer resourcefulness to get stuff done. Take for example her pillow, any normal person coming across a haunted shroud would at least be hesitant, not the princess, no. She immediately identifies it as a necessary material for her upgraded pillow and proceeds to chop up them up for parts! This princess’ handicraft skills are next level, she can make anything out of anything, demon quills, teddy bear fluff, demonic tree stumps you name it!
What makes this even funnier is all the reactions of the demons trying to cope with a princess who not only doesn’t follow the rules, but doesn’t even know they exist! That’s what I mean when I say this is a comedy of misunderstandings. You’ve got the princess misunderstanding her situation, and basic logic, and the demons misunderstanding human nature and culture. They just compound one another until hilarity ensues. Now none of this would really prevent the comedy from growing stale over time, and maybe for some people it does, but what saves it for me is that it knows when to change things up. The series keeps introducing new demons and new locations, whether we’re exploring different parts of the castle, other castles or even back in the human world every once in a world. It gives us new situations to play with and with new demons added to the roster we get new personalities thrown into the mix.
The final cherry on top for me is just how loveable these characters are. Yes the princess is an oblivious force of nature and can be quite the terror to the demons around her, but she’s never mean about it. She’s just doing what she wants to do and doesn’t think things through. The demons likewise are all adorable dorks in their own way, the Demon King especially. You can really feel the bond that forms between them and the princess and they do actually manage to have some fairly deep moments later on. I just love all these characters and I would quite happily spend the rest of my days with them, how about a spinoff? ‘Sleepy Reviewer in the Demon Castle’ anyone?
The Verdict
In the end, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, is a show that’s a lot of fun from beginning to end. With a loveable cast and one crazy misreading of a situation after another it’s packed full of laughs and people I could spend all day with. The constant editions to the cast and the changing location help to keep things feelings fresh and made this one of the surprise hits of Autumn 2020 for me. So, if you’re not feeling too sleepy yourself why not check this show out? As for me I think it’s a good time for a nap, now, where did those demon teddy bears go?
Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.
Never Argue with a Fish 
I watched the first episode of this one. I did start the second but then I just kind of realised I probably wasn’t going to get into it and decided I had plenty of other anime that I needed to catch up on watching so moved on. It wasn’t a bad show by any means, just not really for me.
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That’s always the risk with comedy, it’s subjective. This one just charmed me from the start.
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Sounds like a funny little anime with the concept and characterization. Sya certainly sounds more interesting of a character than Aurora, that’s for sure (I had to make a Sleeping Beauty reference at some point. Nothing wrong with some comedy anime from time to time.
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Sleeping Beauty would only be improved by Aurora driving Maleficent crazy with her antics. Now there’s a Disney remake I’d actually watch.
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Hahahaha! Wow, even I might actually watch a remake like that if it existed. Hey, since Sleeping Beauty is a public domain story, maybe you can make some kind of parody or wacky version of that tale? XD
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It’s worth thinking about. I did come up with a Cinderella retelling based on the idea of, what if the Prince found someone else who fit the glass slipper before he got to Cinder’s house, and the chaos that ensues from that. One day I’ll write it up, just need to let it simmer in the back of my head for a while longer.
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Definitely. That’s a great idea with your story concept, too. I might read something like that. Interestingly enough, I actually wrote one adaptation of an obscure French fairy tale called “The Green Serpent”, but from both the perspective of the serpent as well as the princess which was fun. Feel free to write that and other stories. Have you written any books, by any chance?
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Just some short stories that were published in anthologies put out by the writers group I’m apart of. I do have plans for a couple of novels, but I’m kind of on a break at the minute. I do want to finish them though, I just need to get back into the right headspace.
I’m a big fan of fairy tales, I’ll have a look for that Green Serpent story.
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Gotcha. That’s really cool. Where can I find the anthologies? That would be great if you worked on your novels. Camp NaNoWriMo is next month, by the way. Just saying? You could also try the July section if that doesn’t work out.
Interesting. Here’s a link to the original story, if you’re interested. https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/book.php?id=36&tale=886
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Thanks.
NaNoWriMo always feels like too much pressure to me. Once I get up to steam I can normally keep a fairly good pace by myself.
You can find the anthologises on Amazon, either search for Ages of Escafeld, I’m in all 3 volumes and the handbook, or you can try Twisted Fairy Tales by Sheffield SFF Writers.
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You’re welcome.
Okay. I was just wondering if you were going to try it out. To each their own, but I totally understand. Camp NaNoWriMo is easier with adjustable word count goals from 10K words minimum to 100K maximum.
Very nice. Thanks for letting me know about that. Thank you. Let me know when you get to read The Green Serpent, too.
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I love this show. Started laughing in the first episode and pretty much never stopped. 🙂
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I had very much the same reaction.
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I’ve read the first two volumes of the manga and I felt it getting stale fast. New demons, yes, but the trope was the same. Syalis will torment them for her quest to sleep. I feel terrible for the demons, especially the Ghost Shrouds.
And at the end of the anime, it seems as if they’ve come to care for their abuser! Bizarre! I know that it’s comedy and technically not supposed to make sense, but I need a story, a plot, a conclusion, etc.
I do give this series credit for roasting the cliche of “Save the Princess” stories. A useless hero that gets lost at every turn. The Demon King who wants the hero to find his lair. (At first, I believed that it was to get Syalis out of their hair, but that’s not even the case. Shoot, they even grew to somehow care for her!)
And I do love the RPG-themed bits too.
Perhaps the true problem with this series for me IS Princess Syalis. I love the demons and hate Syalis. She’s cruel, but she’s oblivious to her cruelty. That just doesn’t sit well with me. And it’s all to get sleep!
I could see this series being enjoyable if it went like this:
Syalis is appalled at the subpar, non-royal bedding in her cell. She wants her lavish bedroom back which she knows is back home. However, she hates Dawner (Da-what’s it) and knows that he’s useless. She concocts a plan to escape the Demon Castle, but she needs the proper equipment to do so. Her demon guards and the many artifacts throughout the castle will suffice as she makes up her escape route on the fly. But her love of sleep halts her progress every time as she’ll find comfortable places to take naps in which leads to her recapture. Thus, the sequence of events begins anew.
That, to me, is how it should’ve gone.
Comedy is subjective, but this just wasn’t hitting it for me. For example, Azumanga Daioh is a sort of “slice of life/comedy” anime with zany characters, but had a plot: get through school, life, and the nutcases surrounding you. I loved that. Simple, funny, and has a plot.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle just doesn’t do prove that to me.
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Fair enough, each to their own. You’ve got a good pinch for an alternate version, I’d definitely give it a watch.
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Thanks. My alternate imagined version is basically the same Syalis, but with a realistic goal. The perfect night’s sleep is always in your own bed and it’s up to her to fix things.
For example, she’ll use The Shield of the Wind to go “jet skiing” across the Poisonous Swamp to escape, but will get distracted by a Poison Mushroom and decide its cap looks like a comfy bed. She’ll die while resting atop it, but then get revived by Demon Cleric and brought back to her cell.
Great Red Siberian will scold her on not behaving a like a proper hostage, but his lectures bore her to sleep and she’ll doze off with his fluff as a pillow.
Or she’ll need to pass through terrain where constant lightning strikes make it near impossible to traverse. She’ll return to the Demon Castle and discover the Tire Demon. Hijinks ensue. And so on and so forth. Syalis will inadvertently use the artifacts Dawner needs to clear the traps to make her escape.
That’s how it’ll go. Very much the same style of humor, but with a more sensible approach.
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