Will there ever be peace between the human and demon realms?
What They Say:
Episode #10: The Princess in Endopolis
Princes Syalis is determined to get her hands on the latest and greatest sleep product, but it’s only available in the Human Realm.
The Review Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
By this point in Sleepy Princess, there are two things that are abundantly clear. One is that the demons are not as bad as they’d like to come across. The second is Syalis probably has the capacity to escape her captors at any time and has chosen not to. The two (or was it three?) manga chapters that this episode is adapting was the point in the manga where I stopped thinking that Syalis was just a jerk.
The Princess often wavers between being seemingly clueless and naive, and surprisingly understanding and clever. She has made herself a comfortable life in the Demon Castle, with many of the demons at her beck and call with a small army of teddy demons at her command. Yet there are a few things that are still a challenge. One of the largest hurdles to her personal comfort is not being able to get human goods in the demon realm.
The latest temptation is a scientifically advanced sleep-aid pillow with ultrasonic vibration for relaxation. Syalis must have one and so she pulls out all the stops to rush off to the human realm to purchase one. Switching to athletic wear she dashes off, and the Demon King and his retinue are at first unfazed that their captor is out and about. It isn’t until she escapes castle grounds that Twilight finally sets out to recapture his captive. For as much as Syalis has learned about demons and how to get around the demon castle traps, they’ve got her number as well.
That whole opening escape sequence is ridiculously entertaining and might be my favorite bit in the entire series so far. The animation team really is putting a lot of love into this show.
A deal is struck between the Princess and the Demon King. They will take Syalis to the nearest human town to purchase her pillow. This is where the anime leaves out a few details about this specific town. Endopolis is the last town before the “final dungeon,” essentially. It has the merchandise and prices to prove it! There’s a perpetual festive atmosphere there as it is the last stop for adventurers advancing into demon territory. At least, that’s what I remember from the manga, none of that is mentioned in this episode.
So Twilight, the Demon Cleric, and Great Red all accompany Syalis on her shopping trip. The whole experience is more akin to a theme park, or a carnival. They end up waiting in line for hours to purchase the newest model of the pillow while accidentally getting split up and indulging in a large number of carnival snacks.
The nervousness of the demons watching humans celebrate kill demons is both cute and a bit depressing. Syalis doesn’t seem bothered by threats, she does tend to murder demons herself rather often. The experience ends up getting to Twilight though, who breaks down the human-demon conflict for us viewers. Syalis simply turns to her captors at the end of the day and says “Let’s go home.”
In Summary:
A trip to the human realms involves both clever disguises and laying low, but Syalis and her captors forget both those things. This is one of the more complete and satisfying episodes in the series. The differences between humans and demons really only seem skin deep. Syalis can happily live among both species without care as long as she can get a good night’s sleep. Twilight worries about a conflict that has so much bad blood behind it how could the two ever get along? Maybe someday Syalis and Twilight will be able to stand side-by-side as friends openly and their followers can follow suit.
Episode Grade: B +
Streamed by: Funimation
Sleepy Princess
Ⓒ Kagiji Kumanomata / Shogakukan / Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Production Committee
Sleepy Princess
Ⓒ Kagiji Kumanomata / Shogakukan / Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Production Committee
Sleepy Princess Visual
Ⓒ Kagiji Kumanomata / Shogakukan / Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Production Committee
Kate has a long history of leaving pieces of herself all over the internet, alighting upon fandom after fandom to briefly taste of its nectar before flitting away. She has accrued a collection of manga so large she believes her home may now have structural integrity issues. She also watches anime, plays video games, and occasionally writes and draws. You can also listen to her on the Fandom Post Radio podcast, available wherever fine podcasts are streamed.
