Manga Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Volume 6, by Kagiji Kumanomata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A captured princess just wants a good night’s sleep! Shhh…

Kidnapped by the Demon King and imprisoned in his castle, Princess Syalis is…bored.

Accompanied by an entourage of demon guards, Princess Syalis takes a field trip to the human world to acquire a special pillow. Then she receives several invitations from her demon captors: first, to replace the cooks who have succumbed to heat exhaustion in the Demon Castle kitchen (somebody needs to make Quilladillo’s Monster Bird Egg Custard); second, to attend a pajama party (despite being woefully ignorant of the concept); and third, to design a new area for the hero to explore (which turns out to be the exact opposite of what the demons commissioned).

Review:

In this volume, Syalis goes on a mission for an as seen on tv pillow, forcing the demons to escort her to the human world in order to get it. Then she gets invited to a sleepover, but she doesn't know what a girl sleepover entails. And then the demons discover that Syalis is having trouble sleeping—that's why she needs so much sleep all the time—and discover who is doing this to her.

The venture into the human world was interesting. It's funny when the demons try to reinforce the fact that she's their hostage, because not only are they doing everything they can to appease her, she's more hostile to them and yet also doesn't seem to want to leave. When we learn more about the hero coming to save her, it becomes clear why that might be.

I like when we find out more about the actual characters. Learning more of Syalis' history, the bits we see of the hero and his progress, and the personality and background of the Demon King. Those are plots I enjoy, though I do appreciate that more of these single-chapter plots are starting to extend. And meeting Bussy was fun, too.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Volume 4, by Kagiji Kumanomata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A captured princess just wants a good night’s sleep! Shhh…

Imprisoned in the castle of the Demon King, all spoiled-sweet Princess Syalis dreams of is a good night’s sleep! Shhh...

Valentine’s Day arrives, and Princess Syalis is hard put to get the haul of chocolate she’s accustomed to receiving back home in her kingdom. Her latest plots to get a better night’s rest include learning to hibernate, becoming a ghost and getting an annoying earworm out of her head. Now how can she put a stop to the Teddy Demons summoning her every time they get into a kerfluffle…? Then the princess gets kidnapped from her kidnappers!

Review:

Princess Syalis continues in her adventures of sneaking around the demon castle in search of the perfect sleep implements. She gets a bear costume, for instance, and thus starts being mistaken for a Teddy demon. She goes in search of the perfect lullaby. But the big surprise comes when she's kidnapped from the demon castle, to the old demon castle.

I honestly thought this would be handled differently. I expected them to be relieved she was gone, and to find humor in her causing havoc with Twilight's brother, Hades. Instead, they try to protect her and get her back. I guess it shows how much they care for her, and are actually trying to keep her in their hold, even though she's a terror.

It was a fun new element, though, and entertaining to see how little Syalis pays attention or cares about her surroundings and the people around her.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Volume 3, by Kagiji Kumanomata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2018

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A captured princess just wants a good night’s sleep! Shhh…

Imprisoned in the castle of the Demon King, all spoiled-sweet Princess Syalis dreams of is a good night’s sleep! Shhh...

Winter has come, and Princess Syalis will do anything to stay warm, including creating a DIY magical device (known as a “Ko-tatsu”), knitting woolen underwear and trying to convince the castle blacksmith to make her a window to keep out the drafts. When she accidentally dies yet again—along with Stamper Cat—curious resurrection complications ensue. Then it’s Christmas and New Year’s! Who will the Demon King designate as naughty or nice? And will all of the other demons let poor Syalis join in any demon games…? And now the Demon King has insomnia!

Review:

It's winter, which means it's cold in the castle. This means that the Princess needs a better bed and underwear, and glass to cover that huge window in her cell. It also means that Christmas is coming. In the demon world, though, Santa is a very different thing, and you don't want him to visit. Syalis is determined to get her present, though.

Syalis is pretty much a terrible person. All of the creatures are terrified of her, and are too afraid to fight her or try to keep her trapped. When one demon tries to defend her, she's proven how very wrong she is. Syalis seems to think that all demons are immortal, and so it's okay to carve them up and take their body parts as needed. She's honestly horrible. If this weren't episodic and comedy-based, this could be a horrifying story.

Thankfully, it is a comedy. And it's a rather fun series to read.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Volume 2, by Kagiji Kumanomata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2018

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A captured princess just wants a good night’s sleep!

Imprisoned in the castle of the Demon King, all that spoiled-sweet Princess Syalis dreams of is a good night’s sleep! Shhh...

While waiting to be rescued, Princess Syalis makes herself at home by commandeering a bathtub, befriending (sort of) a cute demon girl and participating in a castle fitness challenge. Her plots to get some shuteye include stealing ice from Frost Demons to cool off on a hot summer night, attempting to make her own waterbed, toying with magic spells and provoking an enchanted flower into releasing a soporific. And then the nightmares begin…

Review:

Given the premise of this series, it can only go so long without adding more ongoing characters, or more plot. And yet, it still does a pretty good job of being so episodic and sleep-based so far.

For most of this volume, we barely even get mention of what's happening outside of the castle, or what's happening with the knight coming to save the princess. Not that that plot line was very important, anyway.

Syalis is still very focused on sleeping peacefully, with the best amenities, and she's rather ruthless in her quest for it. She will harm and kill any demon she can use; she's rather ruthless and awful, actually. They try to throw in a female friend, and Syalis isn't really interested. They throw in some sleeping beauty lore, and she's very disinterested in that romance stuff.

My favorite is probably when the Demon King gets involved. He kidnapped her, and yet he doesn't really know how to act around her. He doesn't seem to know how to interact with girls, and gets flustered easily. He's rather cute, in my opinion.

This volume was easier to read than the first, and still just as easy and fun.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Volume 1, by Kagiji Kumanomata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A captured princess just wants a good night’s sleep!

Imprisoned in the castle of the Demon King, all spoiled-sweet Princess Syalis dreams of is a good night’s sleep! Shhh...

Kidnapped by the Demon King and imprisoned in his castle, Princess Syalis is…bored.

She decides to while away the hours by sleeping, but getting a good night’s rest turns out to be a lot of work! She begins by fashioning a DIY pillow out of the fur of her Teddy Demon guards and an “air mattress” from the magical Shield of the Wind. The princess’s hapless demonic guards soon discover that their captive expects to be treated like, well, a princess. Things go from bad to worse—for her captors—when some of Princess Syalis’s schemes end in her untimely—if temporary—demise and she chooses the Forbidden Grimoire for her bedtime reading…

Review:

People and Demons are living relatively peacefully, when the Demon King suddenly decides to kidnap the Princess and hold her for ransom. While a hero appears and starts making his way to save the Princess, she's sneaking around the castle in an attempt to find the best tools to sleep soundly.

The demon castle is huge and has lots of secrets and lots of demon servants running around. The Princess is supposed to be locked up in the tower, and yet she keeps sneaking out and causing chaos. In search of the perfect mattress, the perfect pillow, and the pros and cons of these ventures. The servants, and even the Demon King himself, marvel at all she does, with no real threat to her but herself.

My favorite is the last chapter, when she discovers the perfect night light outside of the castle and reminds herself that she's a captive—only to realize that clearly she can sneak out of the castle if she can run around it, with all the options right in front of her. And then she strolls right back to her cell.

This is a fun little comedic series, easy to read and surprisingly creative.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!