Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts (2018 — 2019)
Written by: Yu Tomofuji
Series: Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts (Vol. 1-5)
Genre: Manga (Fantasy)
Publisher: Yen Press
Why I Chose It: Working in a bookstore, I’ve read a lot of things based off what customers ask for (not what they recommend — no disrespect, but everyone recommends everything and I only have so much time on my hands). Every now and again someone will pop in requesting certain titles that I make a mental note of and look up for myself later. I don’t read manga as often as I should, and when someone asked for the first volume in this series, I had to take a peek.
The Premise:
Young Sariphi has resigned herself to being the next sacrificial meal for the Beast King… but she soon discovers the king is no mere monster! Tensions between humans and beastkind have existed forever, but perhaps Sariphi’s new attachment to the King can help bring about change — though she’ll have to survive the beastkind court and the scheming Chancellor Anubis first! Love is more than skin-deep in this gorgeous fantasy manga.
Mild spoilers.
Discussion: Humans and beastkind don’t get along very well in this world, and humans will regularly send sacrificial maidens to the King of Beasts in order to placate him. In turn, he eats them to show dominance not just over humans, but also to his own kind. When Sariphi, the 99th sacrifice, is delivered to him, she surprises him with her acceptance of her role. She doesn’t cry or beg. She has no family or home and nothing to truly lose in this world. This moves King Leonheart, and he makes a very surprising decision. Not only does he refuse to eat her, he decides she will become his queen.
It’s a fun time that feels a bit Beauty and the Beast-ish for obvious reasons. Sariphi is the bright, bold young character who will stand up to anyone and everyone, while King Leonheart is gruff and quick to anger — but not with Sariphi. While in Beauty and the Beast, the cursed Prince was a jerk all around, Leonheart is only beastly to make sure others around him don’t question or challenge him — or get in Sariphi’s face. What he really wants is for humankind and beastkind to live in more relative harmony. Sariphi knows all this and vows to do everything she can to help him as his queen. Occasionally her pairing with Leonheart feels a little weird to me because she’s 15 (and therefore underage), and I have no idea how old Leonheart is supposed to be. I do admit that half the time I forget since her age is rarely brought up, and in the world of manga she could be 18 and still drawn in the same style. It’s also not unusual to see younger girls in manga, so while her being 15 may seem awkward to me, it is common in Japan. I’m also more able to let it go because it’s not like Sariphi and King Leonheart are actively hooking up. At most, he’s licked a crumb off her face. I just hope she reaches an older age of consent before the two get all lovey-dovey; otherwise, no thank you.
Luckily, I think there’s far too much for both of them to deal with before that ever happens. There are only five volumes available stateside so far, and a great deal of story yet to be told. The main antagonist to Leonheart and Sariphi’s happiness is Chancellor Anubis (who looks very much like his namesake). He claims he wants what is best for the King, yet seems to be the only one who can’t see the good qualities Sariphi brings to the royal table. She’s forced to put herself through trials in order to prove she can be the queen and has thus far thwarted his machinations spectacularly. From summoning holy creatures to pleasing a human-hating naval warlord, things always manage to turn out in Sariphi’s favor, sometimes by pure luck and other times due to Sariphi’s quick thinking and pure selflessness. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m pretty sure she’s jumped off a building to save someone — twice. Even so, there hasn’t really been a lot of true tension because the series is so new (less so in Japan — we’re five volumes behind), and it’s obvious Sariphi isn’t going to fail so quickly. Likewise, Leonheart is determined to see her succeed, and I really like how he backs her up every time, even against Chancellor Anubis. But I don’t mind the lack of tension. It’s a good story as it is, and I’m enjoying myself. That’s all I really want.
Other volumes focus on characters’ pasts, giving readers a glimpse into what they were like before transforming into what we’re already familiar with. Volume 5 was nothing but Chancellor Anubis’s history, and I was quite curious to know what exactly his fervent attachment to the King was beyond blind duty. There are other plotlines that will be interesting to see how they culminate, such as the King’s big secret. It’s revealed in the first volume, so I’ll go ahead and spill it — he occasionally turns human. Discovering why he’s able to do so and what will happen when his subjects find out will be quite entertaining. I can only imagine the Chancellor’s reaction. He may very well implode.
The tidbits after the main storyline in each volume are rather funny, since Tomofuji flips everything around — Sariphi is beastkind, Leonheart is human, and so forth. Except while Leonheart is tall, dark, and sexy, Sariphi is a tiny, floofy dog. Somehow that makes it way weirder when he announces she will be his queen than when he’s a big, kingly beast and she’s a human. But they’re giggle-worthy chapters to finish the book off.
The other little side story that keeps happening is also quite cute. Sariphi quickly becomes friends with beast Princess Amit, who has had a crush on the Captain of the Royal Guard, Jormungand. Occasionally he pops up and talks to her. I think he likes her, and she turns into a googly-eyed puddle every time he appears. I look forward to seeing how that pair progresses. By the way, Tomofuji seems to be having a good time naming certain characters after various mythological beasts. We have Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the underworld, Amit, the crocodile-headed funerary diety, and Jormungand, named after Jörmungandr, the World Serpent of Norse mythology. Though I think Princess Amit would be dismayed at the idea of being named after a goddess dealing divine retribution to people’s souls, she’s too busy being a good friend to Sariphi and making cookies.
In Conclusion: If you’re feeling like some pleasant fantasy in your next manga choice, this is a solid way to go. I’m definitely liking it more than the series I recently finished (Black Bird) because of Sariphi’s can-do attitude, Princess Amit’s antics, Leonheart’s support of Sariphi, and the general world that Tomofuji has created. You have plenty of time to play catch-up.
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