REVIEW: ‘Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle,’ Episode 2 – “The Princess and Furious Fluff”

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (Sleepy Princess) is one of many Fall 2020 anime adaptations beefing up the roster this year. Billed as a slice of life, high fantasy comedy, Sleepy Princess mixes episodic antics with an overarching story of a damsel in distress that upends every trope. In episode 1, viewers meet Princess Syalis, the crown princess of the United Nation of Gooderest. Now, she’s a captive in Twilight the Demon King’s demonic keep. The Demon King expects her to be wilting and whimpering, but Syalis has different plans. Hers involves finally having the sleep schedule of her literal dreams. 

Now, in Sleepy Princess episode 2, “The Princess and Furious Fluff” kicks off with the hero Sir Dawner and his party as they invade the Hell’s Abyss Labyrinth. Yet they don’t stand a chance of escaping as the Demon Lord quickly escapes in a wave of demonic bats, leaving them far from his keep, where the still-captured Princess Syalis is still awaiting rescue. Meanwhile, back in the Demon Castle, Princess Syalis is scaling a wall. And just why is she scaling a wall? Well, because our dear Princess Syalis hates bugs. However, she abhors bug bites even more.

Previously, Syalis avoided pests of all kinds behind the sheer curtains of her four-poster bed. Yet the Demon King hasn’t thought once about her comfort, sticking her in a room exposed to the elements. Now, it’s up to Syalis to figure out how to make her time at the Demon King’s castle as comfortable as possible…while causing trouble, of course.

What ensues is more of Princess Syalis’ antics as she tries to find the perfect place to hang her mosquito net from. This time, in Sleepy Princess episode 2, Twilight, the Demon King, gets a bit more directly involved when Syalis’ antics go too far under the assumption that she’s trying to steal some very precious Phoenix Eggs. Naturally, Hime could care less about some S-rank trinket. She’s more interested in avoiding bug bites and annoying itches.

In the back-half of the episode, Syalis is back at it in the Demon Lord’s castle with her quest for sleep. Without hesitation, this teenage terror leaps over the balcony onto a garden of magical, poisonous mushrooms…to her immediate, comedic demise. 

Throughout Sleepy Princess episode 2, Princess Syalis meets an untimely end as she continues to get in trouble all around the castle. Syalis, who’s supposed to be a captive princess, is much more a captivating princess for all the wrong reasons. Instead of being sleepless, she’s getting more than her fill of rest. Unfortunately, it’s always at the risk of the Demon King’s staff. 

Naturally, one of his higher-ranking denizens isn’t happy about all this. Enter the Great Red Syberian, one of the Demon King’s Ten Elders. He’s also the Demon King’s dog, both figuratively and literally, seeing as he’s a rather handsome, bespectacled, humanoid dog demon. Finally, there’s someone to hold Princess Syalis accountable for all the havoc she’s heaped upon the castle.

Naturally, Princess Syalis foils any attempt to reign her in. She easily evades every obstacle in her way with a single-mindedness that’s pretty admirable. Truly, it seems that nothing can stop the Princess at this rate. Her quest for a nap is just that powerful.

Sleepy Princess episode 2 is thankfully still quite hilarious. The pacing and comedic timing really shine through, right alongside the charming animation and hilarious “Quest Complete” jingles. The gag of Syalis being completely oblivious to the trouble her antics cause is also consistently hilarious. Surely by the end of things, Twilight is going to be wishing the princess was in another castle.

One can only wonder how long the gags of Sleepy Princess can remain funny. So far, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle remains a genuinely hilarious fantasy comedy about a pesky Princess. Time will tell if this is all the series has to offer, or if there’s a bit more to the story.

New episodes of Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle stream on Funimation every Tuesday.