REVIEW: ‘Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle,’ Episode 10 “The Princess in Endopolis”

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is one of many anime adaptations beefing up the roster this year. Billed as a slice of life, high fantasy comedy, Sleepy Princess continues to subvert the tropes of its genres all while showing how fun fantasy can be. When the comedy is on, it’s on, and incredibly funny. Thankfully, that’s still the same as Sleepy Princess nears its end. However, we’ve still got three episodes left. Sleepy Princess Episode 10 starts off as usual…or so it seems. In this episode, Princess Syalis has decided to go get something, though the viewer doesn’t quite know what the good princess wants. This time she’s leaving the castle (again) to go questing for yet another sleep aid. Only there’s one small problem. Princess Syalis is still technically a prisoner in the Demon King’s castle!

Despite the castle’s best efforts, Princess Syalis quickly outruns any and all demons and traps in her way. In a way, it’s quite surprising. So far, Syalis has come off as a quite laid back character, but now, she’s really showing off her ability to sprint. Syalis has demonstrated her abilities to be agile, but this is the first time she’s really just…run. Looks like the princess isn’t as pampered as she pretends to be. The way she dashes through the castle shows that all of that monster slaying really is paying off. When Syalis is determined, nothing can stop her nor her legs.

A lot of the comedic gags in this first third of Sleepy Princess Episode 10 come from watching Syalis sprinting like she’s in the Olympics to seeing her simply foil Twilight’s plans. Moreso, a lot of the humor comes from her determination to get to the human realm for the “something” she simply must-have.  Yet her plans are foiled when the Demon King captures her in a trap. Much like a raccoon caught in a cage, Syalis quickly gets hauled back to the castle.

It’s quickly revealed that the “something” Princess Syalis wants is yet another home shopping network good. Namely, she wants a massage pillow, which is a top-selling item in the human realm. However, this item can only be found in the human realm and is selling fast. That means Syalis is off to Goodereste… or was. Still, the princess is determined to get her massage pillow, but Demon King Twilight can’t just let her go to the human realm. So, Syalis offers the next best option: she asks Twilight to come with her to the human realm so she can get a pillow and bring back some souvenirs.

Sleepy Princess Episode 10’s second third immediately follows up on the first part of the episode. After a bit of planning, the Ten Elders come to a decision. Syalis and Twilight will head into the human realm along with Great Red Syberian and Demon Cleric Leonard. Yet while Syalis is perfectly content, the other demons are quite anxious and unable to sleep. After all, it’s kind of hard to hide their demonic looks.  However, the demons are actually hilariously bad at blending in with human society. Thankfully, Syalis is able to slap some signs on their back claiming that they’re dressing up in order to practice for Halloween. It’s enough to convince any and all humans that there’s nothing unusual.

Even better, Twilight ends up in line for a lottery ticket to a fireworks festival set to happen that night. Not only do the demons score a massage pillow. They also get a chance to potentially enjoy a very nice evening in the human realm. It’s a silly gag, but it works, in large part because it’s a solid setup for the last third of Sleepy Princess episode 10.

This part was actually quite refreshing, and pretty darn cute. So far, we’ve only seen the characters in the context of the Demon Castle. Now, we’ve got a radically different setting, and with that, a whole new perspective. Demons and humans really aren’t all that different. In fact, it quickly becomes apparent how similar both groups are. It’s quite heartwarming and generally just a nice reminder that demons have just as much humanity as humans, which has been a through-line since the beginning.

The end of Sleepy Princess Episode 10 keeps Syalis and crew at the fireworks festival. The sound of the display instantly captures Syalis’ attention, pleasantly waking her from her nap. Meanwhile, the demons are incredibly worried about being noticed seeing as they’re demons in a human city. They’re more focused on trying to get back to the safety of the demon realm.

Then Syalis notices that Twilight has won a VIP booth for the fireworks show. Even better, the booth comes with drinks and premium seating! Syalis takes to it like a fish to water, settling in for a nice evening with treats and fireworks. Yet Twilight quickly remembers everyone but Syalis is a demon. They probably should be getting back to the castle. Thankfully, nothing too eventful happens and Syalis and crew are able to have a safe return, massage pillow and brand new memories included.

Sleepy Princess Episode 10 is a rather refreshing episode that moves viewers back into the human realm, providing an interesting new setting for Syalis and the demons. Funny, well-paced, and charming, this episode is yet another strong entry into a truly heartfelt series. There are just two more episodes before this series ends. It’s hard to believe that such a charming series is winding down. Still, Sleepy Princess has been one of the best anime this season, at least thus far. It’ll be interesting to see how it wraps things up in episodes 11 and 12!

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is available for streaming on Funimation.