English Dub Review: The Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts: “The Sacrifice and the Night of the Ritual”

Overview: Sariphi (Emi Lo) is chosen as the 99th sacrifice for the King of Beasts. (Ray Hurd) However things change, when he begins to take a liking to his newest captive.  

Our Take: At first blush, Sacrificial Princess should be immediately familiar to any Beauty and the Beast fans. It centers on the classic dynamic where the characters are as true to their archetype as you would expect. The beast king is a brooding, pent-up king and Sariphi’s a joyful balance to that. To top it off, there’s even a cast of quirky servants to boot. There’s no surprises about their dynamic, however, it’s wholesome nonetheless with how she opens him up with her compassion. 

There is a twist in her pending death looming as a sacrifice to keep peace between beasts and humans. It adds tensity within the background as well as an intriguing societal wrinkle to the world overall.  

It would be very hard to connect him had he actually been sacrificing people to express beast race dominance. Thankfully, the decision to hurt himself plays nicely into his own sacrifices rather than the human ones. Sariphi’s understanding of his painful self-harm for others, along with naming him, is a touching way of solidifying their relationship.

Her role as queen is a sweet and pleasant start to their love story. One that, although is rooted in folktale, will hopefully diversify itself with original lore and character building.