English Dub Review: Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts: “Beasts and a Human Town”

Overview: Sariphi (Emi Lo) visits a beast town with Leonhart (Ray Hurd) to better understand the nation she knows very little of only to get a rude awakening. 

Our Take: Sariphi’s visit to a beast town illustrates the anxieties surrounding human and beast relations. However, the hypertension between the two races is not the key takeaway. Rather, it is how remarkably similar both of them are. 

The town meets her presence with pure vitriol, which is not shocking in the slightest based on their rough relations. It’s what comes before in their hospitality and kindness while under the assumption she was a beast person that’s crucial. A presumption, by the way, that’s ludicrous, considering her sheep disguise that, while adorable, is so terribly conspicuous it’s comical. 

Beast society’s softer side is as relatable as their fear and rage when faced with someone they’re ignorant of. It smartly plays into Sariphi’s lesson of how closely the two warring sides mirror one another. Her experience in a human town doubles down on that brilliantly. 

She stays at a human village to heal from the miasma. Speaking of miasma, the illness could have easily been a forced, external barrier, existing merely to separate her from Leonhart. While that is true to an extent, thankfully, it goes down a smarter, brisker route, but more on that later. 

What does not change are the similar rollercoaster of emotions she experiences in the cadence of pleasantries and hatred, respectively, even just being associated with Leonhart. Her ordeal is heartbreaking in humans’ harsh rejection of her, not being accepted anywhere and reliving her past scars.

Thankfully, her beast knight in human armor comes to her aid in a heartwarming save. Leonhart makes a ring to ward off her miasma, with his decision reinforcing their connection without going down a long tedious path to get there. Thankfully, it doesn’t reuse the stereotypical trope of pushing her away, so fingers crossed it stays that way. Even if not intended that way, finally putting a ring on it after practically wifing her up is a wholesome note to end on.