Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Vol. 10by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 9 Princess Syalis was kidnapped by the Demon King (Twilight) and held for ransom. She enjoys spending all her newfound free time sleeping, and she's always on the lookout for new ways to make her sleep better and more enjoyable, even if that means destruction and death for the castle and demons around her. In this volume, Princess Syalis tries to be an armchair detective, gets an off day with Red, has her words misunderstood as love confessions a few times, is used in a video to get the hero psyched up to rescue her, and is introduced to former Demon King Midnight. Plus there are a few other mini-stories.The armchair detective chapter is extra funny. First, she's trying to emulate Sleeping Moore from Case Closed. Second, Demon King Twilight gets sucked into helping solve all of the cases, which are trivial things. Part of the humor is that Twilight is trying to hide behind the princess, but also has to keep her from falling over in her sleep, and he has some extreme reactions to her dainty wrist and silky hair. The day off with Red is short but funny. As the day goes on, both Syalis and Red look more like yakuza ... and yakuza taking an off day, including as if they went to an amusement park. The end is a snuggly nap, which was to be expected, but Red's subconscious reaction to her (he wags his tail) made me smile, as did Twilights reaction to seeing that. You would think that, by now, the demons would know to make sure of Syalis' words if they think she's confessing, but she has them so wrapped around her finger, it's laughable. They get sucked in every time, which betrays their own feelings for her. The misunderstanding of those observing Syalis and Poseidon is especially funny because the words themselves are not misunderstood -- it's that the others are not seeing the literal whole picture (on their viewing screen). I love that the demons' lie to get Syalis in their video backfires so badly at first. They already felt so guilty, but then Syalis feels betrayed and is hurt, so she throws a fit as only she can. The best part is that this actually gives the demons usable video footage. I like the follow-up scene to this as well, where Syalis is separated from the main demons, and both sides describe the other to demons acting as intermediaries. These new demons are fun and helpful. Several chapters in the second half form a larger arc around meeting Midnight. First, Syalis reveals all the ways she spies on the demons -- creepy, funny, and ninja! Second, she and the demons are at odds on how she should behave in front of Midnight, and the whole absurd series leads Midnight to believe she's a) Twilight's wife and b) that Twilight is being a terrible husband. Things are cleared up, and when Midnight visits Twilight's home, the end result is positive. Seeing Twilight stress through all of this is part of the humor, but there's also Syalis showing up for pillow-fight time .... Another fun romp through the demon kingdom. Written: March 28, 2020
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