“No matter the circumstances of your birth, you cannot help being yourself. And no one else can ever become you. What more meaning does your birth need?”
~Sariphi, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts episode 24
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts is primarily a romantic fantasy shoujo anime. I appreciated this show right away for its cute and sweet nature, but I didn’t always realize it could be profound and philosophical, too. There are several powerful, emotional themes in this touching story, including the idea of finding meaning in one’s life.
Judge Set always needed his life to have a special meaning – he was born of the King, and destined to rule the Beast Realm. If he couldn’t accomplish this, then what was the purpose in his life, and what was the meaning of his mother being mistreated for so long? As he dies, Set grieves the crushing truth that he is not of royal blood. Sariphi takes his paw in her hand and tells him there is meaning in simply being yourself.
This is just one beautiful moment from the amazing anime. I’m so glad I found this show and chose to watch it. Without further ado, here are my reviews for the final three episodes of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts.
Episode 22: Flight and the Judge’s Ambition
This episode finally revealed Judge Set’s lifelong ambition of becoming King of Ozmargo. Apparently, he was born from a concubine of the previous King. Heirs to the King usually inherit the form of the Royal Beast, resembling their father. However, for some reason, Set turned out to be an ordinary canine like his mother. He was hidden away because of that, and his origin was kept secret. Yet all this time, Set thirsted for power.
At first, I thought Set wanted power for its own sake. However, he actually seeks power so he can force his racist beliefs on all of Ozmargo. Interspecies wars have always colored the Beast Realm’s history with blood. Equality between the species is a new policy by the current King (Leo). Set wishes to undo that policy. He has already started sending “sorting squads” into towns, dividing the people into classes based on species.
It was interesting to see the King’s followers having different reactions to the truth of his human blood. Anubis disappointed me immensely by abandoning his loyalty to Leo and immediately serving Set. Lante doesn’t give a crap about the King’s blood – he just wants to serve Sariphi. Captain Jormundgand remained intensely loyal to the King, which was inspiring. Oh, and speaking of Jor, I loved seeing him protect Amit. They are so cute together.
As you can see, there was a lot of good character content in this episode. For me, though, the best part was the interaction between Leo and Sari in the cave. I’m so glad Sari talked some sense into Leo before he tried to run away to the human realm. After hearing Sari’s words and seeing her tears, Leo changed his mind and decided to take full responsibility to save Ozmargo. He keeps insisting he has the heart of a coward, but I think a person is braver who faces more fear than average and still takes action.
And my last note for this episode is, of course, about the King’s hair. I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t gush a bit about that. He looks so fucking hot with that haircut!!! I mean, he’s always hot, but… I can’t even. Great episode, lol.
Episode 23: The Archpriest and the Truth about the King
A ton of awesome action and meaningful moments happened in this episode. It was exciting and beautiful. Reacting to everything would take too long, but I’ll mention a few of my favorite scenes. First, Sari’s talk with the transfigured archpriest was very informative. The appearance of the undead creature was hideous by both human and beast standards. That didn’t bother Sariphi. She listened to him, promised to relay the information, and even hugged him. It was truly beautiful.
Next, look at the part where Anubis asks Sari at knifepoint whether she could love the King if he didn’t have a human form. Sari replies that she doesn’t know, because she simply can’t imagine the King as anything but both human and beast. She doesn’t love one form more than the other. If anything, she loves how he struggles to find peace with his two different sides. Now that’s romantic!
One of the best scenes in the episode was when Anubis proved his loyalty once and for all. Instead of executing Sariphi as ordered, he stabbed Set’s hand to make him drop the spell-book he relied on. Unfortunately, Set still managed to deal major damage to Anubis in retaliation. I think he’s going to survive, though. (I’ll be pissed off if not.) I am so happy Anubis chose to do the right thing. It really redeemed his character.
A smaller part that I appreciated was the return of Amit. All throughout her character arc, she struggled with feeling useless. She normally resigned herself to doing nothing but praying. But this time, Amit knew she had to actually take action. She took control of her own destiny to help her friends and the King. If Amit hadn’t arrived to rescue Lante, the two of them might not have been able to to break Set’s spell in time. Then the King would still be stuck in human form. Great job, Amit!
On a final note, it was inspiring and deeply moving to see the vassal kingdoms all aligning with King Leo. I wasn’t expecting all those side-characters to tie back into the story, but they really pulled through to help Sari and the King. I was also interested in the fact that Set accused the mammalian vassal kingdoms of “moral posturing” – or as bigots in reality tend to say, “virtue signaling.” Sariphi responded with these words:
“They are not just posturing! I know that some people enjoy keeping others down, but nobody is born deserving to be treated as lesser.”
In other words, bigots are never going to stop being hateful. They’ll probably always try to mischaracterize good people as posers and virtue signalers. But the rest of us know that equality and justice are worth fighting for – because we’re all people.
Episode 24: A Queen and the Future of the Kingdom
The last episode of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts did a great job of wrapping things up and giving viewers a glimpse of the future. First, Set had to be dealt with. He tried to use royal-grade magic to prove his heritage, but it backfired and destroyed his body. Though I felt mildly bad for him and his wretched ending, I’m still relieved he’s gone. Besides, I think Sariphi’s words gave him a moment of peace before he perished.
The scene with Anubis and Leo was heartwarming. It was especially significant given what we saw in an earlier episode about the history of these two friends. I you recall, young Anubis was strongly influenced by the comfort of waking up with the King’s warm hand touching his own in the hospital bed. He always treasured that warmth – both figuratively and literally. So when he got to experience it again in this episode, it was truly beautiful. Leo and Anubis will definitely remain friends for their entire lives.
Another beautiful moment – or a series of them, really – came when Leo read the diary of his mother. I loved the story of Leo’s father and how he fell in love with the human woman after tiring of the violent world. When Leo read about how he was wanted and loved by his father and mother, he actually shed tears. And so did I, because I’m a big crybaby with too much empathy sometimes. It was so fulfilling to see Leo accept this new knowledge about his origins.
There wasn’t a wedding scene, and Sari’s coronation felt a bit rushed. But I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the ceremonies much even if they were shown in detail. It was a better choice to skip a few years ahead and show the kingdom doing great. Equality between species is standard, and friendly relations with the human country of Yoana are underway. To top it all off, Sari and Leo had their first child! His name is Richard and he can switch between human and beast forms at will. He is absolutely adorable.
I will end this episode review with complete honesty. Considering that I’m very much into sexualized furry art, as well as humanoid beast lore, I’m sad that we don’t know anything about how Leo and Sari have sex. What I really want to know is if they ever engage sexually when the King is in beast form. But of course, I completely understand why a shoujo anime couldn’t go there and still be accepted by its major audiences. I’ll just have to be content looking at furry fan-art later.
Thank you so much for reading!
Anime Rants 
Yes, I loved this series! The ending was so awesome! So many cute moments. I was kind of surprised about Anubis’s redemption at the end, I totally thought he was completely backing Set. Hmm, which of Leo’s haircuts do I like better? He definitely looks very heroic with the shorter cut, very appropriate for the story arc, but I also like the stylish and sophisticated long hair on him too. He looks great in both hair styles! You’re right, Richard is totally adorable! I’m so glad he’s growing up being allowed to be a kid and have fun, rather than the more strict way Leo grew up.
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