When she was barely older than a toddler, Sariphi overheard her parents discussing her future as a sacrifice. In a few years, she would be offered to the Beast King in Ozmargo as the annual tribute from the human lands. This tradition existed to symbolize that although beast and human realms were now separate, the beasts were still superior.

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts follows Sariphi as she is sent to be the next sacrifice to be devoured whole by the King. It’s also the story of said King as he brings change upon the beast realm and falls in love with Sariphi.

This review contains no major spoilers beyond the first episode, which is when we learn that the King is of mixed blood, having a secret human form. After growing attached to Sariphi, he vows to make her the first human queen of Ozmargo. Thus begins a magical tale which is sure to delight fans of shoujo anime as well as those who enjoy the “furry” side of things.

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Visuals: 6/10

Personally, I don’t mind the visuals for this anime at all. I like the anthro-animal character designs and the soft, light color pallet. However, if I’m trying to be objective, I must admit that this anime doesn’t look great.

The main issues are lack of detail, lack of movement, and strange, fuzzy lighting. The characters are all quite simple in design. Even in action scenes, there isn’t a lot of movement, and things don’t look smooth. There are very few instances of creative shots or angles.

As for the lighting issue, I found it distracting. I think the anime was going for a misty look because the Beast Realm is supposed to be covered in magical miasma. But the execution of this idea was poor. When you take screenshots, for example, the contrast and exposure seem way off. The fact is that this anime was low-budget, so the visual quality is mediocre.

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Story: 8/10

The story category is solid for Sacrificial Princess. One of the most important aspects of this category is starting concept. Is the premise intriguing? Is it creative, thrilling, or charming enough to hook you? Sacrificial Princess is the story of the human girl Sariphi as she rises toward the role of queen in the magical realm of beasts. It’s a romantic tale set in a fantastical world. That checks the boxes for me.

The structure of the show is simple and classic. Many plot points are resolved in a single episode, but there are also some cases of story arcs lasting for several episodes in a row. Throughout the show, Sariphi and Leo experience a lot of adventure, personal growth, and romance. The world-building is also decent.

I always draw attention to themes in an anime, as they are important to the story category. The themes in Sacrificial Princess include love, overcoming prejudice, breaking the status quo, and being true to oneself. Another over-arching idea in the series is coexistence between different peoples – especially between beasts and humans. With its positive themes, creative story concept and classic structure, Sacrificial Princess tells a memorable tale.

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Audio: 9/10

The first opening song is “Saku no Nie” by BIN. It’s an absolutely gorgeous song which made it to my top five favorite anime songs of 2023. The song is fast-paced with female vocals and a variety of musical styles mixed together. The first ending song is “Only” by GARNiDELiA. This is is also a great song, but I don’t know the words to describe its style.

The second opening song is “Love Infinity” by Hinano, and the second ending song is “Call Your Name” by Katagiri. While I enjoyed both of these songs, I think the best song was still the first opening, “Saku no Nie.” While we’re on the subject of music, I also enjoyed the instrumental OST, which was composed by Kohta Yamamoto.

In addition to great music, Sacrificial Princess features excellent voice-acting. The main stars are Kana Hanazawa as Sariphi and Satoshi Hino as King/Leonhart. I’m not very familiar with Hino, but Miss Kanazawa is one of the most talented and prolific female seiyuu in anime. She’s been in huge roles before, but doesn’t seem to mind starring in lower budget anime frequently as well. Kana Hanazawa is one of my top three favorite female seiyuu, and she does a great job with each role.

Other names of note include Megumi Han as Princess Amit, Takuma Terashima as Chancellor Anubis, and Chikahiro Kobayashi as Captain Jormungand. All of them perform well as expected. There are also brief appearances of Saori Hayami playing Anastasia and Mamiko Noto playing Leonhart’s mother. Last of all, another talented and popular voice actor – Houchuu Ohtsuka – plays Galos. As usual, he brought his role to life perfectly.

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Characters: 8/10

The diversity of characters in Sacrificial Princess is commendable, with a mix of characters of many different types based on different humanoid animal species. The balance between male and female characters is not perfect, with Sariphi and Amit being the two consistent ladies in the show. However, I liked both of their characters, and Sariphi’s role as the protagonist helped balance the scales.

I found most – if not all – of the characters likeable and in some way relatable. That’s a subjective measurement, of course, but it still lends itself to a high score for the character category as far as I’m concerned. Amit the Reptilian (alligator?) and Lante the Hyena were two of the supporting cast that I loved. The two main characters, Sariphi and the King/Leonhart, were excellently developed and flushed out. They were both easy for me to understand. I also think Leonhart is an unusual and amazing character.

The villain characterization was good, though a bit simplistic. They all had reasons for what they were doing. That being said, the main antagonists were mostly the classical type: somewhat sympathetic but not complex in their evil words and deeds. One of the best characters, in my opinion, is Anubis, who is antagonistic for much of the show. Despite some imperfections, I think the character category was outstanding.

Note: I have a lot more to say about some of the characters, so I’m working on another post about Sacrificial Princess. This one will focus on character analysis. For today, however, that will have to suffice.

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Personal Enjoyment: 9/10

There were many enjoyable elements in Sacrificial Princess. I’ll list a few. The sweet and sappy romance between Sariphi and Leonhart is delightful. I liked learning bits about the history and cultures of different beast peoples. For example, the Hyena people betrayed the previous king and are now treated as lower class citizens as a result. For another example, the reptilians are traditionally against the mammalian beast king. Many of them harbor hatred against the royal family – which makes it even cooler that Jormungand is so loyal.

Speaking of Jormungand, that Reptilian Captain was one of my favorite characters. I really appreciated his gentlemanly manners and his deep friendship with the King. My other favorite characters were Leo, Sariphi, and Anubis. They each have interesting sides to their personalities. Also, they all change throughout the course of the series. Leo is so courageous and his design is so cool! Sari is adorable and a lot more capable than she gives herself credit for. Anubis also proved to be a fascinating and clever character.

Other enjoyable elements included the classic fantasy feel of the anime, the themes of overcoming trauma and prejudice, and the “furry aspect.” Technically, Sacrificial Princess is a shoujo anime – one primarily aimed at younger female audiences. However, it can also be classified under the “anthropomorphic animal” genre, along with shows like Beastars.

Anthro-animal shows appeal to furries for obvious reasons. Now, there are a lot of loud and cringe furries online who have a culture I find strange. But in the end, I am also a furry, since I love anthro-animal artwork and even find it attractive in some cases. So, if you like this kind of stuff, you should definitely try Sacrificial Princess. You’re very likely to enjoy it.

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Overall Score: 8.0 / 10.0

The current score for Sacrificial Princess on MyAnimeList.net is 7.99. I’m surprised by how often my own scores line up with those from anime ranking websites. As for my score, it’s the average of the five numbers for the categories explored above. While my personal enjoyment of Sacrificial Princess was 9/10, the more critically accurate rating would be 8/10.

Be sure to check out this anime if you like romance, fantasy, shoujo anime, or furry art. That’s all for today. Thanks for stopping by Anime Rants!

~Thank you for reading~

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PATREON