Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is a both a good laugh and a great way to unwind if you've had a bad day.

This show is a hidden gem for that reason. I can't think of many released in the past 10 years that nail that combination and I'd like there to be more. Not every anime has to be a dark hellscape with high stakes for our protagonist. It also doesn't have to fit into the overly done tropes of Japanese high school life so common in the medium. You can have comedy without it being forced guys.

Speaking of our MC, Saya is an absolute gremlin. You'd think being taken captor by the demon lord would cause someone to capitulate in fear of their life. But not Saya, Her hijinks are really something to behold. It is goofy, It is funny and has a charm to it.

The side characters such as the demon lord himself, The demonic teddy bears (I want one as a pet, They are so fucking adorable.) Harpy, Dawner the Hero, Alazif the genie of the book and others all have their own personalities to them. Even if they are used for a few quick laughs, They are utilized well.

And one of my favorite parts of the show from a design perspective is it doesn't lean into the Moe aesthetic at all which anyone who knows me will understand my disdain for the concept. So not falling into that pitfall is extra points for this show.

The art style for the show is filled with a lot of brightness to make important parts of the environment pop out in all the right ways. I've heard others call it simplistic or like it is missing something but if it is I don't see it.

Another thing is the pacing. My thing with 12 episode seasons is it either feels too crammed and trying to shove all this information down your throat or it is such a slow burn that not much is established. But Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle does neither. Each episode feels natural in terms of how it flows. But given this is a comedy anime, this type of structure is easier to maintain within that 12 episode limit no doubt.

The OST for the show especially both the opening and ending ooze the energy you are going to get from watching. A complaint a lot of people have with anime being that the opening and ending music is generic or it doesn't fit the vibe of what you are about to watch. Something that has become better with time and in the months since I've watched this show I have been using Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle as a good example of that.

The voice acting in the dub is something that you'd expect of this era. It doesn't have that overly cheesy 80s western cartoon vibe that anime used to have. And that is really all I can say about it. This isn't to knock any of the voice actors but a serviceable job is better than phoning it in.

The only negative I have for this show is there are some moments that don't land. But that is a given in any comedy anime.

If you are looking for a show that is just a chill vibe, Give this hidden gem a watch. 85/100