Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle: Volume 1 manga review

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Graphic Novel Volume 1

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is a manga from creator Kagiji Kumanomata.  The manga, known in Japan as “Maou-jou de Oyasumi,” debuted in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 2016.  The series follows the misadventures of a drowsy, kidnapped human princess who deals with adorable demons, a charming demon king, and his demon castle.

VIZ Media is publishing the series in English as a series of graphic novels entitled, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle.  The series will be published under the “Shonen Sunday” imprint with a rating of “‘T’ for Teens.”  Print MSRP for Volume 1 will be $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.  Volume 1 will be available digitally on June 12th, 2018 via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores.  Future volumes of Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle will be published on a quarterly basis.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 13) introduces Princess Syalis, the princess of the human kingdom, “Goodereste.”  She has just been kidnapped by the Demon King and imprisoned in his “Demon Castle.”   While the human kingdom goes into panic over their missing princess, the princess herself is… bored.

Syalis decides to while away her hours in captivity by sleeping, but getting a good night’s rest in the Demon Castle turns out to be a lot of work.  Syalis has no choice but to take matters into her own hands and to make her prison cell/bedroom into a place perfect for sleeping.  From fashioning DIY (do-it-yourself) pillows out of cute “Teddy Demon” guards to turning the “Shield of the Wind” into an air mattress to using the “Forbidden Grimoire” into bedtime reading, Syalis will find the perfect night's rest, even if that makes things not so perfect for the Demon King and his minions.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle manga is super-cute and quite funny.  It is an episodic comedy with each chapter essentially being like an episode of a television sitcom.  Each chapter offers a new comic scenario or situation.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Graphic Novel Volume 1 will surprise readers by offering thirteen chapters and almost everyone of them is only about 12-pages in length.  Then, readers will be surprised to find that what seems like a one-note manga is surprisingly inventive.  Kumanomata mines quite a bit of comedy gold out of a princess who seems oblivious of her situation because she can only focus on getting to sleep.

Plus, who can not love “Teddy Demons?”  Cuddly, portly, and tirelessly helpful teddy bears with little bat wings are simply irresistible.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers looking for odd manga comedy will want to try the Shonen Sunday title, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle.

A
8 out of 10