It’s time for Sariphi to face another trial in her queen candidacy, and this time, it’s rather simple: host a ball. A naval warlord is coming to meet her, one that is rumored to hate humans. Sariphi is working hard to make the party a success, but if bad comes to worse, she could cause a war and ruin her chances of being Leonhart’s queen.
Sariphi starts off still depressed after the events of the last volume, but Amit, Leonhart, Cy, and Clops work to cheer her up. This chapter at first seems unimportant, but this gathering of human and beasts gives Sariphi the drive for the volume’s main plot. In fact, for the other five chapters, there is no sign of a melancholy Sariphi. At every setback or potential calamity, she remains focused and/or cheerful. The others may try to help or watch over her, but Sariphi keeps moving forward.
That sort of determination is admirable, but it also doesn’t make for the most exciting story. Anubis is still plotting to prevent Sariphi from becoming queen, and when Duke Galois arrives, he’s angered by the idea of a human beast queen. Still, once readers realize Sariphi is not giving up no matter what, it’s hard to get engaged. The chances of Sariphi’s engagement to Leonhart being called off is slim in any volume, but when she’s “in the zone”, so to speak? Yeah, no way is there going to be a battle between the beasts and the Ichthyans.
Yes, Ichthyans, as in the fish. With their arrival, we get to see even more of Tomofuji’s neat animal humanoid designs. When we meet Galois, I was reminded a bit of Captain Gantu from Lilo & Stitch. I always look forward to what beasts Tomofuji brings in next. Fish-like creatures open up more possibilities, but I’d even settle to seeing more of the chicken musician from the gala.
The other part that prevented this from being a dull volume was the final chapter. The confrontation is a bit cliché, but Tomofuji’s take on this scene still brought a smile to my face. Let’s just say someone you might not have expected bursts into tears…and a pirate accent.
I’m also hoping this ending means that Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts won’t continue to feature random events (tests) for Sariphi to be queen. I’d rather not see Anubis turn into a C-rank behind-the-scenes antagonist who keeps coming up with plots that are destined to be foiled by Sariphi and/or Leonhart. They’ve still got the rest of the country to convince, and we’ll never get to that if the manga is all about Anubis’ schemes.