One of the best parts of this series is seeing what animals are turned into beastfolk. It’s the sort of fun guessing game that you could make a bingo card out of. Well, if you do decide to play this game, scratch sea lion, hyena, and giraffe off your list, because they appear as a chef, bodyguard, and soldier in Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts volume 7.
First, though, the story finishes up Sariphi and Leonhart’s visit from the previous volume. The bulk of the conflict had already been resolved, but a sleepover with Tetra does reveal more about beastkind genetics. I guess I assumed that clans stay within their own group or close species, but in Ozmargo, beastkind can be with whoever they want. (I’m sure for political or discriminatory reasons, though, that’s mostly discouraged.) Children, just like with humans, can favor one parent completely or be a mix, although it’s usually the stronger species of the parent that determines this.
This leads to a discussion with Leonhart about his relationship with his father and how he realized the previous king hated him for having human blood. I don’t remember if Leonhart’s mother was discussed before, but it’s implied that she was a human. But maybe it’s some type of genetic throwback and it’s just an assumption of his? After all, he has no memory of his mother, so perhaps the manga will eventually take a break from Sariphi’s fitness to be queen to Leonhart’s fitness if his human form is exposed. This would be a nice introduction to an arc like that, but for now, it provides some cute fluff. The fluff continues as Sariphi to make a meal to cheer up Leonhart, but she has to ask permission from the head chef. Todd the sea lion allows her to, but she has to start from the bottom of the totem pole.
Then the manga enters its next arc: a trip for Sariphi without Leonhart to encourage troops. Leonhart tries to refuse, but Anubis (still plotting to break up Leonhart and Sariphi — geez, get a hobby already) points out that she will have to eventually take on royal duties alone. The first order of business is to find a bodyguard, and the only one that shows up is from the low-ranking hyena tribe. Only Sariphi welcomes the cheeky and confident Lanteveldt, but maybe her cheerfulness and trust will be a bit much for some readers. While he makes it clear that his priority is “climbing the ladder”, mysterious incidents and some asides raise suspicion that he has a hidden agenda.
But I’d say that there’s a near-zero chance that he actually goes through with any betrayal, if he does have some sort of secret plan instead of struggling with with being a discriminated hyena. I’m leaning toward the latter, as he makes a good point: his success is dependent on Sariphi being alive. Still, something is going on in the territory of Maasya, and I hope we get to see more of the giraffe captain as Sariphi and Lanteveldt investigate.
So as Sariphi continues to win over hearts, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts continues to win me over with its charm. The giraffe captain is introduced too late for me to give a strong opinion, but Todd and Lanteveldt are welcome additions to the cast. My only real gripe is that there are some serious moments, but the manga doesn’t give them enough weight. With the casual pace it takes until Sariphi sets out on her trip, volume 7 doesn’t read like an important volume even though it is. But maybe with the cliffhanger, Tomofuji will give this manga a little more darkness and edge.