It’s always important to mention that this manga could be over already. Throughout all of Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, it becomes clear that Syalis is way too overpowered and the demons are absolute incompetents. But obviously, the fun is trying to see how Syalis’ personality and desire for sleep is paired with a series devoted to parodying common RPG tropes.
Bringing this up now seems awkward, but it’s the best time to bring it up, since she’s allowed to go back to the human world…for a deluxe pillow. So…what’s the point of kidnapping her if you’re gonna let her go back home???
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle volume 6 reminds us once again that Syalis runs everything. This time, her desire to get a specific pillow after watching an infomercial was so great that she could’ve left the demon castle in its dust. But the Demon King knows too much about Syalis’ tendencies and captures her. Despite all of that, she still convinces them to take her to the human realm, and they do it! These demons…
On said trip to the human realm, however, while it does manage to still make jokes, it also delves into the human-demon rift that threatens each side. Yes, there’s a brief window into the relations of both, where the demons explain why this is happening and how once the leaders face off, there will be an all-out war. At this point Sleepy Princess hasn’t shown any signs of getting super serious (the best comparison would be Gintama, which was largely humorous but also displayed an action bent to it), so I’m not counting on it doing so. But due to who traveled with Syalis (Demon King, cleric, and dog), it did find a decent time to touch on it.
From there, the usual shenanigans involving Syalis occur. You know, where she ends up pressuring the Demon King to tell her what a pajama party is; taking part in said pajama party with the girls (and the cleric!); cooking for the residents of the demon castle; and dressing up as a succubus for demon Halloween. Yes, demon Halloween. Syalis dressing up as a succubus leads to a real one who looks almost like her to grace her presence. (The real one soon learns that was a mistake!).
But clearly the standout chapter in this one ended up making me think back to my childhood. Most children were Disney watchers growing up, and Cool Runnings is a classic one. To think that I would see that as part of Syalis’ sleep schemes defies belief. And while all of this seems like Syalis is far too active, it still ends how we all know it would — with her sleeping restfully (mostly). Consistency is a key trait in most good works, and for this series, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That said, this is the first volume in the series where it wasn’t all hilarious. Amusing sure, everyone’s faces and expressions still on point, but not completely funny. Bound to happen, but still can’t help but be disappointed. The creativity is still there though, so I’m not too worried about this manga getting into a slump. It’s just time to look forward to volume 7.