This girl should be hyped up more.
Looking at the latest Anime Tops, we noticed that one of the most unique female leads this season is nowhere to be found on the female character charts. Sure, Miyo Saimori from Happy Marriage or Houzuki Yayoi (Dark Gathering) are great, but what about Sariphi from Niehime To Kemono No Ou? We are going to introduce you to this wonderful soul who definitely deserves to be at the top of the list of fan-favorite female characters.
Sariphi is the main protagonist of the anime called Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts.
The story begins with a brief introduction of the Beast Kingdom – a kingdom that forbids any human access. There was once a great war between the human and beast realms that resulted in much bloodshed. That continued until one of the beast kings proposed a peace treaty between the species on one condition. Every year, the King of Beasts receives a female sacrifice to maintain the Beasts' reputation as dominant and supreme creatures.
Sariphi is the 99th sacrifice. A delicate young girl wearing heavy shackles is being guided to fulfill her only goal – to be devoured by the scary and ferocious King of Beasts. Now, how do you think she would react in such a situation? Perhaps she would be crying for help, shaking with fear, or fainting under the pressure? Or maybe she would be full of anger and hatred towards the king? Well, in fact, none of that has taken place. From the very beginning Sariphi gives an impression of a calm and collected individual who doesn’t hold her tongue when it comes to speaking her truth. The King tries to scare her into submission by promising her a torturous death, but none of that bothers Sariphi. She is not shaken at all. Instead, she came to embrace her fate and claimed to be ready for it. Such unusual behavior intrigued the King, and for the first time he ordered Sariphi to stay by his side until the day of sacrifice. During these times, Sariphi opens up about her tragic past. It appears that she knew she was going to be sacrificed from a tender young age. One night she overheard her parents talking about how the only reason she was adopted was to replace their daughter as a potential sacrifice. Little Sari spent the rest of her days knowing there was no future for her and that her parents' affection was an act. But why didn’t she try to escape or run away? Maybe it’s because she didn’t want anyone else to take her place as a sacrifice. Instead, Sari chose to be sacrificed. That story struck a special cord in the King's heart for he himself suffered from feeling rejected and hated by his own father.
Later it turns out the King is actually half-human and always lets his sacrifices escape. Sariphi refuses the offer to leave because she has no place to go. Instead, she is willing to “nourish someone who is that strong and kind”. The King decides to leave her as his bride, causing great havoc in his kingdom. All of this happens within the span of just one episode. The story just begins there. In order to become queen, Sariphi needs to win over the hearts of the Beast Kingdom residents, and that is no easy task. We see her endure constant discrimination from those around her. Even when she rescues the lost baby, his mother furiously slaps her when she discovers she is human. Despite this, Sariphi never gives up or gets angry at this treatment. Sure, it hurts her, but that is just the kind of character Sariphi is. Through her kindness and immense humility, she steadily wins over the hearts of others. Not to mention the number of times she has risked her life to save and protect beasts. It’s almost astonishing how quickly she is ready to give up her life for the sake of others. Such selflessness and will to constantly outdo herself deserve to be praised. You would expect someone in her situation to stay in the castle and stick next to the King, and not do much. But that’s never the case. Instead, she takes the possibility of her becoming a queen very seriously. The question of what it means to be a king or queen resonates throughout the story. Surprisingly, it is Sariphi who finds the answer and inspires her king to be the best king he can be.
No matter how frightening the situation or the enemies are, this female lead will stand her ground no matter what. Sariphi holds no grudges and even smiles sincerely at those who try to humiliate her. Her character radiates such grace and elegance that no one is left unimpressed. And that’s the thing. She is neither exceptionally beautiful nor smart, but her heart is so strong and it makes her completely undefeatable. So many times she put others first and in exchange inspired them to be better.
The series is still ongoing as there are 24 episodes to be expected. We highly recommend that you give it a watch. It doesn’t have fancy animation or incredible visuals like most popular shows but its characters will definitely win you over.