The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King ‒ Episodes 1-2

©KOTOBA NORIAKI, KODANSHA/'THE WARRIOR PRINCESS AND THE BARBARIC KING' Production Committee

Serafina has been kept down for so long that she doesn't even realize that she's landed in clover. It's not hard to buy that, though, because it's hard to recognize that you're in a place where your gender is of less importance than your skills when they literally chain you up and take you captive. That's one of the two greatest barriers to entry with this series: episode one makes a joke of Sera's fears about being raped and/or executed, while episode two features her shrieking in outrage for far too long. The latter's a bit easier to handle, because nothing in her life has prepared her for Veorg's kind treatment, especially when she thinks she's a prisoner of war. But the former definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, and while Veorg's fondness for double entendres in episode two still isn't great, it's at least better than the show as a whole trying to play Sera's fears off as a laugh.

That, too, though, goes back to the way Sera's lived up till now. As a girl, she was discouraged from becoming a knight, with her father lamenting that she'd be happier if she were born a boy or had never aspired to knighthood, and her older brother basically telling her that she belongs pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen rather than out playing with swords. It's no wonder that Sera's first fear when she thinks she and Veorg had sex is that he plans to keep her pregnant and chained. After all, if her own brother wanted that for her, why should a barbarian be any different? And in her defense, Veorg and Cercei did strip her and chain her in a dungeon, his marital aspirations be damned. What else was she supposed to think?

If you listen to what underlies Sera's constant panic in episode two, you'll find that the so-called “barbarians” her country's been at war with for generations are actually far more civilized than the land of knights in tarnished armor. Not only do they live in harmony with the natural world, which has prevented them from squandering their resources, but they also respect women in a way that Sera's family and culture do not. When Veorg tells her that he won't touch her without her consent, he means it – look at the way he apologizes for picking her up in episode two. If she ascribes other motives to him, that's based on her experiences before her capture, and they don't say anything good about where she came from. Although her kingdom has what we'd consider the markers of an advanced civilization, it's far more culturally barbaric than Veorg's. Add in the fact that it was Sera's homeland that waged war on Veorg's to get their resources, and it's looking bad for “civilization.”

Visually, this takes a bit of getting used to. The thick black outlines give everything an air of unreality that I can't quite quantify, and there's something really weird about the way Sera has abs and only abs as far as developed musculature goes. (Abs that are apparently sewn into her Saber cosplay dress, which is very odd-looking.) Texturing on the monsters' skin looks more like paper than scales, and the censorship on Veorg's surprise penis at the end of episode one – and most of the start of episode two – is way overboard. I get that they're not going to show it, but in episode two, his entire torso is a ball of light, which goes beyond “this guy is well-endowed” territory. (Also, this is now known as “Surprise Penis Show” in my house.)

There are good details, though. Serafina's crystal visor may be awkward, but the use of hoof trimmers to cut her nails is either a brilliant put-down (“you're a cow”) or a subtle way to indicate that she's valuable (“you're worth as much as our incredibly important livestock, without which we would die”). Her collar could likewise be read as either a slave marker or a way to show her value to Veorg, given that it appears to be made of precious metal. The political situation is less subtle right now, but that's got a lot of potential, too, as Sera begins to realize that she may be in a better position than she thought. This may not be off to the smoothest start, but I'm definitely curious to see where it goes – and if Veorg really just hates shaving.

Rating:

The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.