I'm a fan of its characterisation choices. It's not the most sophisticated show out there (an impression which is underlined by all the talking animals), but I loved it. It's heartfelt and sincere. Sariphi is adorable, I was cheering for her and King Leonhart and I found the show charming.

It's set in a fantasy world where humans are subordinate to beastmen. Most of the latter are derived from history or mythology, so for instance the king's chancellor is the god Anubis (i.e. ancient Egypt), while we also have Fenrir, Gleipnir and Jormungand (Norse mythology) and two cute talking eyeballs called Cy and Clops (Greek). King Leonhart himself is a reference to Richard the Lionheart from the 12th century. The Egyptian references are the most noticeable, though.

Sariphi is a human sacrifice. The king of beasts traditionally demands humans to eat and, distressingly, that's always been Sariphi's predetermined fate. She was more upset by how she learned this than by the prospect of being sacrificed, because she's a cheerful girl with amusingly inappropriate reactions to things. She kept making me laugh. She thinks King Leonhart is a nice chap and doesn't even seem to have noticed that he's about a ton of growly lion and could almost swallow her whole. Does he want to eat her? Go ahead. She can't go home anyway.

It's a Beauty and the Beast romance. King Leonhart occasionally turns human, but that's a shameful weakness in a king of beasts. He decides that he'd like Sariphi as his wife, but getting his kingdom to accept this will be challenging. Anubis is especially prickly. He's devoted to his king and refuses to see this human girl as anything but a manipulating threat. He'd like to kill her. In the meantime, he'll make things as hard for her as he possibly can.

I love the tone. Sariphi is light and funny, but she's also deadly serious. The fantasy racism is unrelenting, e.g. the bitchy horses in court. The show doesn't dodge adult questions, e.g. the cat princess who sneaks into the king's bedroom to offer services a human girl couldn't provide. (Leonhart doesn't give her the time of day.) Pretty much everyone in the show has a brutal past, including baddies. The show's aware of the expected roles of women in a society like this, especially if they're nobles.

"Royal women must give themselves for their kingdoms. I was born into shackles I can't hope to escape."

Sariphi is set potentially fatal trials to win acceptance. She befriends grumpy, awkward people. (Her foul-mouthed magical beast often made me laugh.) She's sent to fulfil royal tasks, sometimes with Leonhart not allowed to accompany her.

It's good stuff. It has dramatic self-sacrifice and people who've been messed up by horrible backstories, but also bathetic comedy. Both Sariphi and Leonhart will be insecure about whether they belong in this cross-species relationship. Guys, relax, you're fine. It's not your fault Leonhart's father was a son-of-a-bitch. "How I loathe the filthy blood in your veins!" (What we learn about his fertility is no more than he deserved and hah hah hah.) Meanwhile, Anubis is determined to banish, destroy or murder Sariphi (with his own hands if necessary), but he's also admirable and I love his story and its conclusion.

There are cunning old bastards and some cool twists. There's a lizard love story. A small girl wants to commit suicide to spite her mother. There are stupidly heavy-handed Racist Evil King policies in ep.22 that made me roll my eyes, but at least they reflect the twisted guy who issued them. I love this series, especially its final episode (the conversation with Anubis and the reading of the diary). Its story, cast and message are all strong. I know I'll rewatch this one day.