Know Your Enemy Before You Fight Him

A Review of The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King

Image from Crunchyroll

The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King is available on Crunchyroll

What if your enemy wants you to become his bride? This is the situation that Knight Captain for the Illodren Kingdom, Sera, finds herself in. After being defeated by the Barbarian King, Veor, in battle, Sera expected Veor to kill her, but he declares that he wants to make Sera his bride and takes her back to his village. Is Veor sincere in his attempts at romance towards Sera, or does he have other dark motives towards her?

When I initially heard a description of the series, I thought that it would go the dark fantasy route and Sera would be forced against her will to be with Veor. However, it didn’t really go in that direction. In fact, one big question of the series is: how well do you know your enemy? Sera had always been told that Veor and his people were evil, ruthless, and dumb. However, Sera had found the people of the village to be intelligent, rational, and resourceful. They knew how to utilize the land and make it prosper.

Sera realized that she had made other misjudgments about the land in the East. She and her people didn’t know that there were other inhabitants on the land they were trying to conquer: dwarves, talking plants, elves, fairies, dragons, and other monsters. Veor’s village works with the various magical creatures to create harmony among their people. Each faction realizes that they can’t survive on the land alone and that they have to work together to survive. Slowly, Sera starts to realize that her people were nowhere near ready to conquer the land they seek. They lacked vital information about the inhabitants to make the battle campaigns successful.

I liked that Sera decided to seek information out about this new world instead of hiding behind the principles of the Illodren Kingdom. In Illodren, Sera was looked down upon. While there were a few lady knights in the military, most thought that women shouldn’t be in the army and should settle down with a husband and kids. It caused her to have doubts about her career in the military and her femininity. However, Veor’s people not only value Sera as a warrior, but are also awed by her beauty. They also encourage Sera to explore the outside world to broaden her horizons. She learns from the different cultures that there is often more than one way to do things, and some cultures are more advanced than others. Sera was deeply shocked by how advanced the dwarves’ technology was. Instead of being intimidated by new things, she decides to embrace them and learn from the cultures she is interacting with.

Overall, I really liked the series. It illustrates how important it is to expand your horizons and understand the situations that you are getting into, whether it is a small assignment or an all-out war. Taking on the enemy without any information is not only stupid but reckless. It is important to observe before going out into a full-scale war. Observing can help you make a better decision that doesn’t cost lives.