REVIEW: ‘The Tale of Outcasts,’ Episode 4 – “Snowbound Manor”

With the truth revealed about Harriet, Wisteria and Marbas continued their journey. And as luck would have it, their travels have taken them near the Blackbell Manor. Home to Wisteria’s friend Diana Blackbell, who she met while shopping in episode two. But there is trouble brewing and Lady Blackbell could use a couple more friends in The Tale of Outcasts Episode 4.

Marbas and Wisteria’s reunion with Diana comes just as an ongoing situation between her family and The Sword Cross Knights seems to be coming to a head. Through Diana’s explanation to her guests about her family’s conflict with the knights, The Tale of Outcasts Episode 4 does a fair amount of world-building that blends in wonderfully with the episode’s core narrative. We learn that the monarchy is well aware of demons and that association with demons isn’t always something shunned. At least as long as it benefits the right people.

We also learn a fair bit about the Sword Cross Knights in this episode as well. Unsurprisingly, it seems that there is more in the order’s sights than simply protecting the public from demonic threats. While Diana does have a contract with a demon, that never feels like the core issue the knights have with her and her family. Rather a convenient excuse to challenge a rival.

The presence of the knights and the deeper look into their structure also brings the biggest question mark of the episode, their commander. While no clear answers are given about who or what this mail-covered figure is, the one fact that the episode does clearly deliver is that he is not a normal human.

While a lot of intriguing things are happening in the story, The Tale of Outcasts Episode 4 isn’t without its stumbles. Marbas spends much of the episode bickering with Diana’s demon, Naberius. The two take any opportunity to yip at each other, in the most basic and often annoying ways. The petty bickering is supposed to be for comic relief purposes, but all it generally does is get in the way of the larger narrative. Had it been done a bit more cleverly, maybe it would’ve succeeded in its purpose.

The final element that this episode brings with it is the series’ second physical clash. While the combat depicted in this episode feels fairly basic by anime standards, I feel it fits nicely with the rest of the story’s presentation. While we all love just how flashy and over-the-top modern anime combat can get, The Tale of Outcasts‘ tone feels far better suited for a presentation of its combat that is more grounded. It makes sure that the combat doesn’t overwhelm the story, but is simply another element of it.

The Tale of Outcasts Episode 4 does a lot to build its world as well as send the main plot in a new direction. I look forward to seeing how some of the questions this episode raises are eventually answered.

The Tale of Outcasts Episode 4 is streaming on Crunchyroll.