REVIEW: ‘The Tale of Outcasts,’ Episode 5 — “Confronting Calamity”

Having managed to stem the assault of the Sword Cross Knights, Diana agreed to meet with their leader to discuss the possibility of a peaceful resolution to the conflict. But if the talks should fail, what means are the knights willing to employ to secure their victory in The Tale of Outcasts Episode 5?

The fast-paced narrative that has kept The Tale of Outcasts moving at a brisk pace doesn’t slow down in the least here. As the episode opens, our protagonists head out to meet with the Cross Sword Knights to discuss amicable terms. It doesn’t take long to learn that such terms are not going to be possible. To be honest, why Diana even agreed to speak with them doesn’t make much sense. The offered terms felt like the obvious stance for the knights to take, leaving the whole procedure feeling like a waste of time from their perspective.

The only thing that comes from The Tale of Outcasts Episode 5‘s opening peace talk is the opportunity to reaffirm that the Sword Cross Knights are not the good guys. Despite their stance that they are such, their actions continue to speak far louder than their stated policies, in case any viewers were still in doubt. Luckily, while the majority of the knights are in it simply for less than honorable reasons like revenge, there are at least some among them that still have a sense of right and wrong.

Once the group returns to Blackbell Manor, plans are set in motion for their eventual defense against the coming knights. While there are some somber moments between friends as Marbas and Wisteria say their goodbyes, they ring largely hollow as there is never any real doubt that Wisteria will allow Marbas to leave the manor while it is threatened. The series has been far too sentimental in its narrative to allow the sweet girl to simply walk away from a friend, even if the presence of her and her demon compatriot are unlikely to change the final outcome.

When the attack finally comes, The Tale of Outcasts Episode 5 lays the final truth bare where the Sword Cross Knights’ hypocrisy is concerned. The actions the knights take during their assault show that they are far less concerned about demons as an organization, and far more concerned about removing potential opponents that could challenge their power.

While the final attack on Blackbell Manor hits with plenty of drama and impact, the scale may be less than what some would hope for. Only a few participants take the field, and there is little flash or flair to the physical conflict as it plays out. This shouldn’t be surprising, as this has been the series’ approach to previous action sequences, but this one may prove a bit more disappointing to some, particularly since there are hints leading up to the fight that the scale may be a bit bigger than what we ultimately get.

The Tale of Outcasts Episode 5 delivers a narrative that is as emotional as its rapid pace and predictable plot beats allow. While there are few surprises here, the story continues to understand what makes good drama and generally manages to deliver it.

The Tale of Outcasts Episode 5 is streaming on Crunchyroll.