The obvious case of comparison being that of Mahoutsukai no Yome a.k.a The Ancient Magus Bride, mangaka Makoto Hoshino's lone work that is Nokemono-tachi no Yoru a.k.a The Tale of the Outcasts, is a fantasy story that features furries no doubt, but the storytelling makes light of that comparison to try not to be said series but it's very own element, which I think makes it stand out in its own right. No doubt that this was kinda of a complete but rushed adaptation of the total 8 volumes and 56 chapters that were released from late 2019 to mid 2021, and what the anime did to sully this expectation, I think it came out alright to get its main points across, which is a good thing.
The supernatural, historical fantastical world of humans and anthropomorphic demons living together but with the always-obvious hatred lingering at the back of the minds of humans, while those in need or want of communion, driving the perception that demons are not as bad as they generally are, who just needs acknowledgement and understanding from their human counterparts. This concept is nothing new, and most certainly had source materials that did this formula a whole lot better. Case in point, the aforementioned Mahoutsukai no Yome. Though with this show, Makoto Hoshino has chosen to go simple with just the coincidental meeting of the "Little White Riding Hood" with its main characters: Wisteria Langley and Marbas. The former, who is treated like a slave, is said to have the ability to see demons, and the latter, being all the more obfuscated that lesser and lesser people have that exact ability, which piques at his boredom to even attempt showing himself to the general public. The uncommon partnership of both human and demon, to find a place where both can live together in peace, strikes the balance of a world that is very traditionalist with the moral values of drawing a line between the two beings, now threatened because of the usual "humans and demons will not think alike" mentality to beset war to prove its point. Honestly, the show's weakest point is in its story plot, being very predictable, but still wholly engaging in this journey to see both Wisteria and Marbas find their Nirvana when all is said and done.
The character side of things is also an area where the manga can actually be improved upon, though the anime replicated that from the original source, so it goes hand-in-hand that there isn't actually much to be found here. Starting off with Wisteria, she has had quite the orphan life after being separated from her older brother Snow, who loves her very deeply. Without him, she has to settle for the unkempt Marbas, and forms a contract with him on the caveat that she loses her sense of sight to be able to harness the fraction of his demonic powers as one of the Thirteen Calamities. At times, both Wisteria and Marbas's relationship grows from mundaneness to the creation of bonds, where demons weren't supposed to feel their masters' feelings, which Marbas did and honoured her wishes as his next source of what he's fighting for. This is the same for Snow, which he joined the Sword Cross Knights in order to make a living for himself, in the hopes that he would be able to see Wisteria again, which he did with Marbas beside her. The usual bickering ensues between sibling and demon, though overtime he grew to entrust her life with Marbas, even if it means sacrificing his life for her since their bonds weren't that deep to begin with. This is the same for the next accompaniment of characters: Diana Blackbell and her demon Naberius (which is based on the Cerberus Greek mythology being). Unlike Wisteria, Diana has her family's reputation to uphold, but like her, the demon contract was the final nail in the coffin that sealed the demise of her family on the stake, and Diana has to work obsessively hard just for that matter. Naberius can be quite the delinquent demon, but like Marbas, is also one of the Thirteen Calamities.
As usual, this "Angels vs. Demons" approach has some naysayers on the side as well. You have people like the Sword Cross Commander being sceptical about the whole human-demon contract relationship, not to mention demons like the lion-based Dantalion and the pterodactyl-snake fusion Sitri that emphasize the imbalance of the world at large, where one race reigns superior, that's made worse with the contract that the human masters are able to control their contracted demons of limitless power to exact war, just for the fun of it. Once again, this feels predictable just like the story, and it's unfortunate that this is another flaw of the original source material, of it trying not to be too deep. But in this case, I can take it or leave it that the story elements are weaved as such, and it's just a decent "red thread of fate" plot from start to finish.
The production for this show is also decent as well. Formerly known as Production Reed (which produced Isekai Smartphone back in 2017 and the "nobody cares for the nth time of its anime adaptation" Cutie Honey Universe in 2018), with the studio changing back to its original name, Ashi Productions was a powerhouse studio of the 20th Century that with the invent of modern anime, has not seen its fair share of being involved with the modern age, that is until now with this show. A clear 5-year gap from Cutie Honey Universe, this show is clearly animated a touch above average and given more than ample time in its production, so regardless of any minor issues, the whole anime came out on a rather fine effort overall.
The music is rather nice though. For Wisteria's VA Ayana Taketatsu to come back to the Anisong portion of her career, the last notable show being Gotoubun no Hanayome of the last few years, her return is a satisfactory one with the OP song. Habuki's "Rewrite" for the ED marks a good debut for the fledgling group, though with a melancholic soothing song that's nothing special, but still, it's emotional as heck.
For what this show is, Nokemono-tachi no Yoru a.k.a The Tale of the Outcasts may be but a footnote in the oversaturated fantasy genre that does nothing unique to stand out, but for what this is during these 3 months on simulcast, I had a relatively good time, though it'll be quickly forgotten once the season is over.
You will be missed, human and furry demon. May you both be able to live a life in peace and away from the conflict that deem your relationship unnecessary and a boon.
