The Tale of Outcasts

Wisteria survives as an orphan on the cold edges of a late 19th century British Empire, eking out a harsh existence with little hope for comfort. Her path shifts when she meets Marbas, a shaggy, immortal creature who is hunted and mistrusted by others. The two form an unexpected bond and set out across an Empire where ordinary humans share the world with humanlike beasts, moving cautiously from town to town. They keep looking for a place where they can belong without fear, learning to rely on one another as they face threats, prejudice, and the strange moral questions that come with Marbas' long life.

The 2023 animated series was created by Kenichi Yamashita and Makoto Hoshino, and it leans into period detail and atmospheric visuals. The main voice cast includes Ayana Taketatsu as Wisteria, Katsuyuki Konishi as Marbas, Ryota Osaka, Risa Imayanagi and Junichi Suwabe, giving the show strong vocal performances that help sell its melancholic tone.

The show did not collect major industry awards or high-profile nominations on release. Most recognition has come from smaller-scale conversations among genre fans and online viewers, rather than from mainstream prize circuits or large festival attention, leaving it more of a niche title in the wider animated-drama landscape.

Though not a breakout mainstream phenomenon, its blend of Victorian-era mood and anthropomorphic characters attracted interest among viewers who like gothic fantasy and mature animated dramas. The depiction of an unusual friendship between human and beast, along with its bleak yet richly textured settings, has given the series a distinct identity within niche animation communities.

Critical and audience response has been mixed, reflected in a modest 6.1 out of 10 user rating from a small sample. Many reviewers highlighted themes of loneliness, belonging, class differences and the ethical weight of immortality, and praised the cast's voice work and the show's worldbuilding, while some criticism aimed at uneven pacing and a plot that can feel diffuse at times.