New Saga: Season 1 Episode 5 – Recap and Review
As Princess Milena breaks down her perspective on the assassination attempt, two notable reveals also happen in the episode.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 5 “Reunion at Dawn” Details
- Available On: Crunchyroll
- Public Release Date: July 30, 2025
- Director(s): Ryoichi Nakata
- Writer(s): Kenta Ihara
Episode 5 “Reunion at Dawn” Recap (With Spoilers)
An Ambitious Prince: Prince Carenas, Zentos, Princess Milena
Despite what was hinted in the previous episode, while Zentos did make the plan and is executing it, Prince Carenas is very much aware and part of the plot to assassinate his sister. It isn’t made clear why Zentos joined Prince Carenas, who is known for his incompetence, but when foiled, he does send soldiers in his stead, rather than lead his battalion.
Don’t Let The Personality Fool You: Theron, Princess Milena, Liese, Urza, Kyle
While strong as a group, Kyle knows that protecting the princess won’t be an easy thing, and he needs to create space between them. The idea is that Kilren, who usually guards the princess with her battalion, should be on their way, and between them and Kyle’s crew, they should be able to handle Zentos and his battalion.
However, they need time; they need to lose the initial group Zentos sent, so Theron is left behind. At first, this may not make sense, but let’s not forget who Theron’s mother is, what she looks like, and recognize that the apple did not fall far from the tree.
Needless to say, Theron decimates the soldiers Zentos sent, and when I say decimate, I mean he kills them all, including beheading many of them. But, to show how he can do a complete 180, he even feigns the idea of letting some go before he changes his mind and kills them. Thus showing Theron, despite what we may have thought of him thus far, is a potential psychopath.
The Student Faces the Master: Kyle, Princess Milena, Zentos, Sildonia
After a certain point, the chariot breaks down, and the Princess and everyone else get stuck. Thankfully, Theron has handled things on one end, but Sildonia notes Zentos is coming from the other, and this leaves Kyle to step up.
Now, this fight is notable because, in his past life, Zentos trained Kyle. So whether the student has surpassed the master will be revealed in the next episode.
New Cast and Characters
Kilren (To Be Determined)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Kilren is the captain of the fifth battalion, which is made entirely of women, and while often used for ceremonies, Princess Milena favors them.
Links
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Review and Commentary
Highlights
More To Theron Than Meets The Eye [86/100]
Theron not only being revealed as the strongest within the group, but also a touch sadistic, it threw me off in the best way. It pushed the idea that we don’t really know these characters – in a good way. We know them outside of combat, when it is fun and games, but as for life or death fighters? They are strangers to us.
Heck, really honing in on Theron, the fact he not only beheaded people, but pretended he’d let some retreat, only to change his mind and butcher them? That was diabolical and makes me wonder if he should be seen as a wild card or not. This brings great interest to his character and the future interactions he has with the team.
Zentos v. Kyle seems promising [84/100]
I wouldn’t say a major highlight of New Saga has been its battle scenes, especially compared to the anime we have watched in recent years. However, it is good enough to be considered an asset for the show and with Kyle being on his second life, him facing off against his master, which he does a little bit towards the end of the episode, should be a fun battle.
Him facing off against a human, of comparable strength, with the complication of Zentos not only training him, but also assassinating a well-loved princess, there are the layers to this fight. I’d even say, the layers that are being pushed down the road regarding his relationship to Urza, this feels like a tease of how messy and complex things can be when Kyle faces his history head-on.
So here is to the first new game plus scenario of the show that can live up to the potential New Saga has set up for itself.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [85/100]
Too often, we want something to be good from the start, to blow us away, feel unique, and not operate on having potential and taking time for it to be realized. The more we watch, the longer we try to see things with a more analytical lens, unfortunately, the more we see that very few shows aim to be that damn good from the start.
New Saga, like the majority of shows, is a wood-burning oven. It has promise as you see the first sparks hit and ignite, but whether it will burn hot or something could be off and it puts itself out – it is originally hard to say. However, as the show taps into having Kyle’s perspectives clash with his new reality and characters like Theron take off their mask, there is something undeniably there.
I wouldn’t say undeniable in the sense that we’re in for a wild ride, but undeniable in that it is slowly but surely moving beyond having potential and maybe just being good. It is too soon to be called great, but it could at least be good.
Check Out Our Past Coverage Of This Series
New Saga: Season 1 Episode 6 – Recap and Review
As Kyle faces his mentor, he finds himself in a precarious situation with the princess.
New Saga: Season 1 Episode 4 – Recap and Review
Kyle commits his first major act, which could change history, and it isn’t clear whether it may change it for the better, or he might trigger something far worse.
New Saga: Season 1 Episode 3 – Recap and Review
A conspiracy theory makes it so, while the characters might be a slow burn for New Saga, the story might compensate.
