rafaela.baumbach - 2016-12-30 21:49:26

I’ve been watching anime for at least 7 years now. I have watch so many show over the years that I probably even forgot some of them. When you’ve been watching so long anime and see that most anime that air each seasons are trash, you start questioning the validity. You begin to believe maybe you have out grown anime and need to move towards a more “mature” medium such cinema. But suddenly while wondering that, you come across forgotten pearls of the past that remind you that it is still worth watching anime (if not just for those).One of those pearls is Princess Tutu.

Princess Tutu is a 26 episodes anime original series that aired between 2002-2003.It was created by the studio Hal Film Maker( which never made anything worth mentioning).The show consist of a duck named Ahiru that became human so she could restore the heart of the prince of the story. Each episodes is based on real ballet plays that relate to the story thematically. The characters of the show try to resolves their problem by dancing ballet. So now I know what you must be thinking : isn’t that show for girl? LISTEN TO ME YOU STUPID FUCK: this show is probably one of the best piece of art that was ever created by this medium. You would be a fool to judge a show only by its setting. Confuse aren’t you? Why do I praise this show so much? Let me introduce the many elements that make Princess tutu so great.

First off, let’s start with the art: it’s amazing. While the animation is nothing of impressive, rarely do we get such incredible art direction for a TV show : the world that is portrayed in Princess Tutu capture the dreaminess of the early Disney’s movies and add a surreal aspect to it. At first you would think that this should would only use bright color because of the girlish design of the characters but it actually use a dark pallet for a portion of the show and it also use a lot of creepy imagery.

What about the music? Most of the music used in the show are classic songs which are not a big surprise seeing that the show is made in mind of ballet plays (Who hates classic music anyway ?).The other music that were composed by the musician are all very good and add to the dreaminess of the anime. They are all well used and fit perfectly for the show.

Now the “plat de résistance”: the story. As you might have already thought because of the premise of the show :isn’t the story seems a little “cliché” Absolutely not! It may seems so at the start of the show, but the role of the characters may not be the you expected. Furthermore ,this is a meta story where its (dead) narrator influence the beyond his grave and where each characters affront ordeals that makes them question themselves about the reality of their world and their motivations. The story consist of two arcs: the first one introducing the characters and their relationships. It conclude with a strong climax. The second arc is where the show become brilliant. Everything is changing: their roles, their motivations ,their relationships and goes deeper into their psyche. The show as a solid conclusion ,but I think that anybody have watch the show will feel that a few thing should have been different, you might say the ending is bittersweet.

What is a story without good characters? You will care for every characters of the show even if they seems evil, because they are that well written. The main protagonist (Ahiru aka Princess Tutu) is character that you won’t be able not to find her adorable and root for her. She is such a good kid and your heart will get broken every time she get depressed. She may seem like an happy little girl at first, but like every other characters of the series, she is more than what meets the eye. Rue, Fakir and Mytho all share the same complexity of Ahiru ,but I cannot say much about them without spoiling the show, but remember that even if it takes some times, those character will eventually show more of themselves trough each episodes and you will also fall in love with them.

To conclude, I want to say this is in my opinion the best mahou shojo that was ever produced and of the best anime that I’ve watched in all my 7 years.I recommend you watching Revolutionary Girl Utena if you like this show or vice versa.

godfrey.goodwin - 2016-02-24 03:35:10

I saw this title.. I forgot about it for so long.. just remembering the anime makes me want to cry. I loved it and still do!

little.maximilian - 2015-09-25 04:06:32

Critic's Log - Earthdate: January 31, 2013. Review #33: Princess Tutu

For some time now, I have aspired to become a writer and with my busy scheduling besides writing reviews, I've put writing on hold for the time being until I find the right time to sit down and just write. I've always wanted to write something that is close to my heart. I have some friends that write fanfics and I've been encouraged to write a fanfic as a way of training I guess. I think writing a fanfic won't be too much of a hassle. I think I'll wait for the right moment. I do have a review just for the occasion. Here is Princess Tutu!

To all that love stories, Come! Gather 'round! He he he he he he he!

 

A 13-year-old ballet student named Duck is clumsy, good-hearted and sweet... and has a big secret. The mysterious enigmatic Drosselmayer morphed a young duck into a girl to give her a mission: To help a Prince get the parts of his heart back. With that in mind, she morphs into Princess Tutu, whose magical dances ease the pain and purifies the bad feelings within the Prince.

um... just go with it. To be technical, this is a Hal Film Maker production and the animation is nice but not the best out there. It does come by nicely though. It's actually good for the most part. The only annoyances is a scene that's recycled everytime Duck transforms into Princess Tutu and it's only for 15 seconds and still images in certain scenes that could've been animated. I'm not complaining about all of this too much and it's not something worth complaining about. I'll say it again, the animation comes by nicely. It's just not perfect and this is an example that it doesn't have to be perfect.

The music by Kaoru Wada *Record Scratch* Wait! That Kaoru Wada!? The guy that composed InuYasha!? He's involved in Princess Tutu!? Yeah, I bet you didn't know that, but why am I mentioning this because the 98% of the music is borrowed from classical music from hundreds of years ago. The opening is calm and soothing, and the closing is nice for what it is. The music is nice for the show and I've always had a keen taste for classical music and it compliments the ballet moments just fine.

When it comes to voice acting, The Japanese cast is great and has a solid cast. Nanae Katou is pretty good as Duck, Nana Mizuki is great as Rue, Naoki Yanagi is alright as Mytho (pronouced "Myu-toe"), Takahiro Sakurai is also great as Fakir. Noboru Mitani had a solid performance as Drosselmeyer even though he never did many roles himself. I already mentioned that the Subbed version has a solid cast. Now I'll go onto the dub. When I first saw that the dub was by ADV Films, I was not expecting too much out of this since ADV tends to make dubs a bit hit and miss. I decided to give the dub a chance and I am damn surprised to find that the dub is actually very good in ADV Films' standards. Jin Ho Chung really deserves some credit for making a good ADV dub on this one. Luci Christian plays a believable Duck, She even gives Duck a cutesy voice which suits both Duck's name and personality. Jessica Boone is great as Rue, Chris Patton is terrific as Fakir, Marty Fleck is also terrific as Drosselmeyer. The only voice I didn't really care for too much was Jay Hickman as Mytho, I think it was because he was a little underacted and he doesn't sound too believable in the dub but that's just a minor nitpick, nothing more. For minor roles, the dub has Greg Ayres, Hilary Haag, John Swasey, Monica Rial, Tiffany Grant, and of course Vic Mignogna (Dear Fangirls, No Screaming please, I don't want to remind you to be quiet) and speaking of Mr. Mignogna, his role is downright fun to watch. He plays an overdramatic guy (also a dancer) and he even has a French accent for the character. Thank God he didn't play France in Hetalia. To make a long story short, you can't go wrong with either version.

When it comes to characters, Duck is an unlikely protagonist but as the story progresses, her character becomes more attachable to the viewer. I always liked Duck in this show. Mytho is alright and he serves as an important character to the plot. Rue was a fascinating character to watch as time goes by and Fakir is a bit of a jerk at first but I liked how his character changes. Drosselmeyer is a bit of an odd duck... OH MY GOD, DID I REALLY FIND USING THIS PUN THAT NECESSARY!? On second thought, Drosselmeyer was a bit fascinating to watch at times. Maybe it's that he appears in such a weird way. To my surprise, he was fun to watch. Uzura adds to the charm of the characters zura, as long as you can handle her saying "Zura" at the end of every damn sentence zura. DAMN IT! ANOTHER PUN RELATED TO THE SHOW!!! Why do I keep doing that!? NEVERMIND! If there's one character I get annoyed to death is Mr. Cat, the ballet teacher. I will admit, the marriage gag was out of nowhere at first and it was actually pretty funny. When it was used more than four times, that's when it got really annoying. It's not funny anymore after a while and you really have no idea how *QUACK!*ing annoy... ah *QUACK!* me and these stupid puns. What I'm trying to say is that you have no idea how annoying this *RAWR* can be. Uh... I was referring to a cat, not a woman's *Quack! Quack! Quack!* *Hard Sigh* Let's keep moving on. Most of the characters are great.

When it comes to story, this'll be difficult to explain. The story has the spirit of a fairy tale, it has a graceful story, the presentation and approach in narration to this story is really bizarre but unique. I don't know how to explain all this, you'll just have to see for yourself. The story isn't terrible by any means though. What's interesting is that fights are resolved through dancing. Which I don't see many animes do this very often and that's what makes Princess Tutu a unique series. The direction by Junichi Sato and Shougo Kawamoto really make Princess Tutu a unique anime. I think I've said pretty much about everything about Princess Tutu. It's a great magical girl anime.

Princess Tutu was available by ADV Films, it was out of print for a time until it was later picked up by Section23 Films. The manga by Mizuo Shinonome was available by ADV manga and it is out of print.

With all that said, Princess Tutu has some charms like a great cast of characters, classical music, solid effort animation, and a bizarre, yet unique presentation of a story that has the spirit of a fairy tale. This truly is a unique series that shouldn't be missed if you are into the magical girl genre. This is also a series that I think some guys should consider checking out too.

I give Princess Tutu a 9.4 out of 10, it is EXCELLENT!

Feel free to leave a comment

lparisian - 2015-09-16 16:47:31

Its cute in a dramatic way. I will recommend it to anyone who just wants to enjoy a peaceful afternoon doing nothing.

ismael47 - 2015-04-29 19:43:41

Princess Tutu is a story about a girl no about a duckling that turned to a swan. But wait... No, simply watch it - amazingly cute and wonderful rewritten. Happy ending included. No wait... Yes, it is a happy ending.

bernser - 2015-04-12 17:04:05

(This Review Was Originally Written For Otakunuts.com)

     Due much in part to Sailor Moon's success in the mid to late 1990s, the magical girl genre has become one of the "faces of anime" to people who are unfamiliar with the medium. If one from this group were to be asked to describe what the subject matter of a typical anime would be, magical doe-eyed schoolgirls flying around and battling evil ranks just above incest in terms of popular answer choices, although it still comes in second behind tentacle porn. 

Of course, there is much more to the genre than the big eyes and short skirts aesthetic that the general public perceives, as producers realized that in order to capitalize on the path Sailor Moon had forged into the west, a magical girl series must evolve beyond the original concepts provided by the likes of Sally the Witch. And thus came the Tutu.

Yep, it's called Princess Tutu. Wait! No! Come back!

     Princess Tutu was developed by Ikuko Itoh, who served on the team behind the anime version of Sailor Moon, and was animated by the studio Hal Film Maker, who has since merged with the Yumeta Company to create TYO Animations. It was first released in Japan in 2002, but it wasn't until 2004 that the first copies of the anime were released in the United States. During this time, magical girl shows were in a transitory phase, still in the process of casting off the restrictive conventions that had been imposed on the genre for over thirty years. 

The show proved to be a catalyst of sorts, with its darker tone and aesthetics inspiring newer productions such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and spurring on a wave of more philosophical shows in the vein of Mawaru PenguinDrum. However, it still pays homage to its roots, retaining an innocent tone which appeals to the genre's original target audience, a concept which seems to have become completely lost in the deluge of "mature" magical girl shows of recent years.

Now everybody knows that it isn't Princess Tooo-Tooo...

    The anime follows the character Duck, a girl who is enrolled at a famous ballet school which is situated in a large, Bavarian-style town. Like any typical magical girl protagonist, her relatively normal life of making it to class on time, crushing on her fellow classmate Mytho, a regal looking boy who reminds Duck of a prince she had seen in one of her dreams, and avoiding the death glares and forced-marriage attempts from her teacher, Mr. Cat, is utterly turned upside down at the beginning of the series. She is brought into contact with the mysterious Drosselmeyer, an author who was assumed to be dead, who grants her the ability to become Princess Tutu. 

After saving Mytho from falling to his death, Duck also has it revealed to her that her true form is that of... Well, a duck.

 Later, Drosselmeyer reappears and tells her that her duty as Princess Tutu is to collect Mytho's heart shards, pieces of his emotions that have been scattered throughout the world. It turns out that he was the main character from a book Drosselmeyer had been writing at the time of his death, in which he played a prince that shatters his own heart in order to seal away the tale's antagonist, a giant raven. Somehow, he was transported into Duck's world, where he was discovered by Fakir, another ballet student whose over-protectiveness towards Mytho and cold demeanor annoys Duck.

Will you be my protector? My big, strong protector?
... Yeah, guess who's considered the OTP for Yaoi fanfiction writers...

     What is probably most impressive about the anime's plot is that it makes fantastic use of the concept of meta-fiction. The story goes to great lengths to make the overarching plot feel self-contained. The book the Prince and the Raven, in which Drosselmeyer had first created Mytho, Princess Tutu, and other characters that later reappear in Duck's world, is retold in brief flashbacks at the beginning of each episode. 

However, the story becomes increasingly twisted and distorted as Duck's timeline begins to overlap with the plot of Drosselmeyer's book, and it becomes almost impossible to separate one from the other. For quite awhile, it feels to the viewer as if the entirety of Princess Tutu might just be another volume in the tale of the Prince and the Raven, a self-contained plot within yet another story, an idea and experience that no other show has been able to pull off quite as effectively. Other anime may have used meta-fiction as a plot point, but few have ever attempted to use it for something other than fourth-wall-breaking, self-referential humor, far less as a mature, driving factor of the story. 

"...fourth-wall-breaking, self-referential humor..." Yes, Space Dandy, we're looking at you.

     Perhaps the biggest criticism that can be given in respect to Princess Tutu's characters is that while most of them are well rounded and interesting, with many, most notably Fakir going through Okabe Rintarou-level character development, they never feel like the focal point of the show. The massive implication of meta-fiction's appearance leads to the lessening of each cast member's individual worth, as the audience's attention is diverted more towards the "big picture" than under other circumstances. 

Their personal struggles almost seem to be swept under the rug, even Duck's, who probably suffers the most from the anime's structure. Even her role as the main character is altered, and Mytho, who played the protagonist in the Prince and the Raven, becomes increasingly central to the plot as the series progresses. This is a shame, because Mytho is probably one of the show's weakest characters. 

One of the implications of him shattering his heart at the end of Drosselmeyer's book is the loss of his emotions, which makes him unavoidably lifeless and dull. Of course, this was probably intended, and as the pieces of his heart are restored, he slowly gains more depth, but this is no excuse for just being a bad idea from the beginning, no matter how well executed it is. While others such as Duck and Rue, Mytho's self-proclaimed girlfriend, take leaps and bounds in the building of their already fantastic characters, Mytho seems like he's forced to play catch-up to them while being kneecapped by the metaphorical .44 Magnum of shoddy design.

One could be forgiven for mistaking his name to be Mute-O.

    The animation for the show is lackluster at best, which isn't much of a surprise for a company whose most notable previous work was Boys Be..., a series so generic that the show's box set could be ground up and used as wallpaper paste (okay, it should also be noted that Hal Film Maker animated Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me, so the site doesn't get mortared in a rabid Otaku raid). 

Characters move and speak with minimal choppiness under most circumstances, and three-dimensional animation techniques blend in well with more conventional images. That being said, there are a few issues with the actual art direction. It has been noted by others that Princess Tutu's color palette can easily transition from the colorful cutesy-ness that the magical girl genre has been stereotyped for to a much more subdued theme when the story gets sinister, but the production department apparently subscribed to the school of thought that believes a dark tone is best represented by adding bloom to everything. 

The effect is used so liberally that even the obscene amount of fill lighting in Twilight Princess looks high-contrast by comparison. When watched on a fairly small television in a well-lit room, half of the features in some of the shots are impossible to make out, especially the characters. They're all so bloody white even during normal scenes that when the bloom goes boom, it looks like their faces are backlit with fucking industrial lamps. 

The only explanation for this is that both of these series take place after the sun went supernova...

     The fact that the Hal Film Maker was quite a small studio also shows, especially during the ballet sequences that replace what would typically be fight scenes in other series. Losing the visceral appeal of explosions and soft, squishy bags of raspberry jam popping like party favors means that these confrontations need extremely fluid, beautiful animation in order to keep the audience watching. Sadly, Princess Tutu just didn't manage to obtain a big enough of a budget to make this happen (maybe the finance department was just as turned off by the name as everybody else). 

Many of the pirouettes and fouettés that occur throughout these dance scenes are jarringly artificial, and some almost look like .gif files being played on an extremely old laptop whose frame rate chugs at the slightest provocation. However, the most offensively blatant cost-cutting attempts concern what can only be laughably described as "finishing" moves, such as lifts and other techniques that typically round out whatever routine the character is performing. Here, most of the shots are little more than static pictures gussied up with dramatic zoom-ins and pans to simulate actual motion. 

Half of the time, the animators didn't even have the common decency to add lip-syncing in these sequences, feeling content to sit back while the dialogue track plays over the pictures. The entire department responsible for the artistic aspects of the show seems to be composed of three designers: Howard, a starry-eyed rookie bursting with new ideas but doesn't know how things function around his new workplace, Billy, a sellout that would later find fortune and fame as the art director for movies such as Oblivion and Transcendence, and Sphincter, who would posthumously gain international recognition after a YouTube video of him jumping a zoo's fence and dry-humping a Bengal tiger goes viral. 

 "Hey!" cries Howard one day, eyes glistening with artistic fervor, "Why don't we make a dark, almost psychedelic scene where Fakir faces off against an army of raven-headed soldiers that look like rejects from the Penguin Cafe Orchestra?"

    "Sure," Billy replies, eyes glued to the picture of a ruined, grey-brown cityscape that was his desktop background, "I'll get started on the shots. Now, you wanted lots of bloom, right?"

    "Umm... Not really, I thought it would be nice if we tried not to do that for once." Howard replies, while glancing tentatively in Billy's direction.

    "Yeah, well, I like it, and so do other people."

    "But it looks like-"

    "Hey, what are we talking about?" Asks a thick voice, interrupting Howard mid-sentence.

    "Shut up Sphincter," replies Billy grumpily, "go back to your boppy balloon."

    "Oh, okay, but I just wanted to say that making images actually move is really hard, so I'm just gonna make a bunch of pictures and randomly zoom in and out of them instead." Sphincter mumbles, drool running down his chin. Meanwhile, Howard begins to cry and slam his head on his desk.

    "You know what?" Replies Billy over the sound of Howard's sobs and grunts, "that's not a bad idea. I say screw this noise and break for lunch." Howard then commits suicide during the ensuing break by intentionally choking to death on his croissant. 

Most readers are probably quite familiar with the Penguin Cafe, but why risk confusing a few ignorant peons?

    Another unique aspect of Princess Tutu is its soundtrack, which serves to be both fantastic and mediocre simultaneously. During most scenes, the background music stays where its name implies, behind the scenes. While none of these pieces are out of place, they aren't particularly notable. In fact, pretty much all of the tracks that were created as original pieces specifically for inclusion in the anime, most of them by the Sofia Concert Orchestra, can be described as such. 

There aren't any songs that one might find stuck in their head after an episode ends, and neither the opening nor closing songs are of much importance, and aren't really worthy of repeated viewings. That being said, the introduction does provide the viewer with a tantalizing glimpse of what the dance sequences could have been if Billy and Sphincter didn't screw the animation over, with crisp, whimsical animation that flows like water, along with some other very pretty shots. Of course, the first sentence of this paragraph wouldn't contain the word "fantastic" if the show's music didn't contain some kind of standout feature. 

Ballet scenes are accompanied with some of the greatest classical works of all time, from Tchaikovsky'sNutcracker Suite to Wagner's Twilight of the Gods. Even if the other works in the show were great, they would still be overshadowed by the sheer depth and scope of the famous compositions used, with at least forty different pieces being featured in a substantial fashion.

Let's all just take a look at this costume and try to figure out how the hell her breasts stay covered...

    Luci Christian heads the superb English dub cast as Duck, portraying each of her many eccentricities masterfully. Throughout the show, Duck is constantly jumping from mood to mood, going from pouty one moment to heroic the next, like Taiga on a caffeine drip. Luckily Christian, who's proven her chops as Nami from One Piece and Nagisa Furukawa from Clannad, keeps in step with her animated counterpart through every twist and turn, and was rightfully nominated by the American Anime Awards in 2007 for her role. 

Other characters are voiced by similarly prestigious actors, with Jessica Boone demonstrating fantastic range as Rue, Chris Patton as Fakir, and Jay Hickman as Mytho. Todd Waite, who looks likes an older Benedict Cumberbatch  and is probably better known as TJP, also deserves special mention as Mr. Cat, who speaks with a nasal, lisping accent that seems humanly impossible to make. Having played all of about five roles in the anime industry, the guy has serious skills when it comes to voicing overly bombastic animals that have been subjected to a good dose of anthropomorphism. 

Quite a few liberties have been taken in regards to the show's translation into English, most noticeably with a few of the characters' names. Duck, of course, was known as Ahiru in the Japanese version, and Mr. Cat shirks the typical tradition of retaining the title of "Sensei" even in the dub. Other changes include some dialogue-heavy scenes, in which the entire structure of a conversation is altered. This proves to not be that big of a deal, as most of these alterations, even those dealing with what could be critical pieces of dialogue, don't effect the story in the slightest. If anything, they can even add clarity in some situations. Besides the obvious name changes, all of this is almost unnoticeable to people who haven't seen both the subtitled and dubbed versions.

It takes balls to play a character with this bad of a fashion sense.

    All shows, no matter how good they are, must come to an end. Sure, some go faster than others (Venus Versus Virus), some drag on for years (One Piece), and a few very special series may take decades to leave the public consciousness (Death Note). However, even fewer shows push the boundaries of what anime can do, shifting preconceptions and shattering traditions with such force that all shows that are released subsequently are inescapably indebted to it. 

Princess Tutu is one of these rare gems, worthy enough to be placed alongside Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop for its service to the magical girl genre and anime as a whole. While the series harks back to a simpler time when a unique plot and well-balanced cast of characters was enough to create a great anime without resorting to the cheap gimmickry that many modern shows have, it was no old-timer shaking its walking stick at teenagers. The anime put conventions and overused tropes in a choke-hold, body slammed them into the floor of the ring, and used their intestines as jump-ropes. It then daintily entrechats out of the ring, for it is still called Princess Tutu.

The Good: Fantastic plot.
                 Great character development.
                 Soundtrack full of recognizable classics.

The Bad: Billy's bloom.

The Ugly: Sphincter's "animation."

xander.zieme - 2014-04-16 15:36:47

"Once upon a time, a man died."

Don't be fooled by the name of this anime, it's not all fru fru girly and fairy tale like. This is probably one of the best mahou shojo in the universe. I'm compelled to call it even better than Madoka Magica, but I won't. It's just as good as it. I'll just say, this anime is dark, sad, tragic, but most of all, a masterpiece.

The world may be weird, but it's a storybook, which makes it so engaging to watch. If you want a classic it's this anime right here. I wonder why I put this anime off for so long, it was practically the best thing I've ever watched.

And the ending.

I've never cried so much watching an anime before. This anime is so amazing. Sad and again, can get dark. Though, the ending left me more to be desired, I wanted more.

The music by the way, is perfect, seeing as this is a ballet anime and all. Ballet never interested me, but this anime was still great anyway. I don't know why it's a shonen, though, it's very shojo esque.

But yeah, this anime is a classic, masterpiece, whatever. It's a great anime. Don't knock it before you try it.

haltenwerth - 2013-09-19 05:39:37

As always, my reviews are spoiler free.

Sometimes, after a hard day of being a lumberjack in the harsh Alaskan winter, I drive my red SVT Raptor pickup truck to the cabin I built with my own two hands. There I sit down with a bottle of gin to watch American Guns or a documentary about ‘Nam while trimming my fantastic beard, occasionally smoking a cigar. You could say I’m a pretty manly guy. Unfortunately, sometimes American Guns isn’t on, and I have to find something else to suit my testosterone-fueled tastes. During those times, I can only turn to Princess Tutu.

By the title, you might think that Princess Tutu is going to be a fluffy little girls show, it is actually the most (dare I say it) epic Mahou Shoujo this side of Madoka. It is an anime that is all too quickly dismissed due to appearances alone, which is an absolute tragedy considering the amazing story that Princess Tutu has to tell. I use the word story very deliberately; Princess Tutu takes that extra Inception style step, as it is a story within a story.

The entire tale was fabricated by an author named Drosselmeyer, whose stories came to life. He took joy in twisting the fates of others, and as punishment, his hands were cut off, never allowing him to write again. He died leaving a single story unfinished, the story that is not about, but rather includes, our heroine Princess Tutu.

Story - 9/10

This story could not be left unfinished, and Drosselmeyer decides to intervene from beyond the grave when he sees a duck watching the heartless Prince from his story dance. He gives this simple duck a necklace that allows her not only the ability to transform into a girl, but also the magical girl Princess Tutu. Unfortunately, she quickly returns to her original feathery form by “quacking,” which she often does in shock to certain events. This is the character we follow through Drosselmeyer’s story, known simply as Ahiru (Duck).

Ahiru unknowingly becomes part of Drosselmeyer’s story, involving a Prince and Raven locked in a struggle, ending only when the Prince uses his own heart to seal away the Raven, breaking it into many pieces and leaving him emotionless. Princess Tutu is tasked with returning these shards and restoring the Prince to his original state.

If this all sounds quite serious, relax. The storyline is very gradually paced. In fact, much of the early episodes involve Ahiru not as Princess Tutu, but as an incompetent dance student at an academy which the Prince, Mytho, happens to attend. And, this being a story within a story, the entire town is not quite… normal. Their dance teacher happens to be a cat (with a very strong interest in marrying one of his students as soon as possible), and many other students happen to be out of place animals without any of the “normal” humans noticing. It shows that the series allows itself a certain freedom, which is often subtly shown in the eccentricities of the town and characters. This carries over well into the plot, which is a classic fairy tale.

In this fairy tale, Ahiru is not the main character; in fact, she is just one of many parties that help determine the fate of Mytho, the Prince. It provides an interesting perspective on the story, and the viewer is often reminded that Princess Tutu was not written into the story to save the Prince. Going much further starts to toe the line of spoilers, so I will leave you with the following conclusion: the story is a fantastic and refreshing take on the classic fairy tale, and the perspective of Ahiru is a unique way to tell it.

Animation - 8/10

Princess Tutu was released by HAL Film Maker from 2002-2003, and it has some of the greatest animation of its time. It has all the standard signs that hard work and plenty of budget went into it: detailed backgrounds, attractive and unique character designs, and fluid animation. However, it takes that extra risk that many studios choose not to take. It is really, really strange.

I don’t mean weird like Bakemonogatari with strange backgrounds and “avant-garde” cinematography (I say this with love, by the way). I mean weird as in characters turning into birds and skipping across the water and having ballet dances to the death. Many of the students and staff at the school are animals and nobody notices because it's all part of the "story." I don’t want to sugar coat things here; if you want some straight forward action in a magical girl show, you have plenty to choose from, and this isn't it. But if you like the existential story and art styles, you will love this. Even if you don’t, but have an open mind, you will probably find yourself sucked in. I personally loved it to the very last second, and some of the choices they make in regards to the symbolism or references made in certain scenes were very powerful to me. And, as I said above, this is all done in animation that is above and beyond competing series of the time.

What is even going on right now?

Sound - 6/10

Do you like classic ballet music? I hope so; “borrowed” tracks make up the vast majority of the series’ OST. There isn’t much to say here. If you enjoy “Nutcracker” type music then you will feel right at home, but if you are looking for good originals, look elsewhere. The majority of the entirely new songs are mediocre at best.

The voice acting can be a bit polarizing. While some have told me that they enjoy both the sub and dub of Princess Tutu, I found that I liked neither. I bounced back and forth between them trying to decide, but there was no clear winner. I probably watched more of the dub though, simply because it let me take in the animation and story just that little bit better, and the dub seemed right on with the original Japanese. Shout out to Neko-sensei, whose voice was great in both the sub and dub and a great side-character in general.

While the sound was by no means laughably bad, it was easily the weakest point of the anime.

Characters - 9/10

Princess Tutu has some of the best written characters in the medium, and it was a joy to follow them through the series.

Ahiru makes a special type of unlikely protagonist. Instead of being the typical high school student thrust into a life or death struggle, she literally goes from duck to magical girl. Not only does she take on a great role in protecting the Prince, but she also has to learn how to be a normal girl as well. Her development throughout the series is superb; while she is indecisive and unsure of herself at the beginning, she eventually realizes her place in the story and the meaning of her life as a whole. Unfortunately, I cannot go into great detail without spoiling some key plot points, so I shall close the discussion on Ahiru by urging you to watch her development for yourself.

Mytho, or the Prince, could actually be considered the main character as the story revolves around him. However, we do not see the story through his eyes, and his emotions are gone because of the loss of his heart. Sadly, he is used as more of a device and object than a character, and I as viewer lost interest in him as a person beyond Ahiru’s desire to help him. But hey, he has a mean poker face for the majority of the anime.

Rue seems to be the perfect girl; skilled in ballet, popular among the students, and the lover of Mytho. However, it is obvious from early on that something shady is going on with her beyond the scenes. She, without spoiling too much, becomes a central antagonist against her will. Her development may be more interesting than Ahiru’s. Her personal story is one of the highlights of Princess Tutu for me, and she remains one of my favorite characters in the entire medium. I wish I could share more with you about her, but I think you would enjoy finding it out for yourself all the more.

The final central character is Fakir, and like Rue, it is obvious that there is more to his angry demeanor than meets the eye. His story is well constructed as well, at least up to a point; it seems as though there comes points when his involvement disappears entirely or becomes integral with little reason. He has an interesting background and huge importance to the story, but it seems as though parts of his personal story were a bit of an afterthought. He is still far above the average character in terms of backstory, personality, and development, but he pales a bit in comparison to Ahiru and Rue.

Along with these four leads, there are a significant number of side characters, many of whom are memorable in their own right. Neko-sensei plays very little role in the plot, but he is hilarious whenever on screen. They are often more than token friends and plot devices, and even if their part is small, it is usually well done.

Enjoyment - 9/10

Princeses Tutu has easily made a place for itself among the greatest Mahou Shoujo series of all time. While it may be easier to appreciate than enjoy for some, its storytelling ability can seldom be matched, its characters are superb, and the plot is simple yet captivating. Don’t be turned off by the cover, title, or even some descriptions you may read. I believe this anime has something for everyone, and I would strongly advise anyone to give it a chance to prove that dancing little girls can be totally badass.