Princess Tutu

Once upon a time, there was a man named Mr. Drosselmeyer whose work was to write and tell stories. Unable to defy death, Mr. Drosselmeyer's last story about the battle between a handsome prince and a crafty raven was left unfinished. The raven escaped from the pages of the book and the prince chased after it. In order to defeat the raven, the prince used a forbidden power which sealed it away, but shattered his own heart, scattering its pieces all across town.

Then enters the protagonist, Ahiru ("duck"), who literally is one. Only with the power of her pendant is she able to take human form. If she does anything duck-like she transforms into a duck and if she touches water she transforms back into a girl. By transforming into Princess Tutu she is able to help prince Mytho recover the pieces of his heart that he has lost.

However, even after death, Mr. Drosselmeyer still seems to be influencing this story...

Princess Tutu is a very unique show that is much more than a standard magical girl series. While Princess Tutu does retrieve Mytho's heart shards in some episodes, it's hardly repetitive, as each episode progresses the fascinating story that throws the viewer some good surprises and twists. The series skillfully manages a dark tale and suspenseful scenes with some good humor and the perfect dose of cuteness. In addition, it does a great job creating its own little world and playing up the whole fairy tale aspect by incorporating other stories. The ending is good and very unpredictable, all the way up to the last few minutes.

Princess Tutu has a strong cast of characters that grow and change with nearly each episode. You can watch Mythos become more human with each heart shard returned to him. Ahiru plays the role of the pure-hearted heroine who I thought was instantly likeable. Fakir is an interesting guy. He constantly tells the heartless Mythos what to do and is cautious about him receiving the heart shards. A neat change occurs once we know the motives behind his actions. Rue, a girl in the advanced ballet class, is Ahiru's rival in love because she is determined to keep Mythos' affection for herself. She constantly reassures Mythos that he loves her because Mythos isn't sure if he does or not since he doesn't have a heart.

When Ahiru comes near a heart shard, her pendant lights up and she transforms into Princess Tutu. Her transformation isn't drawn out - it's very quick and beautiful, which means I don't have a problem watching it each episode. Tutu rarely fights anyone, so you won't see the same attack being used again and again. Instead, she simply invites them to dance with her.

The series is well animated from start to finish. A lot of the show is tied to ballet, from Ahiru being in a ballet class to Princess Tutu's outfit and movements. I'm not interested in ballet in the slightest, but I still had a great time watching the stunning dance sequences. The show incorporates a classical soundtrack, including several popular pieces. Princess Tutu shines with beautiful animation and thrilling music.

Princess Tutu is a captivating and original anime. The story makes it really unique and quite unlike anything I've seen before. You should definitely check this series out whether you're a fan of the magical girl genre or not. Highly recommended.

Score:

Written by Marc Frost on Mar 21, 2014