Princess tutu is an original anime series inspired by the ballet “Swan Lake” and the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling”. The concept of the show is very creative stitched together by magical girl elements. It is primarily a fairy tale with the girl having to save the prince.
(Funny story i've actually had women taken and not taken flirt with me and looked at me when i wasn't even noticing but i never paid any attention at all to them and i've been looked at my parents like "BRO ARE YOU THAT DENSE!")
In the anime, Drosselmeyer is an author of childrens’ fables who was know for bringing his stories to life. He was bored of writing happy stories all the time so he created a darker fable. But he died before he could have finished one fable, “The Prince And The Raven” which has led the 2 characters forever in eternal battle. In order for the prince to seal the evil, he shattered his own heart with his sword causing him to have no memories or emotions from his previous life. Drosselmeyer who is now an apparition, has decided it is time to finish his finish his final story. However, instead of fictional characters in his story, he uses real people to enact the ending.
(Imagine seeing ballet like this in an otaku convention.)
A duck,Ahiriu Rima is in love with Mythro, an empty remainder of Prince Siegfreid. Drosselmeyer decides to give this duck a special egg-shaped pendant that turns it into a beautiful ballerina. Without her pendant or if duck quacks while speaking Ahriu, turns back into a duck. She can return to human form if she touches water while wearing the pendant. As a human, Ahriu Rima is an aspiring ballet dancer attending art school.
(The homie Roshi is way more entertaining than this guy)
The story is lighthearted focusing on more optimistic things like hope and happiness but there are elements of human conflicts. Beside the human cast, there is also andromorphic animals that go along with the main cast and its pretty interesting to see. Another major theme of Princess tutu is fate and how the characters deal with destinies as ballets by its nature are predetirmined fiction and the characters have a set fate that they are mostly aware of. This is different as Drosselmeyer is using "real people" to conclude his story and the characters are trying to fight against the cards that are dealt against them.
(I remember watching this kids show before i became a complete otaku that was pretty similar to princess tutu it had the nutcracker prince and this ballerina and a strongman and a jester but i can't remember the name of it and seeing this show does suddenly remind me of it)
I really liked the character designs and the artstyle. I also enjoyed the background designs of the world and its fairy tale like appearance. The color pallet coordinated nicely and with the overall aesthetics of the anime. The voice acting was pretty good for both the sub and the dub but the dialogue was a bit cheesy at times.
(The show does have a pretty good balance of somber and lighthearted)
Rue and Duck have contrasting looks which start to shift as the story progresses and as their respective characters evolve. The characters were very interesting and you can sympathize with them as they go through life. Duck is kind, selfless and grows braver with time. The characters also had good chemistry with rivalries eventually starting to turn into friendship as their goals start to align.
(I'm just going to leave this here. I've seen people with pronouns in the bio say creepier shit than this online)
Mytho, the prince has been emotionless since the sword was shattered and as pieces of the sword are recovered, his emotions slowly start to return. Fakir, the prince’s friend is something of a bodyguard who discourages him from showing emotions. He is very protective of the prince so that he can prevent the events that have happened to occur again.
Rue another character is a talented ballerina in the same art school as duck and is a stand offish and aloof but as princess kreahe she is arrogant and proud and is a love rival to Duck trying to win the princes affections as well but as time goes by she does start to develop emotions and more kindness and the willing to be self sacrificial as well too.
(Yep alot of shojo fangirls are into the tsundere type guys yet not the girls for whatever reason :/)
The musical score is based on classical music that is played during ballets especially Eastern European styled classical music like Tchaikovsky. Each episode is based on a ballet recital and is synched perfectly with the dances and relates to the story of Princess Tutu. Even if you’re not a classical music fan like me, I think you can really enjoy it. The ballet dances were elegant and amazing and there were nice touches like the dramatic lighting to make it even more immersive.
(Interestingly furries like this guy are given a free pass on social media yet anybody else who has the wrongthink gets banned. )
The plot can be a bit slow at times and sort of following a procedural format per episode. The plot twists were unexpected and helped keep you engaged throughout the show. Some of the minor characters are pretty much you can see anywhere else. Mr. Cat for example, is Master Roshi but in a cat form threatening his students with marriage if they misbehave. Some of the ballet dances do look static from time to time and doesn’t go well with the fluid nature which was really a shame probably either due to budgeting or from technological limitations at the time. The dance routines at times can be fairly short and the CGI hasn’t aged that well.
(Normally i'd talk about action scenes but this show hardly has any violence in it and its used through the power of dance to heal a persons broken emotions which is a very unique concept. But don't worry the show does get darker as episodes go on)
The plot can be a bit slow at times and sort of following a procedural format per episode. The plot twists were unexpected and helped keep you engaged throughout the show. Some of the minor characters are pretty much you can see anywhere else. Mr. Cat for example, is Master Roshi but in a cat form threatening his students with marriage if they misbehave. Some of the ballet dances do look static from time to time and doesn’t go well with the fluid nature which was really a shame probably either due to budgeting or from technological limitations at the time. The dance routines at times can be fairly short and the CGI hasn’t aged that well.
The later parts were downer and its ending felt very bittersweet. But in retrospect thinking about it now Ahriru is much happier being with her true nature as a duck than so as a human so it would make sense in a way.
It was a really good show.
It gets 5 out 5 stars.
Magical Girl and Fairy tale fans can enjoy this show.