Last night I finished watching the anime Princess Tutu and I felt it was worth reviewing. I began the series on Netflix a few months ago (during the summer, I think) and I don't know why it took me so long to finish. The show is only 26 episodes long! I think the reason why was because the show had a very slow start...
(*Note, mild spoilers*)
Princess Tutu is an anime about a girl who is actually a duck but is transformed into a girl who is then transformed into a character called Princess Tutu. Confused? Let me explain. The show is mostly about a girl named "Duck" ("Ahiru", which is Japanese for duck, in the Japanese version) who is actually a duck that a man named "Drosselmeyer" decided to put into his story. He gives her a pendant that allows her to become a human girl and, when duty calls for it, Princess Tutu (who ironically reminds me of a swan - "ugly duckling", anyone?).
This show mainly centers around ballet and that is incorporated into ever aspect. Duck is not a very good dancer, and everyone knows this including her instructor, Mr. Cat (a.k.a. "Neko Sensei" - yes, he is indeed a cat), who threatens to "have [her] marry him!!!!" should she not improve.
The point of the story is that there is a prince (Mytho) who has lost his heart, leaving him an emotionless puppet, protected by a legendary knight (Fakir), who works with a beautiful girl named Rue to ensure that he never gets his heart back. On the other hand, the entire existence of Princess Tutu is to help Mytho get the shards of his heart back, a very long and apparently painful process.
This little trailer might do a little better job of explaining:
Now, onto the review!
***
For some reason, this anime felt different to me. Very original - which is good! I don't know how often I watch the usual fan-service animes that just seem to always have the same plot. As I watched Princess Tutu, it was hard to think of it as a Japanese anime. It artfully incorporated the languages and culture of four countries - Japan, America, Germany, and France. Beautifully so - I must add.
Voice Actors: (10/10) I think the voice actors did a wonderful job! You might recognize some of them like Luci Cristian (Duck), Cynthia Martinez (Pike), and Jay Hickman (Mytho). When they were talking, sometimes I distanced myself and listened to the voices as compared to the character, and I feel that the creators did a marvelous job of fitting the voice actors to the characters. This might have also seemed so perfect considering that the characters were not even supposed to be Japanese, but rather German... I think.
Story: (9/10) The story can seem rather complex at times - shifting from a tragic love story to a comedic skit and then to a fierce battle, but it is a pleasurable one to watch. There is just enough comic relief (most often coming from Pike and Lilie [pronounced Lily-Eh) to distract the viewer from the darker setting. I've never really been into the "magical girl" stuff, but I didn't even realize this could be included into this genre until another review pointed it out for me. However, there is a rather ridiculous amount of Deus ex machina.
Art: (10/10) The art is absolutely amazing in my opinion! The setting is at an old arts academy with grey brick buildings and a victorian era feel. There always seems to be fog covering everything and it really adds to the dramatic effect - there are not always blue skies and puffy clouds in this story, but rather the feeling of an abandoned town. (Wait - am I getting off topic here?) I must admit that sometime the "cartoony-ness" of the characters doesn't really fit in with the detailed backgrounds but I think it works well that way. The characters are the usual BESM ("Big Eye/Small Mouth") ones we're used to in most animes, but one of my favorite things about them were their eyelashes. They were awesome! It made the characters seem so different. And Duck's freckles... I've never really noticed freckles on an anime character before.
Music: (9/10) Since this an anime about ballet, the music as one would expect is primarily classical. I love the opening and ending, since it was sung by Ritsuko Okazaki - one of my favorite singers (she also did the opening and closings of Fruits Basket). Sadly, she died in 2004 at the age of 44. Anyways, enought about her - during the actual show, the music is mainly classical and goes along whenever there is a dance scene (which is rather often. how else do you think Princess Tutu gets the shards back? duh.). If you like classical music (which I do) you will surely like this soundtrack.
Overall: (10/10) I say that anyone hesitating on whether or not to watch it - go for it! At first it may seem slow, but once you get past the half-way point, things really start to speed up. I admit, you do have to take the plot with a grain of salt sometimes, after all - this is an anime! I wouldn't classify this a show for girls (for being about ballet, it's actually not that girly) or for guys, because it is for every one who is interested in this type of stuff. You really start to side with the characters and silently root for them so succeed. If you are in the mood for something a little different (and hey, if you aren't, that's okay too) then give Princess Tutu a try. I guarantee that it will be well worth your time!
[I say PG-12 because this anime could be very much a kids anime, but there are occasions when Duck transforms and she is naked, and there is kissing at the end. Also, the men like to walk around only half-dressed all the time for some reason. (Bottom half covered - of course!]
***
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| Uzura - Because she is just so cute! |
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| Edel |
Otaku R
おまけ！(O-ma-ke!) Extra!: My favorite character in this anime was "Miss Edel" (pronounced Ay-Del), a robotic/motherly character who continually comes in as a Deus ex machina with her organ grinder. She is voiced by Christine Auten in the English version.
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