Princess Tutu
Don't let the title deceive you
By Danica Davidson
Be the first of your friends to like this.
Posted 9/26/2011
|
Princess Tutu is one of the anime series that sticks in my mind and one I’m happy to recommend. The only real complaint I have about it would be its title. In my opinion, it’s a helplessly dorky title that sounds so gooey. I’m afraid it might keep viewers from checking out a really excellent anime.
Princess Tutu is not a gooey show. It is not aimed at younger children, as some might infer from its title and style of animation. That’s not the case at all. In it, a writer dies before completing his book, and the characters, left to themselves, draw out of the book and become real people. They may forget they started out as fiction, but the writer’s plot still hangs over their heads and leads to questions about whether or not they can control their own fate.
The characters find themselves at a ballet academy, which explains the title. Famous ballet music often plays in the background as storylines wind around notable legends. There is the archetype of the good prince, the brooding knight, the dark princess and the princess who suffers from unrequited love. The main character is Duck, an otherwise clumsy girl who can transform into Princess Tutu. She has a crush on Mytho (like myth—get it?), who was once the prince and who had his heart shattered to defeat the evil raven. Now the shards of his heart have to be collected. While Duck has her eyes on Mytho, he is often looking at Rue, who, along with being a fellow student at the academy, is also the daughter of the evil raven. As with our well-known fairy tales, Princess Tutu is full of magic with sorceries and spells. Echoes of Swan Lake, The Little Mermaid and The Nutcracker weave through.
A few things about the show may at first strike a person as odd, including the way animals like cats are magically able to talk. It’s undoubtedly surprising to learn that one of the academy’s teachers is a talking cat. The reason for this does get explained, and after a while the oddness melts away. The drama continues to rise as the characters’ emotions—and the promise of horrible fates—become more intense.
This twenty-six episode series used to be the property of ADV, but has been saved by Section23. Available in both English and Japanese, it’s something anime fans really ought to check out.
Studio/Company: Section23
Available: October 11, 2011
Comments:
>> nina kamiya (Saturday, March 10, 2012)
i've seen all the episodes and i loved it but when i read that rue was the daughter of the raven, well she isn't the raven captured her when she was a baby
>> Coco Bean (Sunday, November 27, 2011)
Same here in agreement! I absolutely love Princess Tutu because of the music, good artwork (including contrasts of light and darkness), and fabulous plot line. With hints of romance, the story is not your average fairy tale nor a reproduction of any stories we know. It is a beautiful masterpiece played out in a way that draws audience to the edge of their seats.
>> Kenneth Walker (Thursday, October 13, 2011)
I receved the 1st disk as door prize at the Houston Alamo Draft House Anime showing. It took me awile to watch because of the title, but then I had to track down and buy the other 5 disks. It is a wonderful series.
KW
>> M-Chan (Monday, October 10, 2011)
I was so happy to see an article on Princess Tutu in the December issue. It's such an intelligent, imaginative, fun, and moving series, yet could easily be missed by anime lovers because of its rather juvenile appearance. Hope the series gains the big fan base it deserves. Thanks for the article! :)
>> Sierra(Sam the Penniless) (Sunday, October 09, 2011)
Thank you again for reviewing Princess Tutu in your magizine and on your website! I hope that many Otaku USA followers learn to love Princess as I do!
>> Carter (Wednesday, October 05, 2011)
It's truly worth the watch. I love this series!
>> crystal dark (Monday, October 03, 2011)
I loved this series and felt that it was filled with fun characters and had a great plot.
>> cat (Sunday, October 02, 2011)
if you love ballet and good against evil, and a little romance, you will love it, i have a few problems with the ending but the story ends up in a great direction, different then when it started out.
>> Gwen-chan (Sunday, October 02, 2011)
I also agree! Princess Tutu is a grate anime. It is funny and weird and cute and strange and cool and all together a very very good anime. I'm happy to say I also own this.
ps. I like the title and what would they have called it? Duck?
>> Evelyn V. (Friday, September 30, 2011)
I agree with you, Princess Tutu is a really good show! I bought myself the boxset at my last convention after the urging of one of my friends (and the viewing of an amazing AMV that used it) and I don't regret my purchase at all! It is an awesome series with a regretfully misleading title.
Add a comment:
Rules: 1) No excessive profanity. 2) No 1-2 word comments.
3) No gigantic streams of letters or punctuation marks.
4) You are free to respectfully disagree, but personal attacks will not be tolerated.
5) Do not spoil major plot points for other readers (i.e. OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE DARTH IS LUKE'S FATHER!)
6) Please do not click "Publish Comment" more than once.
If you break the rules we may be forced to edit or delete your comment, sorry!