Princess Tutu

Princess Tutu is ostensibly a shoujo magical girl series, from its name all the way down to its romantic quadrangle, and it fulfils the expectations of that genre wonderfully. But there's also an element of artistry that elevates it beyond simply being a well-done genre work. It's not just that the series wraps itself in high culture like ballet or literature -- it's that it actually manages to comment intelligently on these things while creating a beautiful visual work.

Princess Tutu filters the usual magical girl narrative through the strange logic of fairy tales and a healthy coating of Utena-esque surrealism. As the series progresses, the story begins to fall apart in an intentional and revealing way, and things get increasingly metafictional. What results will be a delight to both anime fans looking for entertainment as well as postmodern aficionados like myself.

There are a lot of relatively stand-alone episodes, and these tend to drag. I won't deny that the middle section of Princess Tutu bored me most of the time. But the end pulled it all back together, and it might have one of the best conclusions of any anime series I've watched. Don't be fooled by the silly title -- this show deserves to be taken seriously.

This was the first anime I ever watched and it is arguably stranger than even most anime series. But I was hooked from the start. The unique plot elements and characters gradually clarify into a truly thoughtful plot. I have heard some people say that this anime is just too weird, but the "wierdness" actually has reasonable explanations within the story that lead to a much more fulfilling experience than if everything was understandable from the beginning. The story is actually a meta-fiction that explores story archetypes, free-will and predestination, and true sacrificial love. All the lovely ballet sequences and references are just icing on the cake. It is also very funny with plenty of opportunities for fan-girling over the leads (Fakia<3!). "Princess Tutu" is probably not a very inspiring title to those looking for a quality show. However, I encourage you to look past the odd name as well as the odd first couple of episodes. This show has real heart and a wonderful plot that will take you so much deeper than a typical magical girl anime.

Though at times it's a bit cheesy, it's a fun mashup of ballet and anime. Nothing terribly deep or life changing. Just magical storytelling that allows you to get lost for a while. Some wonderful characters too. Now, I'd love to see a mashup of Cirque du Soleil music and storytelling, and anime as a second season.

I'll be honest: I first thought this wouldn't be any different from any other typical magical girl story (With battles, nasty witches, bright pink magic makeup,...). I even found it a little redundant at times. Still, all along its progression, the protagonists slowly diverge towards different directions and new elements add to the confusion and interrogations, while a puppet master takes a malicious pleasure watching the events from the outside. The not so clear demarcation between illusion and reality, the central role of ballet and the classical background music add to the series' originality with sensitivity. The suspense and tragedy build up exponentially the last few episodes, with an interesting ending.

I watched this with all of my siblings and we all love it so much. Duck and Fakir are so cute! I love the story.