An Innovative Work: Princess Tutu

Synopsis

In an unnamed town there lives a young girl named Ahiru, and while she may seem like a clumsy normal girl on the outside, she is in truth a duck turned into a human and given the ability to turn into the magical ballet dancer, Princess Tutu. This is her journey as she collects the missing pieces of the prince’s heart while also facing enemies like the Black Swan.

The Good

In the time that this series was released, it brought with it a truly innovative story that left an impact to both the shoujo and the fantasy community in terms of endings. Truly, the line “fairy tale come to life” rings far too true for this series. Taking elements from different ballets and accompanying it with fitting classical music, the series also left a mark in terms of dance similar to the shoujo series, “Ashita no Nadja.”

But for every good story there must be at least one good character and the characters of this tale all played interesting and memorable roles. Each one is colorful in their own way and the development made towards them is a thing of praise for the series as well. Even the side characters bring some fun to the stories

The idea that each of these characters have their own role and that there is a storyteller who controls the strings of this tale is what made the series so innovative. While the beginning may start off simple, but as the series progressed so did the story and the amount of drama mixed in.

The Bad

To be fair, the first impression of the series doesn’t give much other than a simple magical girl series with a unique protagonist and a creative world with a mystery mixed in. In addition to this, there are a smattering of cliches and tropes to be found throughout the entire series In addition to this, the characters all play their roles but at the same time they do have their generic moments.

Another point against the series is the amount of near naked scenes to be found in the later half of the series. It is comedic somewhat that the protagonist ends up in situations where she inadvertently turns into a naked woman but at the same time, given how young the characters are portrayed, there is an uncomfortable note lying there as well.

Overall, as a classic era anime series, it does has its fair share of flaws with cliches and tropes, but those can be overlooked. The most noted flaw to be found with this series is the naked moments and the uncomfortable note found given how young the characters are portrayed.

Conclusion

This is one of those series that come in once in awhile and leave their mark while doing so. WIth an innovative story, well developed characters mixed in with emotional and dramatic moments to build up towards one of the best endings in the classic era, this series is a treat to watch. Though it may have its fair share of cliches and tropes mixed in with some uncomfortable notes of nudity and suggestiveness from the young looking female characters, the story still leaves a positive mark.

Rating: 8.5/10