Saturday, July 17, 2010

Anime Review- Princess Tutu



Princess Tutu is one of the not-so-famous animes. It was adapted from a manga series which received worse reception. It is still good in its own way.

Princess tutu narrates the life of Ahiru, a duck who transforms into a ditz called Ahiru to save Prince Mytho from a terrible curse. He has lost his heart and looks dull and morose. She helps him find the pieces of his heart so that he can love again. She goes to a ballet academy where she resides (in the hostel). She transforms into Princess Tutu to save Mytho. Ru, another girl in the ballet academy, who is good at ballet, competes for Mytho's affections with Tutu. Fakir, Mytho's overprotective friend also strives to save Mytho. However, little do they realize that they live in a story which is written by the sinister Drosselmeyer who is determined to make this a tragedy. Later, Fakir discovers that he too has the power to write and change stories.

The atmosphere of this story is remarkable. It is what saves this tale. It is set in an oldish society. Ballet is the most important element in this world. The animation tones are dull, soft and classy and give a sophisticated touch to this anime. The mood is mostly dark. Classical pieces like Swan Lake are often played in the background. The opening is good too. There is grace in the chracters.

As the story progresses, Fakir develops feelings for Ahiru and she discovers that once Mytho has his heart back, she'll go back to being a duck. Ru gets to know of her past and discovers that she's not Raven. Edel (realted to Drosselmeyer) makes a few appearances. Dosselmeyer's power increases and the story strives towards a dramatic climax.
The tone, mood and atmosphere make all the scenes dramatic and more special than they really are. The story too is well themed and plotted.

Art- 4.3
Characters-4.2
Story- 4.6
Overall- 4.1

The manga has been heavily critisized in Japan.
The anime's cons....mmmmm.....well, it requires patience. It is not recommended for action fans and impulsive people. The series progresses very slowly and all actions, movements and plot and character development is slow. It requires patience but I can't really say that the wait is worth the ending. The ending though happy is not very satisfying.

Pros

Atmosphere
Plot
The dramatic music/ drama
Climax

Cons

Might seem average to some viewers
Requires patience/ progresses slowly and unsatisfactorily

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