Yes, Princess Tutu is that awesome and yes we are going to watch it. Unfortunately, unlike Revolutionary Girl Utena, Princess Tutu isn’t up online for free which means you’re gonna have to find it for yourself if you want to watch it with me. But you should because it’s good. Watch the AMV again. Princess Tutu is really good.
According to experts in the anime thread Princess Tutu is available
[quote=“onlerin, post:280, topic:772”]
on Hulu[/quote]
And it’s also
How am I going to watch it? Well, I’ve got that covered.
It’s going to be up to you to find your own way but please please please join me because it’s worth it.
##About Princess Tutu:
Princess Tutu is a 26 episode series released in 2003. It follows the story of a duck who admires a Prince wishing to become a girl so she can dance with him and mend the sadness she sees inside him. Her wish is granted and she is turned into a girl and given a magical pendant which turns her into a Magical Girl, the titular Princess Tutu. Ballet and classical music and themes of creation, craft, and writing are thick throughout this anime as it challenges the nature of stories and tropes. Many of the story lines are drawn from real prominent ballets like The Swan Prince and The Nutcracker.
I swear it’s good. Watch the video again. It’s that good. Trust me.
Join me every Monday at 8:30 pm where we will watching two episodes a day.
I just finished watching Revelutionary Girl Utena, except the movie, and it was great. Hopefully in this thread I won’t fall behind by 30 episodes and binge watch them because I saw a new thread.
It’s Princess Tutu day.
Princess Tutu takes place in Germany or a place that speaks German, all the titles are Japanese folks trying to write in German. Apparently they did an alright job and all. It’s definitely better than Google Translating from Japanese to German then back to Japanese and then to English.
Let’s get started:
[spoiler]
Episode 1: "Quack."
There’s always gonna be that panty shot in the beginning credits, I’m sorry. I assure you this is a good anime.
The Prince:
Likes:
Dancing Naked at the pond.
???
Dislikes:
???
Creepy giant set of eyeballs becomes creepy old guy.
Now she’s a girl!
That’s a lot of birds.
Time to rush to class with toast in our mouths, as is tradition.
(She’s fitting in already.)
Spoilers: Pike and Lillie rule.
Mytho is pronounced Mewtoh for some reason, just roll with it.
Mytho:
Likes:
Dancing in music rooms.
???
Dislikes:
???
Oh hey it’s Fakir.
What a jerk.
Time for class.
Pike and Lillie are like shippers except actually in the show.
IT’S THE CAT. I have complicated feelings about this cat but ultimately I have decided he’s alright.
“You will have to marry me” is kind of his catchphrase/favorite threat and it seems inappropriate for a teacher to be threatening his students with the punishment of marriage (especially since we’ll later see he almost seems sincere about it) but I don’t think he means it since he never follows through and it’s just his quirky thing. I give him a pass because of this.
It’s time for the special class!
Guess who the main character is.
11 minutes and 40 seconds in and we’ve already met the best character.
The “it’s normal for you” message is in this anime as well?! Yes it is, I really like this belief.
I love Pike and Lillie so much.
I snuck into the boys locker room once, it wasn’t that impressive.
Fakir status: Still a jerk.
It’s time for some vague dialog that shippers can construe as sexually charged.
The eyes, and thus the old guy, is back.
Pike and Lillie rule so hard, friends.
PANTS ARE OPTIONAL.
Buckle in.
We’re just getting started.
Episode 2: “Stories are such wonderful things.”
The clouds kinda looked like people.
I guess @heyboots is right and if they don’t show anything with the exposed chests then it doesn’t count. Good.
I dig this lady’s design.
Edel is great too.
This scene on the hill is me any time I tried to talk with someone I was attracted to. This scene is too real.
This Anteater is confident as fuck. She knows what she wants and she’s going for it.
Rue is so chill with it.
THE DRAMA, this anteater ain’t fucking around.
I like how the animators make this anteater so graceful and beautiful and yet still an anteater.
More for the shippers!
Fakir in a rare moment of not a jerk? LAYERS!
Time for the plot!
DANCE BATTLE!
WHAT THE HELL RUE?! MEAN AS FUCK!
(She’s still the best.)
The first feeling (heart shard) Tutu returns to the prince is the feeling of bitter disappointment! Excellent![/spoiler]
That’s all for this week, anyone who wants to watch ahead can.
##Heart Shards Acquired and Returned:
1.) Bitterness/Disappointment
I can’t believe a fucking anteater was an antagonist.
Okay, so two episodes in and this is already really good. The characters are charming, but moreso I love the setup for this. It seems like it’s going to be going for the monster of the week format, but with a variant that’s actually really fascinating. Having dances instead of fights is nice, and I like the fact that the entire point is to calm the other person down. It seems like this could be really interesting, even if they go with a somewhat repetitive formula on the outside.
You’re not alone, Ebine. You have your memories, and your recipes. You have so much to cook, new recipes to discover, it’ll be okay.
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
He thanked her.
He thanked her for disappointment and loneliness
GREAT WORK PRINCESS TUTU!
Oh dear, what a twist.
Episode 4: “Maidens often fall in love.”
They all wanna be as good as Rue.
Best cheerleaders.
We regret to inform you that Ballerina Princess is actually Ballerina Duck. (But not racist.) (Memes, I got’m!)[/spoiler]
.
Did you know that some dude was such a huge fan of a ballet dancer that he bought her shoes and ate them? True story.
.
[Spoiler]
Oh dear, she struggled and fell!
Loneliness appears to be having a bigger effect on Mytho than disappointment. Or maybe as more shards are collected, the more he feels in general?
Fakir geeze! CALM DOWN!
He just breaks out the negging, yikes.
I am also great at not thinking about things.
Helpful penguin! Birds stick together!
How can Rue be content with heartless love?
Yikes there’s definitely something up with these two, a rivalry. Is it… a love triangle? :ohdear:
Real friends go down with the ship, woo!
All Cats are Good.
Rue status: Prickly.
Oh this interaction is just precious.
Rue does not split up the party, see, I told you she ruled.
Rue’s being kind of a brat here, but Ahiru is too cute and just shuts that down.
Rue not freaking out at ghostly happenings. She definitely knows more than she lets on.
Edel telling us how it is. That’s right, this place is a place where reality and stories are interconnected.
Each sequence plays out like a ballet or stage play and I am never not impressed.
Rue’s time to dance battle, seems she knows how things work. Interesting.
She’s really trying but she hurt herself earlier, remember?
The dead can dance forever, but Rue is mortal, she has limitations.
So beautiful, so sad.
Good therapy happening right here.
Sorrow? Oh man. Genuine truths from Ahiru here folks.
You say it better than I do Drosselmeyer, when is Ahiru going to get a positive emotion?![/spoiler]
That’s all for this week!
##Heart Shards Acquired and Returned:
1.) Bitterness/Disappointment
2.) Loneliness
3.) Sorrow
YOU’RE DOING GREAT AHIRU!
It’s amazing how powerful this show is. I cried at the end of episode 3, even though Ebine’s only present for one episode. Everything carries a lot of weight, and each dance scene feels different.
I’m interested in seeing what Rue’s deal is. After episode 3 I thought both she and Fakir were the crow. Fakir definitely is, calling it now, but Rue seems a little more complex. I’m still thinking she’s at least related to the crow, but she does display actual concern for Mytho.
The Fire Festival? If Twitter’s anything to go by, that’s probably not the place anyone wants to go to, Duck.
It says a lot that this show can introduce a lamp ghost as a character and it fits perfectly. It’s very evocative of fairy tales and conveys as much emotional weight as the other characters. Plus, I like the concept that even supposedly inanimate objects are affected by Mythos and how he projects on to them.
And in this episode, we get to see that Fakir is a forceful prick even while dancing. I’m so surprised. Who could have guessed. So I was initially a little disappointed that this particular shard wasn’t connected to anybody. But the fact that his emotions can actually lash out with, like, swords and shit is interesting. And it’s more fitting for the episode that the emotion itself is the antagonist.
That left off on a pretty big cliffhanger. Good thing I’m super late with this one so I don’t have to wait long for the next two episodes!
Okay, so episode 7 established a lot. We have the anime rival Rue Princess Kraehe, Drosselmeyer is more interested in his story than the feelings of the characters within said story, and Fakir may not be the raven, he might just be, well, a Fakir. The second point was something I expected considering the opening just makes him look like an anime villain, but it’s interesting to see that Drosselmeyer straight up can’t give Duck a good reason to continue being Princess Tutu.
Fakir: Friend to nobody but ducks. I’m surprised to see all three parties are against each other, even though Fakir and Rue Kraehe have similar goals. I thought they’d be working together, but then again I also thought Fakir was the crow.
This is definitely a nightmare and Mytho stilll hates clothes even in dreams.
Waiting at the pizza shop? My kind of cat!
I know I keep saying these two are amazing but c’mon.
Pike and Lillie are so great.
Ahiru ruined Rue’s private moment.
How sincere vs how sinister is this love of Rue’s?
Still naked. Lots of fan service for the folks that like-- oh wait impalement never mind.
Drosselmeyer has the best reasons.
lol, poor cat waiting alone at the pizza place.
Is this shard curiosity?
The animation is so fucking beautiful.
Oh man this is intense.
I believe Kraehe is German for crow or raven.
Poor cat. Poor Ahiru. Poor Mytho.
Episode 8: “…It’s one-sided.”
I think Fakir really cares about Mytho, it’s just fucked up because he (Fakir) is fucked up.
I think, when you’re not sure who you are exactly (and you’re anxious and afraid of finding out) that stealing the heart shard of curiosity/desire for knowledge is a really bad idea, Rue.
I’m sure this is going to go very well.
lol they’re so good.
What a hug. OMG how cute.
Fakir you need to calm the fuck down.
Edel showing up at the best times and asking some good questions.
Oh dear.
Does Fakir… have a soft side?
DAMN FAKIR! YOU DO NOT TAKE DEFIANCE WELL.
He is going to need a fuck ton of humanizing after that shit.
Yikes.
Oh dear.
Oh man a dark ritual with a blood sacrifice and everything.
(Was that German he was trying to speak? It had Japanese subtitles too!)
Well shit.
OH DAMN. OH DAMN.
wow wow wow wow.
##OH DAMN!!
PRINCE WITH THE SWORD.
Woah woah woah, fuck!
OH SHIT.
What’s going on aaaaa.
She seems to have gotten through to him.
Fakir just walks off?! …Okay…
Dang!
See ya’ll next Monday!
##Heart Shards Acquired and Returned:
1.) Bitterness/Disappointment
2.) Loneliness
3.) Sorrow
4.) Affection
5.) Fear
6.) Curiosity/Desire for knowledge
Positive emotions might just catch up!
Princess Tutu: I actually have to be comparatively early edition.
[spoiler]I looooove that they’re screwing with the intro now. Considering Princess Tutu’s frame involves fairy tales becoming reality, having the narrator read the wrong story is just such a cool idea.
I can’t believe I kinda like Fakir now. He’s still kind of a prick, but he seems like he’s starting to better himself. Rue seems to want Mythos to not have a personality because she’s fine with empty compliments, buuuuut if anything I blame Drosselmeyer for that one. He’d totally give someone character flaws just to have an anime rival present.
Did I not notice intro changes before, or is that the thing we’re doing starting from episode 9?
Anyway, I love the continuing theme of “Fakir hates Tutu but he really fuckin’ loves that Duck.” It probably won’t continue for much longer, but I’ll enjoy it while it’s here. He got some good development though, and now we know where he got the 'ol slap habit. But the ending was really sweet, and I hope we see more of Fakir’s dad in the future. Though I have to wonder if Fakir getting cut in half was foreshadowing or a flashback. If it’s the latter, I guess we’re dealing with reincarnation. If it’s the former… sorry about your imminent death, buddy.[/spoiler]
Episode 9: “If you want something, hurry up and say it.”
Looks like other stories might be invading this one.
Not sure Rue wants to be the villainess…
OH NO, A LOVE TRIANGLE!
I bet Fakir is the one who is afraid.
He’s also still a jerk.
These two are too damn trope savvy.
Oh hey, an antique shop. PRINCESS TUTU IS GETTING GENTRIFIED!
See what I mean about the Cat-Sensei not being sincere about the marriage threat?
Edel chatting to Fakir this time? Interesting.
CREEPY, is she one of Drosselmeyer’s pawns then? Nooo…
It’s true, I mentioned this earlier. Who eats a person’s shoes? Yeesh.
Mysterious girl is cute.
Cat-Sensei is letting Goat-Sensei down gently, I guess…
…
Okay not exactly gently.
OH DEAR A STALKER
Sounds like an obsession, Malen.
“A prince doesn’t need two princesses” What the hell, Drosselmeyer, it’s your story. You could have made it work! This could have been a harem anime! It’s obviously not.
CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE.
Transforming into Krahe is not pleasant.
Devotion, eh?
Ahiru cares about everyone!
Rue…
Episode 10: “I envy your innocence.”
Woah, Fakir! GEEZE!
-.- Drosselmeyer… He’s right about stories but what a butt.
Fakir is kind to animals.
He’s wearing it? Wouldn’t it be great if the pendant turned Fakir into a magical girl? Missed opportunities, Drosselmeyer.
Crocodile girl is my favorite bit character.
Cat-Sensei… >.>
Haha, Cat-Sensei is giving them The Talk. This is why I think he’s a responsible adult.
Oh man, a wedding? EXCITING.
I’m hype.
Mytho is so determined to marry the fuck out of her. YEAH.
Fakir going for a special sword? Is that the Prince’s sword’s name? I was wondering where it went…
Huh, it’s a different sword. Where’d the Prince’s sword go?
Strange birthmarks and prophecies? ::Leans forward in her seat::
Mytho cannot restrain the heroism.
YIKES!
Fakir status: Not so bad after all?
Aww.
It’s kinda sweet.
Regret? OH BOY.
Fakir can get naked premonitions too.
A sacrifice? What kind of fucked up wedding ritual is that?
Awww, that little smile.
You can do it Fakir, whatever it is.
Crow people are cool.
Fakir got the horse back and he enters with style.
The intro before the OP is always different. The earlier ones might feel similar because they were all about introducing the story that the show is about from a narrative perspective. It also always starts with “once upon a time” so I can see why it may not seem different at first; I think I made that same mistake when I first watched this show.
Whoops it’s time to watch four episodes. Whoops they’re all very heavy.
So episode 11 is more or less “everyone knows everyone else’s deal, whoops everything’s bad now.” Fakir also has that fear of death, so I guess knowing how he died previously is quite the hindrance.
To answer episode 12’s intro: they’re both the ones that can’t move. I still don’t trust Drosselmeyer.
And speaking of which, we get an entire episode which is basically “everybody is extremely unhappy about their roles in the story before it came to life.” Tutu was a minor character, Rue didn’t even exist, and Fakir fucking died. Plus, 'ol Drossy gets mad at Edel for actually doing things. He’s basically the worst, and I hope the last episode consists of nobody dying and everyone just kicking him. Repeatedly.
At least we get an episode of Fakir being adorable. I can get behind that.
I find Edel’s last words interesting. She says she’s a doll mimicking human emotions, but if everyone was once part of a story then that’s technically true for everyone in the show. But she has more compassion for the other characters than Drosselmeyer does, because she tries her best to make sure everything ends as happily as possible, and she even wants to see Tutu and Mytho dance before she goes, which would be the end of the story if a certain someone wasn’t a prick. Of course, Rue left depressed so not everyone ended happily, but at least Fakir’s okay.
I feel like I could end everyone episode with the statement, “fuck Drosselmeyer” from this point on and it would be fitting every time.
Aaaaand episode 14’s mostly a recap. And Fakir’s a jerk again. I guess he can only not be a dick for the season finale. At least we get cat backstory (catstory?). Also Crow Dad. He wasn’t here at all in the first season.