Princess Tutu is based on a story within a story. It begins by telling the story of a storyteller who died, leaving his tale of a battle between a prince and an evil crow unfinished. Frustrated at their battle being left unfinished, the prince and the crow flew out of the story--and the prince sealed the crow away using his heart. But the story didn't end there. What happened to the prince without a heart, the crow who was sealed away, and the storyteller who died before finishing his story? Each one of them has a part in the town and story of Princess Tutu.

Ahiru lives in an enchanted town where the story of the prince and the crow is not a mere fairy tale, but the only reality they've ever known. Due to the storyteller's desire to see a great story, Ahiru has been brought in the story--changed from a duck to the girl named Ahiru (which, oh so coincidentally, means duck in Japanese), with the ability to transform into Princess Tutu. In this guise she can gracefully dance as Ahiru never could, and she can fulfill her desire of helping the prince without a heart.

Ahiru is no ordinary girl, nor is the town she lives in a simple little place. For starters, Ahiru has a cat for a ballet instructor, who threatens the students with marriage (to him!) if they step out of line. The entire town is littered with those who seem to be under some kind of enchantment--or curse. Ahiru herself first seems to be a normal girl--she's an awkward, gangly student, she has two squabbly best friends, Pike/Pique and Ririe/Lilie, and a crush on the handsome but silent Mute (also spelled Mythos*), who is also one of the best dancers in the school. But neither Mute nor Ahiru--nor anyone in this town--are exactly who they appear to be. [For more information on how the series begins, see the Introduction.]

The anime is a fascinating mixture of many different elements. It most prominently uses the music of Tchaikovsky, as well as of other classical composers. It relies on a different ballet for most every episode, using the music and story elements from each to move its own story forward. Throughout each episode, bizarre bits of humor are sprinkled throughout--how could a duck/gangly girl/princess not lend itself to humorour situations? And the excellent animation is beautiful at times and yet perfectly quirky according to the character.

Sick of episodic shoujo shows? Tired of plots that...don't really exist? Want a show where you don't want to smack all the characters? This show is for you. ^_- From its very first episode, the series moves smoothly along--there are no fillers, and in each episode something important is revealed about the plot and/or its characters. Nothing is quite as it seems--this is the rule that underlies this engaging anime. As soon as you think you have certain characters pegged down--for example, Ahiru finds challenges in Mute's cold and protective friend Fakia (also spelled Fakir) and the lovely but aloof rival, Ruu (also spelled Rue)--something occurs that causes you to reverse that assumption. Ahiru does not easily embrace the role that the storyteller has given her. Awkward and rather quirky, Ahiru is a likable character because she tries to do what is best for Mute, as well as for others, even though she has her own misgivings and challenges to overcome. The cast of characters is wonderful because there are interesting aspects to be learned about each, and they all mesh so perfectly together.

Combining elements of folk tales, ballets (in particular, themes from The Nutcracker are used everywhere), in addition to its own unique story and diverse, interesting characters, this show is a delightful, sweet and endearing series for everyone to enjoy. To give away more of the plot would be a disservice to the enjoyment of the show, but it has an incredible ending that while it leaves you wishing there was another season, makes you think, "That fits perfectly." Part of the delight in watching is to see the secrets and stories revealed that the creators have plotted out from the beginning. Even though the show takes elements from fairy tales, the characters are much more than two-dimensional heroes who easily emerge victorious and princesses who are easily rescued. An engaging show bursting to the pores with creativity, the endearing cast of characters enchants you and makes this one of the best shoujo series in a long time.

* The reason why you will see strange spelling variations of the characters' names is because the official company romanizes their names one way, but when pronounced in the anime they sound completely different. In other words, the official romanization doesn't match up to the phonetic pronounciation of their names. So, Mythos (official romanization) in the anime is actually pronounced Mute-oh, Fakir is pronounced Fakia (Fah-key-ah), and Pique is pronounced Pi-kay. Most people stick to the official romanization, but for me they're interchangeable and I prefer phonetic spellings, so you will see them spelled the unofficial way around the site.

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