Princess Tutu

"Some of you who will probably read this already know that I like several more traditional performing arts, including ballet. Because of that, I approach ballet-themed works of fiction with a degree of indifference, because these works are often minimally researched and are made to capitalize on ballet as "'girly." Partly as a result of this, Princess Tutu sat on my watchlist for a long time. Now that I've watched it, though, I loved it. The costuming, the mix of comedy and melancholy, the portrayal of the potential for ballet to be tragic and sad as well as joyful. Even the emphasis on pantomime and practice over the incredible feats and grand jetes. The narrative itself was strange but wonderful. I will say that it didn't start coming together for me until episode seven, and I didn't get really into it until episode twelve. Those last fourteen episodes, though, were great, and make the preceding episodes that much better for being the groundwork. Both the original and adapted music are great. SPOILER ALERT The ending is fantastic, with that twinge of melancholy that's present throughout the series. I was expecting them to ignore the rules established as early as episode two to give a textbook happy ending, but they didn't, and I respect them for it. All in all, a fantastic show."

"Just rewatched this! First saw it as a kid and it's still as amazing as I remember. Great and interesting plot, beautiful art style and music. I could rewatch this show over and over again and never get tired of it! :)"

"This anime changed my understanding of storytelling, inspiring me to become more creative and courageous."

"It’s so bittersweet, emotional, dramatic, and beautiful. Truly an unforgettable show"

"Not finished but I love the character designs and the exaggerated expressions of 🦆. Reminds me of a cartoon with how wacky things get. I’ll re-edit this with my full opinion when I’m finished."

"Just got done and everything goes down season 2. The story was interesting especially towards the end. The ending just caught me off guard but it was what I was already hoping for. It’s a good watch and it reminded me of shows I already watched before like miraculous ladybug, and voice acting almost like ouran high school (only bc they had dub on prime)."

"Awesome story!! Me and my family re-watch this a lot! It's very good."

"Season 2 is a crucial watch."

"Surprising good but also kinda dark and yes, there's so much dancing XD"

"A clever fairytale with a strong emphasis on meta-narrative. Duck, Mytho, Rue and Fakir all have a more complex characterization than what initially is on the surface and their character development is really quite special. Duck's story in particular never fails to make me weep at the end. Not to mention that the soundtrack is full of classical ballet music which is a delight to listen to and experience as the titular Princess Tutu dances across the screen. My favorite anime."