I have a strange relationship with magical girl series, in that I usually like them - and have no idea why. Each episode of these shows conjures up this pleasant feeling whose source is unfathomable to a guy, despite being formulaic and going ga-ga over the cute factor. Princess Tutu is different, though. The series builds around the standard Black Box of Mahou Shoujo Mojo, but it also taps into the richness of fairy tales and the sophistication of classical music and dance. Thanks to these external factors and a brilliant execution, Princess Tutu is able to reach a larger audience than most other works in the genre.

Right at the beginning, the series professes a love of the story. The setting is a fairytale in which its creator is also one of the characters. The tale is of a prince versus a raven, except it's incomplete, because the author died while writing it. As the reality goes, the raven escapes from the book with the prince in hot pursuit, and the prince sacrifices his heart to seal away the raven's evil. In case that's not complicated enough, the main character is a duck* who can magically transform into a human (thanks to the late author of the tale), then further transform into Princess Tutu, the only one who can return pieces of the prince's heart to him. Oh, and she also dances a wicked ballet.

It's fruity, yes, but darned if it's not one of the neatest concepts I've seen in a TV series. For starters, ballet is one of those Snooty High Society functions, where normal people who even consider patronizing it have to save up a wad of cash, and they usually end up buying SUVs instead. Needless to say, the average person might be drawn to this series for the sheer novelty of having access to the art within such an affordable price range. The show delivers the whole package, combining the greatest in stage music with choreography so excellent that it seems the two were meant for each other.

The Prince formerly known as, "The Prince".	Princess Tutu saves the kingdom from bad dancing.

Among the music featured is Tchaikovsky's immortal scores for The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. (Our mysterious dead author named Drosselmeyer** is straight out of The Nutcracker.) One song in particular from The Nutcracker, "Valse des Fleurs," (Waltz of the Flowers) enjoys special favor as part of the series' opening theme, "Morning Grace". The late Ritsuko Okazaki composed and performed this song, as well as the series' ending theme, "Though I Am Small".

In addition to the first five episodes of the series, ADV included quite a few on-disc goodies. Some might appeal only to English voiceover enthusiasts, but a couple are interesting in a general sense. The standard clean opening/ending sequences are present, an extra titled "étude", which goes over the music used in the first volume, and a short titled "Ballet for Beginners", which introduces some ballet terms for the uninitiated. The extras for dub fans are some audio commentary, outtakes, and a short titled "In the Studio", which shows the voice actors in action.

I don't typically go looking in the magical girl genre for high-class entertainment, but Princess Tutu has caused me to rethink my methods a bit. It's good (now and then) to see a work that openly builds off old techniques to find its own artistic expression. Most creators tend to hide all or part of their inspirations, and some even get insulted when asked about it. The way in which this series comes out and says, "This is what I am. I have nothing to hide." is refreshing. Also refreshing is the deep understanding of the borrowed works that the creators display, and the ease with which they make it their own. This series is one I'll happily claim addiction to. I hope I can get my next fix soon, before I'm buried in Angst Land again....

*Her name is "Duck" (Ahiru) in the show, describing what she is as well as who. It's one of those rare cases where a literal translation of names can be appropriate.

**In "The Nutcracker", Herr Drosselmeyer is a maker of magical toys. He creates the nutcracker as a Christmas gift for his goddaughter Clara.

Distributor: ADV Films
Creator: Ikuko Itoh / Hal Film Maker
Released: 2002-2003

Video Quality: A
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: A
Content: A
Overall: A