| 1 | [[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TutuGroupTVtropes.jpg]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:330:The main cast of ''Princess Tutu''.]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness. May those who defy their fate be granted glory."'' |
| 5 | |
| 6 | OnceUponATime, there was a man who died. The man's work was the writing and telling of stories. But he could not defy death. The last story the man was working on was about a brave and handsome prince who vanquishes a crafty raven. But now it seemed their battle would go on for eternity. "I'm sick and tired of this!" cried the raven. "I'm sick and tired of this!" cried the prince as well. The raven escaped from the pages of the story and the prince pursued the foul creature. In the end, the prince took out his own heart and sealed the raven away by using a forbidden power. Just then, a murmur came from somewhere: "This is great!" said the old man who was supposed to have died. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | And so the heartless prince is found and enrolled in a {{ballet}} school, whilst the story remains static for years. One cold, foggy day the old man (Drosselmeyer) sees a wistful duck watching the Prince. And so he brings her into the story in the hopes that she'll move it forward, bestowing her a mystical pendant that transforms her into [[MagicalGirl Princess Tutu]]: a princess with the power to restore the Prince's heart to him, while soothing the hearts of those corrupted by the shards. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | But great changes are foreshadowed as these actions catch the attention of Fakir, a cold-eyed boy who dictates everything Mytho does, and Rue, the prince's enigmatic girlfriend. Unhappy with the Prince's restoration, both take [[KnightErrant active]] [[DarkMagicalGirl roles]] in the story, hoping to halt its progress, while the story twists down a dark, complex path, revealing [[Theatre/TheNutcracker Drosselmeyer's]] story to have a life of its own. As Ahiru (the duck, whose name literally means 'duck' in Japanese. Her name is explicitly 'Duck' in the English dub and official DVD subtitles, to properly preserve the ThemeNaming for the audience) struggles with the decisions she makes and the impact they will have on others, [[EarnYourHappyEnding her priorities shift]] and she fights Tutu's fate. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | ''Princess Tutu'' is an original anime created by Ikuko Itoh, who's best known for her animation direction and character design work on ''Anime/SailorMoon''; she was also the chief animation director and character designer for this anime. Creator/JunichiSato, who also worked on ''Sailor Moon'' as director for the first two seasons, was the main director for ''Tutu'' as well. The anime (a [[Creator/{{TYO}} Hal Film Maker]] production) takes inspiration from a number of classic ballets; most of the music is taken from these, and the two princesses' costumes are inspired by Odile and Odette of ''Theatre/SwanLake''. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | The anime first aired from 2002 to 2003 for 26 episodes. A markedly different two-volume [[Manga/PrincessTutu manga]] was made concurrently with the anime. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | If you live where it is available, the anime can be watched dubbed on [[http://www.hulu.com/princess-tutu Hulu]] or [[https://www.hidive.com/tv/princess-tutu Hidive]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Spoilers will be marked when possible, but '''some aren't, so be careful. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!''' |
| 19 | |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | !!Please tropes, come dance with me: |
| 22 | * TenMinuteRetirement: [[spoiler: Duck's Heroic BSOD at the end of akt 6 eventually drives her to renounce Tutu and drop her pendant into a stream in akt 7. However, Mytho, who's come to realize he ''wants'' all of his heart back, is able to talk her into continuing to search for the heart shards.]] |
| 23 | * AardvarkTrunks: Anteaterina's snout is rather expressive, changing position from being straight from her face to rather droopy. |
| 24 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: On the occasion that Mr. Cat has a girl interested in him, it's usually someone undesirable like a goat or a sloth. |
| 25 | * AccidentalDownerEnding: InUniverse, the death of Drosselmeyer left his story, ''The Prince and the Raven'', unfinished, with the Prince and Raven locked in a never-ending battle, playing the trope straight. However, both characters grew tired of this never-ending fighting and figured out how to leave the story, where the Prince shattered his heart to seal the Raven in the walls of the town. The series follows what happened next. It also later turns out Drosselmeyer meant for the ending to be tragic all along, so his surviving wouldn't have made much difference. |
| 26 | * AdviceBackfire: Drosselmeyer's advice to Duck in episode 7 makes her even more determined to quit being Princess Tutu. |
| 27 | * AfterSchoolCleaningDuty: Ahiru often gets stuck doing this, usually as punishment for failing to keep up with her fellow ballet students. |
| 28 | * AllTakeAndNoGive: At the beginning of the series, [[BrokenBird Rue]] and [[EmotionlessBoy Mytho]] have a strange relationship where they're both content, but they both "give" things that the other person finds meaningless and "take" something else that's unimportant to the other; Rue might be considered the Taker just because she gets ''something'' out of Mytho that he intentionally gives, even if it's not what she really wants. Mytho follows Rue's every whim, but only because [[ExtremeDoormat he likes being ordered around]] and "nobody else tells [him] what to do". Rue keeps him around because [[BrokenBird she wants to be loved]], but he's completely incapable of reciprocating, so she just makes him tell her "I love you" and pretends that it's real. |
| 29 | %%* AllTherapistsAreMuggles: Fakir and Rue could definitely use some therapy considering their [[ParentalAbandonment issues]], but they'd have to find a therapist who would be able to swallow the idea that part of their problems stem from being characters in a fairytale. |
| 30 | * AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: The DVD cover art is very much pink and fluffy in Japan; the American [=DVDs=] feature much darker, ominously-edited images. ADV admitted that it was a marketing strategy — maybe some buyers would be too embarrassed to take a pink-and-happy anime called "Princess Tutu" off a store shelf, thus the covers. And, of course, it's not completely ''unfitting'' for the series. |
| 31 | * AmbiguousSituation: The nature of Fakir and Ahiru's relationship [[spoiler: in the BittersweetEnding. While it is implied they love each other, or at least that Fakir loves Ahiru, with Ahiru still saddened by Mytho choosing Rue, remaining as a duck, and the two never outright expressing their feelings, it's not 100% clear.]] |
| 32 | * AmputativeSentencing: The Book Men reveal they cut off Drosselmeyer's hands long ago to stop him from writing once his abilities started scaring the townsfolk (which, considering Drosselmeyer's love of tragedies, was likely warranted). Drosselmeyer died from the blood loss, but his story continued even in death, so that [[spoiler:the Book Men try to cut off Fakir's hands when he starts using the same abilities, afraid that even with good intentions Fakir's efforts will only add to Drosselmeyer's power.]] |
| 33 | * AncientConspiracy: The Book Men who [[spoiler:killed Drosselmeyer]] are still around, just in case his power crops up again. |
| 34 | * AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Mr. Cat's CatchPhrase, often threatening his female students with it if they are to fail a class. |
| 35 | * AndTheAdventureContinues: Season 1 ends with Princess Tutu restoring Mytho's heart shards and beating Kraehe but Drosselmeyer says the story is far from over. |
| 36 | * {{Angrish}}: What Mr. Cat devolves into when Duck is being klutzier than usual. Naturally, his screams are... [[FunnyAnimal cat yowls]]. |
| 37 | * AnimalMotifs: Very common, particularly swans (Tutu, Mytho, sometimes even Rue) and crows (the villains in general). |
| 38 | * AnimeThemeSong: Written for the show, both gently-paced pieces of music that are influenced by Classical music. |
| 39 | * {{Animorphism}}: Sort of. The main character changes back and forth between a duck and a human; she is unable to communicate in her duck form, but there are plenty of other anthropomorphized animals who go around acting more or less as humans with no problems. |
| 40 | ** [[spoiler:The finale reveals that the anthromorphism was due to the spell the town had been put under.]] |
| 41 | * AntagonistTitle: |
| 42 | ** [[FeatheredFiend The Raven]] is one of the BigBadDuumvirate and the in-universe antagonist in "The Prince And The Raven". He is introduced in "The Raven" by telling Kraehe that her human body is "hideous" and that only he and the Prince could ever love her — and even then, not enough to die for her. |
| 43 | ** Princess Kraehe is introduced in "Crow Princess" as a rival to Princess Tutu. |
| 44 | * ArcWords: ''"Those who accept their fate find happiness; those who defy it, glory."'' |
| 45 | * AnArmAndALeg: The [[AncientConspiracy Book Men]] cuts off the hands of [[spoiler:people who have the power of RewritingReality. Fortunately, Fakir escapes this fate. Unfortunately, undergoing it didn't stop Drosselmeyer.]] |
| 46 | * ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: At one point, Edel has a tray full of jewels and offers one to Duck. She says its name is "Dream." Duck starts asking what some of the others are... "Hope." "Adventure." "Mystery." "Artistic License." ("Author's Bypass," in the English dub.) |
| 47 | * ArtStyleDissonance: The anime is a MagicalGirl show that takes place in a whimsical town of pastel colors, ballet, and fairy tales. Unfortunately for the characters, their fairytale has ''not'' been {{Disneyfi|cation}}ed, and they are the {{cosmic plaything}}s of an in-universe AxCrazy [[TrueArtIsAngsty tragedy-loving]] [[RealityWarper writer]]. |
| 48 | * BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: At the very end you can see a normal cat that looks like Mr. Cat with a mate and a litter of kittens.]] |
| 49 | * BackForTheFinale: The final episode features many of the minor, one-episode characters in some cameo or another — mostly as hapless victims for the Raven. |
| 50 | * BarbieDollAnatomy: As seen in the series' several {{Out of Clothes Experience}}s and when Duck transforms into a girl. |
| 51 | * BeastInTheBuilding: Subverted. Ahiru attempts to deliver a letter to Mytho in her duck form by breaking into the boys' locker room, hiding so as not to get caught and thrown out. The normally gruff Fakir finds her there, causing her to flush with embarrassment and expect the worst. However, he is surprisingly gentle with her (thinking she's just a dumb duck), bringing her back outside before feeding her breadcrumbs, only lightly scolding her for being silly enough to think she would find food in there. [[spoiler: This is the first hint that he is actually a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.]] |
| 52 | * BeYourself: [[spoiler:This is what enables Duck to give up the pendant -- her true self is a duck, and there's nothing wrong with that.]] |
| 53 | * BecauseDestinySaysSo: Played with and defied throughout the series. |
| 54 | * BeehiveHairdo: |
| 55 | ** Edel might sport a rare anime example of this trope (not counting what's on the sides of her head, of course). |
| 56 | ** Also Ebine, the woman who runs the restaurant from episode 3, sports a purple one of these. |
| 57 | * BettyAndVeronica: Mytho is the Betty, Fakir is the Veronica, and Duck is the Archie. |
| 58 | ** [[spoiler:BettyAndVeronicaSwitch: Ahiru has two {{Love Interest}}s: Fakir, who is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold KnightInSourArmor that hides his sweet side, and Mytho, her prince who has ChronicHeroSyndrome. Perfectly Veronica and perfectly Betty? Right until the prince becomes an evil LoveHungry CasanovaWannabe and the knight, well... remains himself and becomes a trusted friend and confidant.]] |
| 59 | * BeneathTheMask: Pretty much everyone. Your initial perception of every character will, without doubt, change. |
| 60 | ** Fakir is initially portrayed as a villain that is selfish and manipulative. However, he shows his hidden self when [[spoiler: Duck is temporally stuck as a duck, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold she is able to see Fakir's soft side]],]] |
| 61 | ** Kraehe is initially portrayed as doing things just ForTheEvulz (as Rue, however, she's gentle towards Duck initially). [[spoiler:At the end, it is revealed that she [[IJustWantToBeLoved only wanted to be loved]].]] |
| 62 | * BigBadDuumvirate: The Raven and Drosselmeyer, the former being the SealedEvilInACan and in-universe antagonist of ''The Prince And The Raven'', and the latter being the author who's determined to make the ending as depressing as possible. |
| 63 | * BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The fantasies are broken, the good guys win, Rue and Mytho show their true love and this lets them defeat the Raven with the help of Duck and Fakir... but not only do Rue and Mytho have to leave Gold Crown Town so he can reclaim his throne, but Duck/Tutu is stuck in her original duck form forever. Plus, Drosselmeyer could still screw with someone else.]] |
| 64 | ** [[spoiler:The fate of Mr. Cat: he's become a regular cat but he has the marriage he's always wanted.]] |
| 65 | * BishieSparkle: Both used seriously (in daydreams) and lampshaded in the form of OneSceneWonder Femio followed around by an aide with spotlights and rose petals. |
| 66 | * BloodIsSquickerInWater: Fakir plunges into the lake in Akt 13 after fighting the crows, his blood spreading across the water. He’s implied to have died until it’s revealed that Edel’s saved him. |
| 67 | * BloodMagic: Fakir uses blood in Akt 8 to revive the powers in Mytho's sword. The various applications of Raven's Blood apply here, as well. [[spoiler: Drosselmeyer used it to create the story that is controlling the town. It's also subtly implied that Fakir is only able to overrule Drosselmeyer's control through this as well (his hand had been stabbed through before he was able to do it).]] |
| 68 | * BodyToJewel: The pieces of Mytho's heart are represented by jewel shards. Not only does it provide an opportunity to avert {{Squick}}, it could also be justified by the fact that Mytho is not truly human, but a character from Drosselmeyer's story who escaped into reality. |
| 69 | * BookEnds: The story begins with 'Once upon a time there was a man who died'. It ends with [[spoiler: 'And there was another man who began writing a story. That story full of hope has only just begun']]. |
| 70 | * BreakTheCutie: Arguably, everyone in the whole damn series. [[spoiler: But mostly Rue.]] |
| 71 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: It's the very premise of the show, with Mytho literally coming from a story and Drosselmeyer's story breaking its own fourth wall to play out in 'reality'. [[spoiler:Which is another story in and of itself in which the characters end up breaking the fourth wall repeatedly to essentially declare war on the author.]] |
| 72 | ** In an interesting variation, Princess Kraehe breaks the ''internal'' fourth wall in Akt 12 by speaking directly to Drosselmeyer. He is very put off by this. |
| 73 | ** Also Drosselmeyer talks to the camera and at some point wonders "Could I be in someone else's story as well?" |
| 74 | * ABoyAndHisX: If you view the series from [[spoiler:Fakir]]'s perspective, you could probably call it "a boy and his duck". |
| 75 | * CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler:Rue, when she defies the Raven, then helps Mytho deliver the final blow to him.]] |
| 76 | * CallingYourAttacks: Exactly ''once'' in the entire series: the "Flower Waltz" in Akt 1, which wasn't even an attack. (Note that it was performed during a sequence set to "Waltz of the Flowers.") |
| 77 | * CanNotSpitItOut: Enforced. If the main character confesses her love to Mytho, she turns into a speck of light and vanishes. |
| 78 | * CatapultNightmare: Fakir has one in Akt 18. |
| 79 | * CaughtComingHomeLate: In Akt 10, Ahiru is caught by Fakir sneaking back to her dormitory late at night, after saving Mytho as Tutu. [[spoiler: When she tries to walk away, Fakir spots her TransformationTrinket and figures out her secret identity.]] |
| 80 | * ChariotPulledByCats: The Prince uses a flying chariot pulled by swans to return to his story with his Princess. |
| 81 | * ChekhovsGunman: ''Autor''. His presence in the episodes before he becomes important is either [[LampshadeHanging a brilliant Lampshade]] or [[GenreSavvy crushingly obvious writing]]. |
| 82 | * CheshireCatGrin: Drosselmeyer is always sporting one with an [[EvilLaugh deep cackle]]. |
| 83 | * TheChessmaster: As the author, Drosselmeyer manipulates everyone throughout most of the story. |
| 84 | * ChoreographyPorn: The series shows its work with such bravado, its attention to detail has been used to teach dance appreciation classes. |
| 85 | * ClockTower: Gold Crown Town has a prominent clock tower, which features figures of a prince and princess, a bird, and a knight that come out when it chimes the hour, paralleling the four main characters. [[spoiler: This later turns out to be where Drosselmeyer placed his RewritingReality device before his death, which allowed him to control the town through stories even after his death. He traps Princess Tutu there in Akt 23.]] |
| 86 | * ClockworksArea: Drosselmeyer appears in one throughout the series, often using gears to interface with characters in the story. [[spoiler: This foreshadows his location in the town's clock tower. Tutu and Uzura find themselves there in Akt 23, where Uzura cleverly uses the clock gears to turn time backwards, allowing the character to reflect on how far they have come.]] |
| 87 | * ClosedCircle: Though it's not obvious at first, [[spoiler:the town is completely cut off from the outside world. It's not obvious, because people occasionally spontaneously appear at the town gate, and other, similar things are orchestrated to make it seem like the world is still connected; but as Duck realizes later on, you can't leave.]] |
| 88 | * ColorCodedCharacters: Pike has purple hair, Duck has orange, and Lilie has yellow. |
| 89 | * ComedicSociopathy: Shows up in a lot of areas, but ''particularly'' Lilie's treatment of Duck. In fact, in the second season Lilie pretty much becomes the patron saint of this trope. |
| 90 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: Mr. Cat will usually assume that all of his students have marrying him in mind, no matter what their actual intentions for doing something are. |
| 91 | * CommonalityConnection: A strong bond grows between [[spoiler: Duck and Fakir]] over how much they both deeply care for Mytho. |
| 92 | -->[[spoiler:'''Duck''']]: Let's combine our "we want to protect Mytho" powers! |
| 93 | * ContinuityNod: A heart shard-possessed lamp is taken home by Duck after she gives the shard back to Mytho, and it can be seen in her room in later episodes. |
| 94 | * CookingDuel: Not all of the dancing in ''Tutu'' are duels, but nearly all of the duels in the series involve dancing. Played more often for drama than laughs. |
| 95 | * TheCorruption: The Raven's blood grants those who are affected with it dark powers, but also twists their personality to be crueler and more selfish. Prolonged exposure ends with them [[spoiler:[[BodyHorror turning into anthropomorphic crows]] and being completely under the control of the Raven himself]]. |
| 96 | * CoversAlwaysLie: The cover to the [[http://karmaburn.com/?p=173 first compilation]] of Princess Tutu, while appropriate for the theme and character pictured, shows Rue in a skimpy dress instead of Tutu. Later compilations fixed the problem, though they had packaging issues. |
| 97 | * CouldntFindAPen: Drosselmeyer wrote a story in his own blood [[spoiler:after the Book Men cut off his hands. This is the story that is controlling the town.]] |
| 98 | * CrapsaccharineWorld: The cutesy character designs and peaceful-looking fairytale town are deceiving. This is a surprisingly dark anime at times, particularly once the secrets of the town begin to be revealed. |
| 99 | * CrashIntoHello: Mytho is introduced in the first episode when Duck trips and is caught by him. [[spoiler:Rue also met Mytho this way as a child.]] |
| 100 | * CrazyPrepared: Despite Kraehe fully believing there was no way she could lose to Tutu in Episode 13, she has the Love Shard soaked with Raven's blood, which still kept him to her if the shard was returned to him. |
| 101 | * CreepyCrows: If you see crows or ravens flying around, it's not a good sign. If they start flocking together and swarming, it's safest to shut yourself in your house until they're gone. If their leader shows up, you're ''screwed''. This motif is also very prominent with Princess Kraehe and [[spoiler: evil!Mytho]]. |
| 102 | * DaintyLittleBalletDancers: |
| 103 | ** {{Gender Inverted|Trope}} with Mytho. He's extremely vulnerable in particular; he keeps letting himself be injured unintentionally and reacting passively to everything. This is a plot element and he winds up getting stronger later and doing things like sword-fighting monsters, but not until going through an emotional roller-coaster of crying and freaking out and so forth. Basically everyone in his life wants to shelter him and protect him in some way. His character design is also very dainty and frail-looking, with pale skin, girly pale hair, and big eyes. |
| 104 | ** {{Averted|Trope}} with Fakir. Even though he has the same build as Mytho, he is consistently portrayed as a strong presence and his dancing is noticeably more aggressive. |
| 105 | * DanceBattler: Fakir, Kraehe, and Mytho, all ballet dancers, fight much in the same manner as they dance. |
| 106 | * DarkestHour: Most of akt 25, as well as the first half of akt 26. |
| 107 | * TheDeadCanDance: The Wili Maiden, and the skeletons in the Depths of Despair. [[spoiler:And you might count Drosselmeyer, as he does the occasional ballet step.]] |
| 108 | * {{Deconstruction}}: ''Princess Tutu'' pulls apart fairy tales to see what makes them tick, and then defies the tropes within. |
| 109 | * DeducingTheSecretIdentity: In "Cinderella", when Fakir sees girl!Ahiru sneaking back into the dorms after another battle, he spots the pendant and deduces she's Princess Tutu. Downplayed, since he doesn't figure out Ahiru was the duck he hugged until she reveals it herself in "Banquet of Darkness." |
| 110 | * DefiedTrope: Most of the main characters in the second season actively defy the roles they've been given. |
| 111 | * DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Duck and Rue cross this in episode 25.]] |
| 112 | * {{Determinator}}: Drosselmeyer. [[spoiler:Hands cut off? No problem, just keep writing your stories [[CouldntFindAPen in your own blood]]. Executed? Extend your reach from beyond the grave. It all just adds to the drama of your epic tragedy.]] |
| 113 | ** Ahiru herself fits. [[spoiler: Despite the odds stacked against her in the final episodes, she keeps dancing despite being attacked by crows — this time as a duck and not Princess Tutu. But every time she gets knocked down, Ahiru got back up and kept dancing to save the townspeople.]] |
| 114 | * DiedDuringProduction: InUniverse example with Drosselmeyer's ''The Prince and the Raven'', which kicks off the entire plot. |
| 115 | * DisappearsIntoLight: If Princess Tutu ever confesses her love for the prince, she will become a speck of light. |
| 116 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: |
| 117 | ** In this show, Boyfriend=Official Dance Partner (and vice versa). [[{{Ojou}} Rue]] makes [[PrinceCharming Mytho]] dance with her ''[[OnceAnEpisode a lot]]''. And then... |
| 118 | ** [[DarkMagicalGirl Rue/Kraehe]] kisses him as she removes the feeling of love from his heart, kidnapping him and turning him into an EmptyShell. ''And then'' we see them lying down together on a bed of feathers, with Kraehe in her {{Stripperific}} tutu and Mytho ''completely naked''. As a result of this, [[DefiledForever his heart is tainted]]. Doesn't help that this all comes shortly after [[EccentricMentor Mr. Cat]] gives Mytho a thinly-veiled Talk. |
| 119 | ** In season 2, Dark!Mytho starts taking advantage of the many, many girls who fall in love with him, luring them into dark, secluded places for them to prove their love to him. They offer themselves up to him so that he can take away their pure, innocent hearts. He is literally trying to steal their hearts (which would effectively turn them into {{Empty Shell}}s), but that might just make him seem more like a sexual predator. |
| 120 | * DomesticAbuse: |
| 121 | ** The second season has Rue suffering from emotional and, later, physical abuse from [[spoiler:Mytho]]. Played very dark and serious, to show how much the Raven's blood is twisting his personality. |
| 122 | ** The first season also has Fakir treating Mytho roughly, including one point where he slaps Mytho for defying an order. Not played ''quite'' as seriously as the above example, but still portrayed as pretty shocking to the people that witness it. Later [[spoiler:when Mytho frames Fakir for trying to kill him under the influence of Raven's blood, most of the class has an easy time believing it thanks to witnessing the previous moments of abuse.]] |
| 123 | * DownerEnding: Before his death, all of Drosselmeyer's stories ended in tragedy. [[spoiler:He's hoping for this story to end unhappily as well.]] |
| 124 | * DramaticShattering: Fakir's entrance in "Black Shoes". |
| 125 | * DramaticUnmask: [[spoiler: Fakir]] in episode 8, when his mask gets cracked and falls apart after a confrontation with Kraehe. Overlaps with the trope immediately above. |
| 126 | ** And a more subtle one much later on in the second season. [[spoiler: As Kraehe finds out the truth – that she's a normal human who had been kidnapped by the Raven as an infant – her DarkMagicalGirl transformation gradually reverses itself back into Rue's school uniform. After this, Kraehe never again makes an appearance in the series aside from flashbacks.]] |
| 127 | * DreamBallet: Duck evokes this at least twice. |
| 128 | * DreamSequence: Several, often foreshadowing future events. |
| 129 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: |
| 130 | ** Very minor, but the fairytale book is called ''The Prince and the Crow'' in the first few episodes before settling on ''The Prince and the Raven''. |
| 131 | ** Relatively minor, but in the first episode at one point Drosselmeyer views Duck from the gear world through what appears to be a mirror. Every other time, he watches others through gears. |
| 132 | * EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:The story sets itself up for tragedy in-universe, with the threat of rendering everything meaningless and the author in charge of the in-universe story openly pulling for a DownerEnding where Tutu vanishes, the Prince re-shatters his heart, and everything the characters worked for amounts to nothing. Thanks to the power of hope, it ends on the happy side of bittersweet, as the characters defy their fate and defeat the Raven, Mytho and Rue are happily married inside the story, the machine used to make it is destroyed, and while Ahiru is forever a duck, she stays by Fakir's side and both are happy with their lives as the town and the people move on.]] |
| 133 | * TheEndOfTheBeginning: The last scene of the anime has the narrator stating that [[spoiler:Fakir]] is starting "a new story full of hope." |
| 134 | * EndOfTheWorldSpecial: [[spoiler:Before he starts on the story mentioned above, he breaks Drosselmeyer's control of the story and writes his ''own'' ending.]] |
| 135 | * EverybodyDoTheEndlessLoop: The townspeople [[spoiler: when they are turned into crows because of the Raven's blood.]] |
| 136 | * ExactWords: Princess Tutu cannot express ''words'' of love to her prince. When Kraehe puts her on the spot in the first season finale, [[spoiler:Tutu conveys her feelings through dance instead]]. |
| 137 | * EvilWearsBlack: |
| 138 | ** [[DaddysLittleVillain Princess Kraehe]] wears a black dress opposing Tutu's white dress, although she is a DarkMagicalGirl, [[spoiler:with the typical HeelFaceTurn.]] |
| 139 | ** Mytho dons a black outfit during his FaceHeelTurn. |
| 140 | * ExpressiveHair: Occasionally, most often with Duck. |
| 141 | * EyeCatch: Featuring Drosselmeyer and his leitmotif. One episode also has a gag eyecatch with Mr. Cat humming the Wedding March. |
| 142 | * FaceOfAThug: Lysander, Hermia's crush, has square, thuggish features and walks around with an expression halfway between a pucker and a frown, but he's actually a gentle and sensitive artist. |
| 143 | * FailureHero: InUniverse. Duck sees herself as this as Season 2 goes on, as she's able to only react to problems, is unable to do anything to stop them from occurring and has little idea what's causing them, and can't find the last few Heart Shards. Fakir helping her out of this mindset is a key moment in both of their character developments. |
| 144 | * FailureKnight: Fakir is the trope inspiration. Having charged himself with guarding Mytho and protecting him from harm, as a knight should, he utterly fails in everything he tries to do. Kraehe mocks him for it. [[spoiler:He has much more success when he lays down his sword and picks up a pen]]. |
| 145 | * FairytaleMotifs: The anime mixes MagicalGirl tropes and fairy tale motifs with references to specific stories and ballets. The first season mostly plays the typical fairy tale structure straight (outside of the fact that the ''princess'' is saving the ''prince''), only to defy it in the second season when [[spoiler:the characters rebel against their assigned fairy tale roles as the prince, princess, villain, and knight and decide to (literally) [[RewritingReality rewrite the story]]]]. |
| 146 | * {{Fanservice}}: Although the {{Shirtless Scene}}s and Duck being nude when she transforms from a duck to a girl serve a purpose in the plot, it's hard to deny the fanservice-y component to the scenes. |
| 147 | ** And then you have the manga's version of Edel. |
| 148 | * FateWorseThanDeath: |
| 149 | ** Subverted in that Duck spends much of the show worrying about and trying to avoid Princess Tutu's destiny to 'fade away' after saving the prince. |
| 150 | ** Traditionally done: [[spoiler:Rue]] almost gets this at the end of the anime, when [[spoiler: the Raven swallows her and sends her to "Despair", a ghostly world where she's forced to dance until she wastes away. Mytho saves her.]] |
| 151 | * FauxFluency: The show is implied to be set in Germany, and one scene has Fakir recite a long spell in German – but Creator/ChrisPatton doesn't know German and had to memorize the lines off a recording. (Creator/TakahiroSakurai likely had to do something similar.) |
| 152 | * FeatheredFiend: The Raven and the crows, not to mention Princess Kraehe and [[spoiler:Mytho when he's turned into a crow]]. |
| 153 | * FictionalDocument: ''The Prince and the Raven'', a fairy tale written by Drosselmeyer. |
| 154 | * FirstEpisodeTwist: The first episode of ''Princess Tutu'' opens with Ahiru (which means "Duck" in Japanese and is translated as such in the dub) having a dream that she's a bird, but waking up to be a human. She insists in her introduction that she's just a girl that happens to be named after a bird, but by the end of the episode, she remembers that she really IS a duck, and her human form was just a magical disguise. |
| 155 | * FirstGirlWins: [[spoiler: Rue was the first girl Mytho met after coming out of the story/losing his heart, and is the girl he finally ends up with.]] |
| 156 | * FlowerMotifs: |
| 157 | ** First of all, there's a rose in a vase in the dorm room Mytho and Fakir share. It starts off as a bud, then slowly begins to bloom as Mytho gets more and more pieces of his heart returned to him. However, when his heart shard of love is poisoned with evil Raven's blood by Kraehe, the rose begins to wilt. |
| 158 | ** Princess Tutu's powers are connected to pink flowers and vines [[spoiler:because ''Mytho's'' powers involve flowers, and her powers come from one of his heart shards.]] |
| 159 | ** The flamboyant Femio also gives out roses, probably as a symbol of his over-the-top, false chivalry and "love". |
| 160 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: ''Everywhere''. Early episodes that seem like filler couldn't be removed from the show without removing a lot of buildup for what happens later in the series. |
| 161 | ** Every episode has something that becomes important later on, even Episode 17. |
| 162 | ** In the very first episode, Duck comments that [[spoiler: Rue makes a better match for Mytho than she does]]. |
| 163 | ** More and more crows start to appear around town the further the story goes in, foreshadowing the story becoming darker. |
| 164 | ** The first gem that Ahiru/Duck asks for the name of from Edel? [[spoiler: Hope!]] |
| 165 | ** Kraehe using ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'' as a motif during her "wedding" with Mytho. |
| 166 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Ahiru (Sanguine), Fakir (Choleric), Rue (Melancholic) and Mythos (Phlegmatic). |
| 167 | * FracturedFairyTale: A lot of the anime revolves around playing around with fairy tale tropes (''Theatre/SwanLake'' in particular) and subverting them, while also staying within the MagicalGirl genre. The knight's armor [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold isn't exactly shiny]], the Prince [[spoiler:ends up marrying the DarkMagicalGirl]], and several fairy tales are mentioned and commented on. For example... |
| 168 | ** The main character and the prince end up trapped in a woman's restaurant while she keeps bringing them more and more food, and Ahiru thinks it's Literature/HanselAndGretel and they're being fattened up for her to eat. In reality, the woman is just very lonely and trying to make them stay. |
| 169 | ** The opening narration at one point questions whether Sleeping Beauty really ''wanted'' to wake up, or if she wanted to keep dreaming. |
| 170 | ** In an episode titled "Cinderella", the main character loses the pendant that allows her to become the MagicalGirl, and it's found by one of the male characters. He spends the rest of the episode trying to find her... because he considers Princess Tutu an enemy and wants to attack her. |
| 171 | * FriendOrIdolDecision: Duck is given one of these at the end of the anime: [[spoiler:Give Mytho his final heart shard (her pendant) and watch as he rides off into the sunset with Rue, or keep the pendant for herself and continue being a girl?]] |
| 172 | * FunnyBackgroundEvent: PlayedForDrama, as Mr. Cat explaining to Miss Goatette why they can't be married is overheard by other characters and helps them understand themselves more. |
| 173 | * FurryConfusion: Many of the town's residents are barely-anthropomorphized animals that act, dress, talk, and are treated like humans, but look more or less like real animals, bipedalism aside. Ordinary, inhuman animals are also seen. Then there's Duck, whose original form is an "ordinary duck" that doesn't wear clothes, can't speak German, can't go to school... and looks nothing like an actual duck, being more of a cartoonish, emotive FunnyAnimal duckling. |
| 174 | * GenreShift: ''Princess Tutu'' starts off an an innocuous GottaCatchEmAll MagicalGirl series. If it ''stayed'' that way, this series's nickname wouldn't be ''Guitar Ninjas''. |
| 175 | * GleefulAndGrumpyPairing: Ahiru and Fakir. |
| 176 | * GoodMorningCrono: The first episode of each season has Duck having a dream and waking up tumbling out of her bed. |
| 177 | * GottaCatchThemAll: Pieces of Mytho's heart. The final six are particularly challenging. |
| 178 | * GrandFinale: Episode 26 wraps the whole story, giving closure for every reoccurring character. |
| 179 | * GratuitousGerman: The scene where Fakir retrieves Mytho's sword, plus nearly all of the text shown in the series. There's some hints that the show is set in Germany, or at least in the equivalent in the show's world. |
| 180 | * HeartTrauma: Mytho is a Prince who sacrificed his heart to seal away the Raven. |
| 181 | * HeroicBSOD: Duck has one after overhearing that [[spoiler:Mytho (who had just gotten the heart shard of fear) is afraid of Tutu. It has such a profound effect on her that [[TenMinuteRetirement she actually tries to throw the pendant away]]]]. |
| 182 | * HiddenDepths: Mr. Cat shows this sometimes when he escapes his usual PluckyComicRelief status to give ''actual'' advice. |
| 183 | ** At one point, Duck asks Mr. Cat if there's any way to repair a damaged love. Instead of delivering one of his outlandish marriage proposals like he does in every other scene, he freezes and turns away, telling her gently that sometimes lost love simply can't be repaired. |
| 184 | ** Another time, when asked what to do about an impure love, he asks Fakir if [[Theatre/SwanLake Odile's love was impure]]. |
| 185 | ** Actually pretty much anytime one needs advice, Mr. Cat is always there to give very deep advice that usually helps the character. Though he will more often than not lead said conversation back to marriage. |
| 186 | * HilariousOuttakes: The first two volumes of the anime in the US feature an extra of the dub actors cracking jokes and flubbing their lines. Humorously, one joke was accidentally never removed, so in the second season of the dub Fakir decides to "write a letter to the President!" |
| 187 | * {{Homage}}: The show is ''full'' of ballet and opera homages. |
| 188 | * IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: All the episode titles are in German, and the subtitles name the classical piece used as a theme in the episode. Also, instead of using the word "episode", they use "Akt" (German for "act"). |
| 189 | * IdiotHair: Duck has one of these. |
| 190 | * IJustWantToHaveFriends: This was the desire of the lamp spirit from akt 5. |
| 191 | * IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler:Fakir and Mytho]]'s duel in akt 20. |
| 192 | * ImpliedLoveInterest: Duck and Fakir grow closer as the story goes on, to the point that Pike and Lillie ask Duck if she has feelings for him as well as Mytho. However, the two never seem to consider or believe that they're falling for each other, despite moments like Duck commenting on how Fakir makes her feel strong and Fakir promising to stay by her side, no matter what form she's in. Then at the end she's permanently turned back into a duck, making a relationship pretty much impossible. |
| 193 | * ImprobableWeaponUser: Kraehe uses feathers as weapons. |
| 194 | * InnerMonologue: Duck at different points, Rue in her backstory, Fakir in his backstory. |
| 195 | * IntangibleTimeTravel: Happens to Rue when [[spoiler:the story starts moving backwards]]. |
| 196 | * InterspeciesRomance: The entire story is set in motion due to Duck falling in love with Mytho, back when she was still just a duck. [[spoiler: Ultimately, the ending hints at mutual love between her and Fakir after she's returned to being a duck forever.]] |
| 197 | * IntimateHealing: In a flashback, Rue takes water into her mouth and kisses an unconscious, dehydrated Mytho to revive him. |
| 198 | * InvisibleParents: Very few of the kids ever mention their parents, likely because they're all living in a boarding school. None of the main four seem to have parents over the course of the story. We never see any duck parents for Duck, Mytho is a storybook character and thus wouldn't have been born the same way as a genuine human being (note that he doesn't age because the story hasn't moved forward), Fakir's parents [[spoiler:died to protect him when he was just a boy]], and Rue [[spoiler:was kidnapped as a child. Even if her parents were still alive at the end of the story, she would have no idea who they were or how to contact them. Given that it's been over a decade since her disappearance, Rue's parents likely stopped searching for her as well.]] |
| 199 | * InvoluntaryShapeshifting: Kraehe's transformation at first; it is never clear whether Duck/Ahiru or Drosselmeyer controls the Princess Tutu transformation - in the first season, it appears he does, while in the second it seems more like Duck/Ahiru is in control. However, Duck/Ahiru ''doesn't'' control when she switches back and forth from a girl and a duck – when she quacks, she turns into a duck, and when she gets wet she turns back into a girl, as long as she has her pendant on. However, she starts using it to her advantage pretty quickly. |
| 200 | * InNameOnly: The manga version bears little resemblance to the anime, including removing nearly all of the fairy tale elements and turning Edel into a human shopkeeper who fills Drosselmeyer's role (including [[spoiler:being the BigBad]]). |
| 201 | * InTheNameOfTheMoon: "Please, won't you dance with me...?" |
| 202 | * JerkAss: Autor (at first, anyway), Drosselmeyer, [[spoiler: Mytho]] once he's been corrupted |
| 203 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Fakir starts out as a straight-up JerkAss before shifting into this role for much of the series. By the end he's a much better person. |
| 204 | * JigsawPuzzlePlot: Every episode has something important to the main plot, even if it seems like filler. |
| 205 | * JourneyToTheCenterOftheMind: In the first season, many of Tutu's "battles" take place on a mental plane as she encourages acknowledgement of one's true feelings. |
| 206 | * KissOfDeath: Princess Kraehe kisses Mytho while she [[HeartTrauma literally rips a piece of his heart from his chest]]. |
| 207 | * LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Rue, the school's best dancer, wears a red leotard instead of the typical blue that everyone else wears. On the flip side, Duck indicates herself as [[CuteClumsyGirl the odd one out]] in her ballet class by wearing a white leotard. |
| 208 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Duck and many other characters (usually those whom just entered the town) seem to notice something suspicious early in the show (mostly animals as people). However they quickly forget about this shortly after noticing. |
| 209 | * LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand: Whenever Mr. Cat makes one of his threatening proposals, Mendelssohn's iconic "Wedding March" starts up. If it's not immediately interrupted by something else, it then frequently peters out discordantly. |
| 210 | * LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Duck is Light, Rue is Dark, especially while in their MagicalGirl alter egos. |
| 211 | * LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy: Most of the town's residents are human, but the main ballet teacher is a talking cat and several students are animals as well. Duck is the only one who sees this as strange, but nobody else bats an eye. [[spoiler:In the end, it's revealed that this was part of the town being trapped in Drosselmeyer's story, since Mr. Cat is last seen as a normal, non-anthropomorphic cat.]] |
| 212 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: Duck in season 2, which eventually [[spoiler: causes the story to stop]]. |
| 213 | * LookBehindYou: To keep Duck from telling Mytho that she's Tutu at the start of the second season, Fakir uses this. While his excuses seem very outlandish to viewers, it actually could have happened in the story. |
| 214 | -->'''Duck:''' Um, I... Well, the truth is... The truth is...\ |
| 215 | '''Fakir:''' PRINCESS TUTU.\ |
| 216 | '''Duck:''' ''QUACK!''\ |
| 217 | ''(Fakir yanks Mytho and faces him away from Duck just in time for him to miss her turning into a duck.)''\ |
| 218 | '''Fakir:''' ...Is flying right over there. ...No, maybe it's a crocodile?\ |
| 219 | '''Mytho:''' There's nothing there. And Princess Tutu and a crocodile are totally different anyway, Fakir. ...Fakir?\ |
| 220 | '''Fakir:''' Oh? Right. Maybe I was just imagining things. I really thought I saw a flying cow, but... |
| 221 | * LoopHoleAbuse: Duck can't tell Mytho she loves him or else she'll turn into a speck of light. [[spoiler: It didn't say anything about confessing her love through dancing.]] |
| 222 | * LossOfIdentity: Duck grapples over who Tutu is in relation to herself and whether she's just a part in a story or not. |
| 223 | * TheLostLenore: Akt 3 gives us [[spoiler: a male example with Ebine's husband. She finds herself completely unable to move on without him, to the point she no longer finds joy in her cooking and spends more time trying to persuade her customers to stay as long as possible. Of course, being possessed by the Prince's heart shard of loneliness doesn't help either.]] |
| 224 | * [[LovableSexManiac Lovable Marriage Maniac]]: Mr. Cat, with his strangely endearing tendency to propose/threaten marriage to his underage students |
| 225 | * LoveDodecahedron: Relationships can be rather complicated in this show. |
| 226 | %%* LoveEpiphany |
| 227 | * LoveLetterLunacy: In one episode, Duck's friends write a fake love letter from her to Fakir. |
| 228 | * LoveTriangle: Several. |
| 229 | ** The main one in focus throughout the series is Duck -> Mytho <- Rue. [[spoiler:This triangle is unusual in the sense that the main heroine ''doesn't'' win this one.]] |
| 230 | ** Starting late in season 1, [[spoiler:Fakir]] -> Duck -> Mytho. [[spoiler: The [[AllThereInTheManual fan guide]] [[WordOfGod confirmed]] that Fakir loves Duck, although her feelings for him are never truly explained one way or the other.]] |
| 231 | ** Episode 20 centers around a love triangle between [[spoiler:Fakir's foster father Karon, his childhood friend Raetsel, and Raetsel's fiance Hans, like so: Karon <- Raetsel <-> Hans]] |
| 232 | ** Toward the end of the series, Autor -> Rue <-> Mytho. |
| 233 | * LuminescentBlush: A large chunk of the characters do this at some point, but it's when ''Fakir'' does it that you know the scene's going to be funny. |
| 234 | * MadonnaWhoreComplex: Zigzagged. Princess Tutu is an innocent MagicalGirl in [[VirginInAWhiteDress white]] who collects [[PrinceCharming Mytho's]] heart shard in hopes of getting him to smile. Her rival, [[DarkMagicalGirl Princess Kraehe]], is a [[ClingyJealousGirl jealous]] FemmeFatale in a {{Stripperific}} black dress who is willing to [[spoiler:corrupt one of his heart shard]] in hopes of having him for herself. However, while Tutu ends up finding her SecondLove in Fakir, Kraehe [[SingleTargetSexuality loves only Mytho]] and [[spoiler:ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn to save his life from her [[AbusiveParents abusive father figure]], [[BigBad the Raven]].]] |
| 235 | * MagicalGirl: Princess Tutu is not the usual example. She purely uses words to help those in need and very rarely is in actual combat. |
| 236 | * MagicPants: ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing is in play when Duck turns from a girl to a duck, but this is played straight when she turns into Princess Tutu. |
| 237 | * MagicSkirt: Averted for Princess Tutu (they aren't afraid to show the bottom of her leotard for the sake of accurately animating her dances, but then that's TruthInTelevision for lots of ballerinas). Played straight almost every other time a character dances in a skirt, though. Mytho also jumps out of a window [[spoiler:twice!]] wearing nothing but an unbuttoned shirt that barely hits the tops of his thighs and manages to not flash the camera. |
| 238 | * MaleGaze: In one scene, Autor is following behind Rue, and the camera focuses on Rue's back and slowly...pans down to examine her rear end and legs. The camera then switches to show Autor looking downwards and blushing, implying that the view we were seeing was from ''Autor's'' point of view. |
| 239 | ** Averted with Fakir, who makes it a point of NOT looking at Duck when she turns back into a human and just merely hands over her clothes while not looking. |
| 240 | * MarionetteMotion: |
| 241 | ** In the second season, Princess Tutu is made to dance in Drosselmeyer's world with ltieral narionette strings. |
| 242 | ** And early in Season 2, [[spoiler: Pique]] does a bit of this when [[spoiler: Mytho is trying to take her heart]]. Justified in that she's dancing the Waltz Of The Dolls from the ballet ''Coppelia''. |
| 243 | * MeaningfulName: Pretty much everyone. |
| 244 | * MentalWorld: Mindscapes created by the heart shards; they allow even normal people to have powers when Tutu tries to take the shards. |
| 245 | * MindControlEyes: Mytho, at various points in the series. [[spoiler:The girls he goes after in Season 2 get this, too.]] |
| 246 | * MiniDressOfPower: Well a tutu is a mini dress anyway. |
| 247 | * MistakenForGay: Happens to Mytho when he mimes the sign of love [[spoiler:in an attempt to ward off TheCorruption]] in the direction of another boy. Most of the girls in class are shocked and/or disappointed -- not because he's gay ([[YaoiFangirl half of them were probably shipping him with Fakir already]]), but because the boy in question was ''Femio''. |
| 248 | * MoralityPet: Duck seems to be this for people when she's in her original duck form. The characters will often just break down and confess their problems to her if they come across her. |
| 249 | * MortonsFork: At the end of season 1, Duck is faced with the choice between declaring her love for the prince to win his love, but dissolving into a mote of light, making it impossible to return the final fragment of his heart, or to remain silent, and allow Princess Crow to win him over. Naturally, Duck [[TakeAThirdOption takes a third option.]] |
| 250 | * MsExposition: Edel is an InUniverse one: [[spoiler:she is a puppet made for just this purpose by Drosselmeyer]]. The second season also adds a more traditional [[MrExposition Mr.]] in the form of Autor. |
| 251 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: |
| 252 | ** Duck at the end of episode 6, [[spoiler:after giving Mytho the heart shard of fear]]. |
| 253 | ** Later Rue, after she learns [[spoiler:just ''how much'' [[BodyHorror crows blood can corrupt a person]]]]. |
| 254 | --->'''Rue:''' My love has made you into ''this''. I have no right to love you. |
| 255 | * {{Narrator}}: Every episode begins with a narrator telling a story that relates to the plot of the episode in some way (some more than others). Drosselmeyer also serves as a sort of narrator in some scenes. |
| 256 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: |
| 257 | ** [[spoiler:It turns out that five of the remaining pieces of the prince's heart are actually the seal that protects the town from the Monster Raven. Guess what happens when they're taken away.]] |
| 258 | ** Fakir does this around the midway point of the anime, as well. [[spoiler: Kraehe tries to make Mytho destroy his feeling of love with the enchanted sword, and Fakir breaks Mytho's sword with his own to stop it from happening. Unfortunately, aside from ThePowerOfLove, the only way to save Mytho's heart from raven blood is to remove it with the enchanted sword... As Fakir finds out one episode later. Oops.]] |
| 259 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: In the second season, Drosselmeyer taking Tutu captive, telling her about [[spoiler:the fact that she's a story character]] and trying to force her into a SadisticChoice made her realize she didn't want to follow his commands anymore. |
| 260 | * NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: The town in the series is based on Nordlingen, a German town. |
| 261 | * NotNowKiddo: Duck tries to distract Rue from seeing Mytho with another girl, but Rue just smiles and brushes off the silly duck flailing about her feet. Duck tries again in her human form, but doesn't make it in time to stop Rue from seeing Mytho. It turns out that Rue's not bothered by it, since she knows that Mytho's heartless and not truly interested in the other girl. She does thank Duck for her concern, though. |
| 262 | * OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler:The Raven tries to eat the heart of his daughter, Kraehe, when she fails to deliver him a sacrifice. Later, he eats her as punishment for saving the Prince (but she gets better). Of course, it turns out she isn't his real daughter, and he kidnapped her as a baby.]] |
| 263 | * OnTheNextEpisodeOfCatchPhrase: "All children who love stories, come, gather round..." |
| 264 | * OnlyOneName: Everyone. Mytho, Ahiru/Duck/[[GratuitousGerman Ente]], and Rue probably doesn't even ''have'' last names, and the characters whose last names ''are'' known (Cat, Drosselmeyer) aren't given ''first'' names. Well, [[spoiler:on Drosselmeyer's grave]] we're given "D. D. Drosselmeyer", so we know his name starts with a D...but that's the closest we ever get to a full name on the show. |
| 265 | * OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: Subverted in episode 5 -- Duck isn't being asked the riddles to test her, the voice is simply trying to communicate with her in a very fairytale-esque way. |
| 266 | * OrWasItADream: the most notable example being in the first episode, when Duck has dreams of being a duck. Turns out, she wasn't far off. |
| 267 | * OutOfClothesExperience: Fakir and Mytho's nightmares/flashbacks, plus Fakir's conversation with [[spoiler: the Oak Tree]]. |
| 268 | * PaperThinDisguise: Both Princess Kraehe and Princess Tutu look exactly like Rue and Duck, respectively, except wearing elaborate ballet outfits and with different hairstyles, and yet very few people are able to figure out who they really are, and those who do take quite a long time to accomplish it. It turns out that [[spoiler:anyone outside the main cast simply sees Tutu as a huge, white swan; something similar may apply to Kraehe, but she never makes a public appearance like Tutu]]. |
| 269 | ** [[spoiler: Everyone except Femio, who going off his dialogue when faced down with both Tutu and Kraehe, sees human girls, and not two swans.]] |
| 270 | * PeoplePuppets |
| 271 | * [[PetTheDog Pet The Duck]]: When Fakir finds Duck (in duck form) in his locker, he sneaks her out and feeds her. This is the first indication that there's more to him than just being a {{Jerkass}}. |
| 272 | * PimpedOutDress: |
| 273 | ** For the festival in Akt 5, Mytho and Rue dress like nobility from renaissance times. |
| 274 | ** [[spoiler: And Rue gets a nice white one at the end of the final episode, as Mytho/Siegfried's princess.]] |
| 275 | * PleasePutSomeClothesOn: A running gag throughout the series, thanks to Duck's clothes not transforming with her. |
| 276 | * PostModernism: The series is about the characters in a story discovering that they're characters in a story and ultimately rebelling against the author's intentions for them. |
| 277 | * PostVictoryCollapse: Happens to Fakir after he [[spoiler:shatters Mytho's sword]] at the end of the first season. Also happens to Duck in "Wandering Knight ~ Egmont Ouvertüre" (after a battle with the titular ghost) and in the beginning of "The Prince and the Raven ~ Danse Macabre". Oh, and then there's [[spoiler:''Autor'' after he tackles the Book Man...]] okay, the series likes this trope a lot. |
| 278 | * ThePowerOfBlood: Fakir cuts his palm to restore his sword with power, and in the second season, the Raven's blood is used to infect Mytho. |
| 279 | %%* ThePowerOfLove |
| 280 | * ThePowerOfRock: Or rather, The Power of Ballet, since the transformations, battles, and most storylines are based around ballet. |
| 281 | * PrincessProtagonist: The series focuses on Duck, who helps the fairy tale prince Mytho regain his heart as the titular Princess Tutu. |
| 282 | * ThePromise: [[spoiler:Fakir's]] promise to Duck in the lake before the finale. |
| 283 | * PublicDomainSoundtrack: Many of the show's songs are classical ballet pieces. |
| 284 | %%* PuniPlush |
| 285 | * RageAgainstTheReflection: The anime has a scene with an interesting variation — at one point, Fakir smashes through a window and threatens Kraehe with a shard of glass. She was actually in the middle of questioning her motives, but when she sees her reflection in the falling shards of glass and hears Fakir's accusation of being a "crow", she accepts who she is and mockingly responds "Why yes, I am a crow!" |
| 286 | * {{Railroading}}: A rare non-game example, as Drosselmeyer tries to railroad the plot in the direction of his choice, directly intervening in person in a few places in order to try and keep the plot on track. Given Drosselmeyer's lack of charisma, this doesn't always have the desired effect. |
| 287 | * RealPlaceBackground: Gold Crown Town is heavily based on Nördlingen, a town in the south of Germany, known for its old buildings and almost fully intact city wall. Many local sightings make a regular appearance, like the town's church tower, statues, bridges and the water mill. The pizzeria appearing regularly is based on a real-life restaurant, and the town's five wall gates play an important role during the show's last act. |
| 288 | * RealityIsOutToLunch: Several of the settings that [[spoiler:Drosselmeyer created just for his story]]. |
| 289 | * ReflectiveEyes |
| 290 | * {{Reincarnation}}: Fakir is one of the Knight from the story. |
| 291 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: Subverted with Rue, but played straight as an arrow with [[spoiler: the monster raven.]] |
| 292 | * RescueRomance: Tutu saves Mytho the first time they meet, and does so in several other episodes. There's several other pairings that have a rescue involved, as well. |
| 293 | * RewritingReality: [[spoiler: Those of Drosselmeyer's bloodline can do this]]. |
| 294 | * RunningGag: Several--most of the {{Catch Phrase}}s are running gags, for example. The most beloved is probably Fakir seeing Duck naked and freaking out. Mr. Cat threatening to marry any of the female students who fail his class is another one. |
| 295 | * SayMyName: Tutu and Fakir paralleled: [[spoiler:when she rescues him from the Knowledge Tree and when he rescues her from Drosselmeyer. Worth noting that Fakir calls out ''Duck'' instead of Tutu.]] |
| 296 | ** A truly impressive example near the end of the series happens when [[spoiler:Mytho, now the newly-restored Prince Siegfried, calls out the name of his princess as he comes to her rescue. "''Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuue!''"]] |
| 297 | * SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: The heroic Duck's outfit is fairly modest while ([[TragicVillain reluctant]]) villain Rue's is fairly revealing. |
| 298 | * SchmuckBanquet: In the third act, as a reference to "Literature/HanselAndGretel". |
| 299 | * ScrewDestiny: The entire second half of the anime (see the quote above). |
| 300 | * ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing: Duck, because she is a duck, turns back into a duck whenever she acts like a duck, thus leaving an empty pile of clothing behind. |
| 301 | * ShapeshiftingLover: Every now and then, this old folktale is referenced in the way Tutu appears to people. |
| 302 | * ShipTease: The show's promo [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6IfjJkHKg0 heavily implies Fakir forces a kiss on Duck, and even has Duck internally monologuing about wondering 'who gets chosen' regarding relationships between herself, Fakir, Rue and Mytho]]. [[spoiler: While the series ''is'' heavy on showing aspects of different relationships, nothing like what was shown in the promo actually happens in the show, so it was probably there to up the demographic by drawing in shippers.]] |
| 303 | * ShirtlessScene: Fakir gets a few that show off the birthmark across his torso. |
| 304 | * ShootTheShaggyDog: Drosselmeyer gets his kicks out of these sorts of endings, and [[spoiler:is hopping to give the series itself one]]. |
| 305 | * ShoutOut: The series is full of ballet-related references. Notably with ''Theatre/SwanLake'', but also ''Theatre/TheNutcracker'', ''Theatre/{{Giselle}}'', ''Theatre/{{Coppelia}}'', ''Theatre/LaSylphide'', etc. |
| 306 | ** There are also references to classical fairy tales as well like ''Literature/SleepingBeauty'' and ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'' (granted they were also turned into ballets). |
| 307 | ** Akt 19 has several shout outs to ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream''. |
| 308 | ** The most notable is the curtains from the opening, they are the curtains of [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Mariinsky2.jpg The Mariinsky Theatre.]] |
| 309 | ** Neko-sensei/Mr. Cat's mentor Nyajinsky/Meowjinsky is a reference to the performer Nijinsky |
| 310 | * ShownTheirWork: The dances are all actual ballet pieces. |
| 311 | ** Furthermore, most, if not all, of the music is taken from classical ballet or other classical pieces and in most cases, used appropriately. Further mention should go to the ballet classes as well - half-human ballet teacher aside, most ballet syllabi place a huge emphasis on being able to do the basics well, even at professional level and girls are typically not allowed to go en pointe until they can show strong fundamental technique and their feet are in a position to do so. |
| 312 | * ShowWithinAShow: Four-fold, with 1) a ballet-structured story, about kids attending a ballet school, whose battles are ballet dances. 2) the school puts on both a ballet and a dramatic play. 3) the story of the Prince & The Raven. 4) [[spoiler:Gold Crown Town itself is a story written by Drosselmeyer, and the characters from the Prince & the Raven story are reincarnated as actual people into the town's living story.]] |
| 313 | * SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Duck stops most of her "enemies" by dancing with them and making them understand the feeling that is disturbing their life. And she eventually manages to [[spoiler:befriend the unprepared villain, Kraehe/Rue]]. Mind you, it does take a kickass swordfight in an atmosphere of apocalyptic gloom to triumph over the BigBad. [[spoiler:Then again, it's not so nice an ending for Duck herself, who has to return to being a duck and thus lose her humanity and her true love for good. Apparently, the PowerOfLove has limits after all. Still, ''she'' seems perfectly happy with how things work out. Being a duck isn't all that bad — it's what she really is, and she gets to be with Fakir anyway. Plus her friends get to live happily ever after — really, what more could she possibly ask for? And she can still dance!]] |
| 314 | * SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate: The relationship fate-free will varies a lot. Fate can be fought [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption but some things can't be changed]] [[spoiler: like Duck being stuck as a duck]]. Ultimately this show's ArcWords explain it better: "Those who accept their fate find happiness; those who defy it, glory." |
| 315 | * SlowClap: In Akt 2, after Duck and Rue's pas de deux, the entire class remains speechless, until the silence is broken by Fakir clapping. Then Mytho starts clapping as well, and everyone else does the same. |
| 316 | * SmallReferencePools: The show notably ''doesn't'' have one. You can impress college professors with the knowledge of classical music you get from this show! |
| 317 | * SnicketWarningLabel: The first season's ending is a perfectly normal happy ending, and except for a small reminder that there's still some loose strings to tie up, it feels like an actual ending. Then the second season rolls around... |
| 318 | * SoundtrackDissonance: In the final episode, the uplifting Waltz of the Flowers theme plays during a hopeful scene [[spoiler: of Duck dancing]] and continues playing as [[spoiler: the crows peck her and beat her up]]. |
| 319 | * SpannerInTheWorks: Uzura, and to a lesser extent Edel. |
| 320 | * SpeakingUpForAnother: In "Swan Lake", Kraehe blames Ahiru for all of the pain and conflict now occurring due to her returning the shards of Mytho's heart to him, setting the story of ''The Prince and the Raven'' back into motion. Fakir defends Ahiru. And when Kraehe pressures her to confess her love for Mytho, which would make her vanish, Fakir steps in and tells her to TakeAThirdOption. |
| 321 | -->'''Fakir''': If you just vanish, then who is going to restore Mytho's heart to him? Haven't you wanted to see Mytho smile when he had gained back all of the pieces of his heart? You alone, and nobody else, could accept Princess Tutu's fate so smilingly. That's why you mustn't vanish. ''(draws sword)'' ''I'' will change this fate. |
| 322 | * StealthPun: In episode 6, when Mr. Cat meets the lead ballerina of the dance troupe, he starts dancing a pas de chat. GEDDIT? BECAUSE HE'S A '''CAT.''' |
| 323 | ** Near the end of the series [[spoiler:Fakir decides to rewrite the story instead of staying a Knight]]. The pen is mightier than the sword. |
| 324 | * StoryArc: Every episode fits into the story of the series, but there's definitely a clear differentiation between the two seasons. They seem like two different arcs that form together to create a whole. |
| 325 | * StraightToThePointe: Usually averted. the girls are really just in the phase where the best of them graduate the basics and are allowed to start their pointe, and many scenes point out how hard it actually is, even for the dance genius Rue. However, for Princess Tutu (the MagicalGirl form for Ahiru, who in her civilian form is rather clumsy and very often under threat of being assessed additional exercise for being so incompetent in dance class) it's justified in that thanks to her magic she can dance however she wants. |
| 326 | * StrangeMindsThinkAlike: A {{Cloudcuckoolander}} in the second season claims, completely out of the blue, Duck's "inner world" is a duck. |
| 327 | * SuperWindowJump: Fakir in akt 9. |
| 328 | * SurprisinglyCreepyMoment: The show starts off looking like a sugary-sweet, very cute ballet-themed MagicalGirl show in a very picturesque town that has Cat instructors, and a Penguin that plays piano - then the crows come, then let's not get into [[WhamEpisode the Finale of Season One]] [[MoodWhiplash or all of]] [[CerebusSyndrome Season Two]] |
| 329 | * SurrealHumor: The anthropomorphic characters are funny in a strange way. |
| 330 | * SwanBoats: The Prince uses a flying chariot pulled by swans to return to his story with his Princess. |
| 331 | * SwordLimbo: Fakir in akt 13. |
| 332 | * TakeAThirdOption: At the end of season 1, Duck is faced with the choice between declaring her love for the prince (and thus dissolving into a mote of light, leaving no one to retrieve the last piece of his heart) or letting Princess Crow win his love. Duck realizes that there's a third option - to show her love for him through dance. |
| 333 | * TakeMyHand: A gorgeously executed example occurs in akt 23. |
| 334 | * TakeOurWordForIt: A sloth ballerina is so good the judges state she is easily on the short list to win the dancing contest, though the audience never sees her move. |
| 335 | * TheTeaser: All of the episodes open with a fairytale told by a female narrator and illustrated by charcoal drawings. |
| 336 | * ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Mytho's prone to saying what he feels; {{justified|Trope}} as he's used to not feeling ''anything'' and has no idea what the emotions are. |
| 337 | * ThemeNaming: Several people in this town, including the main character herself, have names that are either animal names outright (Ahiru/Duck, Neko-sensei/Mr. Cat) or are animal names with a name-suffix attached to it (Anteaterina, Miss Goatette). |
| 338 | * ThereWasADoor: Fakir's dramatic window-crashing scene in Akt 9. |
| 339 | %%* ThoseTwoGuys: Pique and Lilie. |
| 340 | %%* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Pique and Lilie, respectively. |
| 341 | * TragicDream: Ironically, Princess Tutu and [[DarkMagicalGirl Princess Kraehe]] share the same Tragic Dream, although it's tragic for different reasons: They both want [[PrinceCharming Mytho's]] love. Duck/Tutu has the power to help Mytho [[EmotionlessBoy regain his feelings]], but she's [[YouCantFightFate destined to]] [[DisappearsIntoLight vanish into light]] if she ever confesses her love to him; it turns out that the only way for her to have him for her own would be to [[spoiler:withhold his final heart shards]]. Rue/Kraehe, on the other hand, already "has" Mytho, but he's incapable of ''actually'' loving her, and when he starts getting his feelings back, he falls in love with Tutu instead. As much as she tries to convince herself that Mytho loves her, he only ever shows indifference to her at best [[spoiler:and downright [[DomesticAbuse abuse]] at worst, after she misguidedly corrupts what's left of his heart]]. In the end, [[spoiler:Duck realizes that while she cares for Mytho, romantically speaking, [[LovingAShadow she loved more the idea of him rather than his actual self]], so she dedicates herself to go ScrewDestiny instead — even when that means she'll return to be a duck. As for Rue... her dream becomes true as the fully re-hearted Mytho ''does'' romantically love her, and ultimately makes her his Princess.]] |
| 342 | * TransformationNameAnnouncement: The manga version has Tutu say "I am Princess Tutu! I dance to guide your heart!" after every transformation. |
| 343 | * TransformationSequence: Obviously, since it's a magical girl show -- although it's rather short for most in its genre clocking in at only 14 seconds. |
| 344 | * TranslationConvention: It's implied all of the characters are really speaking German, not Japanese or English. |
| 345 | * ThresholdGuardians: The heart shard of Fear, and [[spoiler:Fakir's struggle to overcome his fears of the story-spinning powers]]. |
| 346 | * ToBecomeHuman: This is Duck's dream. [[spoiler:She lets go so Mytho can be happy.]] |
| 347 | * TransformationTrauma: Princess Kraehe's transformation, and [[spoiler:Mytho's transformation into a crow]]. |
| 348 | * TutuFancy: Let's face it, you have an anime about magical ballet princesses, you want to give your two most important characters a little something to their designs. |
| 349 | ** Main character Duck's ballet persona Princess Tutu wears a very sensible costume... with three tendrils well long enough to get caught in her legs. |
| 350 | ** {{Deuteragonist}} Rue's costume as evil seductive Princess Kraehe is [[EvilWearsBlack black]] with a bodice that [[SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains has barely enough cloth]] for a NavelDeepNeckline and [[VaporWear nothing]], ''nothing'' else yet it somehow stays in place as if glued to the skin. Now you ''can'' achieve the same look on an RL ballet stage but it'll need one, an experienced costumer to work a small miracle with skin-coloured ("invisible") fabric and two, a very, modern production to be allowed in the first place. |
| 351 | * TwoActStructure: Of the "Parallel" variety. |
| 352 | * UnDuet: Princess Tutu dances a pas de deux by herself. |
| 353 | * UncannyVillage : Duck is quite possibly the first to notice that something is wrong. For starters, she is the only one that realizes the weirdness of having a talking cat as a teacher, and animal classmates. When Duck tries to get outside of the town, she is unable to. She also realizes that [[spoiler:people spontaneously materialize, as if they had always existed, at the town's entrances]]. The WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue reveals that [[spoiler:the town was actually a real town trapped in [[BigBad Drosselmeyer's]] story]]. |
| 354 | * UnrequitedTragicMaiden: TheHeroine Duck/Tutu ''and'' [[AntiVillain Anti-Villainess]] Rue/Kraehe are positioned as ''Theatre/SwanLake''-like love rivals over the handsome PrinceCharming Mytho. The defiance of established narratives is a major theme, though... |
| 355 | ** Duck has an unrequited crush on Mytho and tries to help him as her MagicalGirl alter ego Princess Tutu, but soon learns that she'll die if she ever confesses her love to him. Mytho is in love with Tutu but [[LovesMyAlterEgo only sees Duck as a friend]]. Eventually [[spoiler:Duck realizes that she was LovingAShadow and thus refuses to give up hope like the author intended her to; she then falls in love with Fakir]]. |
| 356 | ** Rue is the seductive villainess corrupting the heroic Prince, an archetype doomed to lose out to the pure heroine. However, she is eventually [[AntiVillain revealed to have a tragic backstory]], and [[spoiler:contaminates Mytho to the point that he abuses her]]. After she finally manages to express her love for him, however, [[spoiler:Mytho realizes that he truly loves her, rescues her from the death she was resigned to after her HeroicSacrifice, and [[HappilyEverAfter takes her as his princess]] in the end.]] |
| 357 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: [[spoiler:Duck and Fakir.]] There's hints of it from quite early on, but it becomes very blatant in Akt 12, and continues through the rest of the series. |
| 358 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: Duck can ''sometimes'' control when she turns into a duck or a girl... although she can also accidentally trigger the transformations. |
| 359 | * WalkOnWater: |
| 360 | ** The danceoff at the end of the first season between Kraehe and Tutu takes place on top of a lake. |
| 361 | ** In the first episode Mytho dances, apparently naked, on top of a lake, while [[CovertPervert Duck watches hidden in the rushes]]. |
| 362 | * WarriorTherapist[=/=]TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Tutu's "combat" revolves more around talking to her opponent/dance partner about why they feel a particular emotion so strongly in order to release the heart shards of the prince, and to counteract the Evil!Mytho's attempts to steal hearts. |
| 363 | * WeirdnessCensor: Most of the people in Gold Crown are literally unable to realize there's anything odd about the town, thanks to [[spoiler:Drosselmeyer's story controlling the town]]. Duck seems to be the only one who thinks it's weird having a cat for a teacher. |
| 364 | * WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: There was one included at the end of the last episode while the credits rolled, but the future lives of the characters were so vague and quickly shown that many fans are left unsatisfied. On the other hand, it seems the purpose of the epilogue was to give a glimpse into the characters' lives afterward without revealing too much so as the viewer could widely interpret what would happen next. |
| 365 | * WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Kinkan/Gold Crown/Goldekrone isn't given a specific location, although the fandom tends to assume it's set in Germany (since nearly all of the text shown in-series is German, including a map of the town where the "Goldekrone" name is taken from, and the town itself is heavily based on Nordlingen, Bavaria). |
| 366 | * WingdingEyes: Lilie gets these a lot. |
| 367 | * AWizardDidIt: In-universe and out, "Drosselmeyer wrote it that way" is pretty much the [[JustifiedTrope perfect justification]] for any FridgeLogic in the entire show. |
| 368 | * WorldOfTechnicolorHair: The cast is full of characters with unusual hair colors. Of the main characters alone, Duck/Princess Tutu has orange-pink hair, Mytho has white hair, and Fakir has dark green hair. |
| 369 | * WorldTree: The Oak Tree from akt 21 used to be a place where [[spoiler:[[RewritingReality Story-Spinners]] gathered to train]], but was cut down long before the story begins. However, there's a rock one can still touch to connect to the roots of the tree and speak with it. [[spoiler:Fakir]] attempts this, but [[spoiler:he's sucked into the tree, which takes him on a trippy, [[OutOfClothesExperience naked]] philosophical journey while it seems to attempt to make Fakir a new World Tree himself. He almost agrees to it, saying he will "watch over everyone", and is only saved when Princess Tutu calls out to him and he recognizes Ahiru/Duck's voice.]] A lot of the imagery in the scene fits the legends well, particularly when it shows the tree in its former glory being connected to the gears of the story. |
| 370 | * WouldHurtAChild: |
| 371 | ** [[spoiler:The Raven tries to eat Kraehe's heart after she fails to bring him a sacrifice one time too many.]] |
| 372 | ** [[spoiler:The Book Men attempt to chop off a sixteen-years-old Fakir's hands.]] |
| 373 | * XanatosGambit: Early episodes of Season 2 reveal that [[spoiler:Princess Kraehe had ''no'' intention of destroying Mytho's heart shard of love. While the results of episode 13 didn't go quite the way she had planned (her intention was to get Tutu out of the way via HeroicSacrifice), they [[NiceJobBreakingItHero nonetheless went in her (and the Raven's) favor]]]]. |
| 374 | * YouAreNotAlone: The Pas De Deux that [[spoiler: Fakir dances with Duck right before the finale helps Duck, who had fallen into despair and feelings of worthlessness, find the courage to bring the story to an end.]] |
| 375 | * YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Anybody [[LockedOutOfTheLoop not directly part of the story]] sees Princess Tutu as a giant glowing swan wearing a crown. |
| 376 | * YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:The Raven tries to eat Kraehe's heart after she fails to bring him a sacrifice one time too many.]] |
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