History Anime / PrincessTutu

* TriangRelations: Some complicated triangles form between Mytho, Duck, and Rue, as well as Mytho, Duck, and Fakir. Duck has feelings for Mytho that she cannot voice lest she turn to a speck of light, as per her role as Tutu. Mytho on his part, finds he feels inexplicably drawn to Tutu. However, Mytho is dating Rue, who Duck also genuinely admires, and desires to befriend. Meanwhile, Duck clashes with Fakir, who has tried to protect Mytho since he was a child, because their ideas on what's best for Mytho are completely opposed. The dynamic changes after they are able to reconcile their opinions, but then [[spoiler: Fakir develops feelings for Duck ]] and [[spoiler: Duck comes to admit that Fakir gives her strength]], while they also maintain strong mutual desire for Mytho's happiness and safety.

* 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]].

* 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 [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins 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]]

* SurpriseCreepy

* TheyFightCrime: The premise of the show is really a little silly sounding. It's how the thing is pulled off that makes the series truly shine.

* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Ahiru (Sanguine), Rue (Choleric), Fakir (Melancholic) and Mythos (Phlegmatic)

%%* AbsoluteCleavage: Kraehe.

** {{Deuteragonist}} Rue's costume as evil seductive Princess Kraehe is [[EvilWearsBlack black]] with a bodice that [[SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains has barely enough cloth]] for an AbsoluteCleavage 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.

%%* Adul tFear: [[spoiler:Having your child kidnapped by someone abusive.]]

%%* AdultFear: [[spoiler:Having your child kidnapped by someone abusive.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding

* MarionetteMotion: When Princess Tutu is made to dance in Drosselmeyer's world.

%%* ThePowerOfBlood

* 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 can't find the last few Heart Shards.
* FailureKnight: Fakir, so much so that Kraehe mocks him for it.

* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy

''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 also served as chief animation director and provided the character designs for this anime. Creator/JunichiSato, who also worked on ''Sailor Moon'' as director for the first two seasons, serves as director here 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''.

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''. A markedly different two-volume [[Manga/PrincessTutu manga]] was made concurrently with the anime.

* 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. Drosselmeyer's spirit is seen amongst its gears throughout the series, and he kidnaps Princess Tutu there in Akt 23.]]

The anime 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''. A markedly different two-volume [[Manga/PrincessTutu manga]] was made concurrently with the anime.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: InUniverse example with Drosselmeyer's ''The Prince and the Raven'', which kicks off the entire plot.

* 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]].
%%* AuthorExistenceFailure: InUniverse example with Drosselmeyer's ''The Prince and the Raven''.

* BarbieDollAnatomy: As seen in the series' several {{Out Of Clothes Experience}}s and when Duck transforms into a girl.
* 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]].

** 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.]]]]
** 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]].]]
* 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.

* 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.]]

%% * ABoyAndHisX: If you view the series from [[spoiler:Fakir]]'s perspective, you could probably call it "a boy and his duck". %% Add more context to describe their relationship and what effect it has on them. %%

-->[[spoiler:'''Duck''']]: Let's combine our 'we want to protect Mytho' powers!
* 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.

** {{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, pale skin, girly pale hair, and big eyes.

* DanceBattler: Fakir, Kraehe and Mytho, all ballet dancers, fight much in the same manner as they dance.

* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Duck and Rue cross this in episode 25]].

* DisappearsIntoLight: If Princess Tutu ever confesses her love for the prince she will become a speck of light.

** 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 that 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.]]

%%* EarnYourHappyEnding

* EverybodyDoTheEndlessLoop: The townspeople [[spoiler: when they are turned into crows because of the Raven’s blood.]]

** Mytho dons a black outfit after his FaceHeelTurn.

* FairytaleMotifs: The anime mixes MagicalGirl tropes and fairy tale motifs with references to specific stories and ballets. The first season mostly plays the typical fairytale 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]]]].

* 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.)

* FictionalDocument: ''The Prince and the Raven'', a fairytale written by Drosselmeyer.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Everywhere — early episodes that seem like filler couldn't be removed from the show without removing a lot of build up for what happens later in the series.

* FracturedFairyTale: A lot of the anime revolves around playing around with fairytale tropes (and ''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 fairytales are mentioned and commented on. For example...

* 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.
* InNameOnly: The manga version bears little resemblance to the anime, including removing nearly all of the fairytale elements and turning Edel into a human shopkeeper who fills Drosselmeyer's role (including [[spoiler:being the BigBad]]).

* 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 dancing.]]

* 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.