History Anime / PrincessTutu

* 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''

->''"[[ScrewDestiny May those who accept their fate be granted happiness. May those who defy their fate be granted glory]]."''

If you live where it is available, the anime can be watched dubbed on [[http://www.hulu.com/princess-tutu Hulu]].

** 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.]]]]

* 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.

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Kinkan/Gold Crown/Goldekrone isn't given a specific location, although {{fanon}} assumes 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).

* AWizardDidIt: "Drosselmeyer wrote it that way" is pretty much the [[JustifiedTrope perfect justification]] for any FridgeLogic in the entire show.

** [[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}}.

* 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 AxCrazy [[TrueArtIsAngsty tragedy-loving]] [[RealityWarper writer]].

* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: 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.

* 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.]]

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Subverted -- everything is ''not'' better with the two princesses in the show.

* MagicPants: Averted when Duck turns from a girl to a duck, but played straight when she turns into Princess Tutu.

* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Zigzagged. Princess Tutu is an innocent MagicalGirl in [[WomanInWhite 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]].]]

->''"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness. May those who defy their fate be granted glory."''

* {{WAFF}}: Due to the BittersweetEnding and there being even more female fanfic writers in this fandom [[MostFanficWritersAreGirls than normal]], [=WAFFy=] fanfics pop up quite often, [[spoiler:particularly ones where Fakir either turns Duck back into a girl, or turns himself into a duck]].

* RealPlaceBackground: The settings in the anime are 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.

* RealPlaceBackground: The settings in the anime are 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 big wall gates play an important role during the show's last act.

* RealPlaceBackground: The settings in the anime are 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. Even the pizzeria shown regularly is based on a real-life restaurant, and the town's five big wall gates also play an important role during the show's last act.

* RealPlaceBackground: The settings in the anime are 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 town's five big wall gates also play an important role during the show's last act.

* RealPlaceBackground: The settings in the anime are 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 five big gates in the wall also play an important role during the last act.

* 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" ([[CaptainObvious German for "act"]]).

** It's ALL RIGHT to be yourself, whether you are [[spoiler:a duck, a prince with a messiah complex, a failed knight or the spawn of the BigBad]]. Also, true love is not selfish.

* EverybodyDoTheEndlessLoop

* FandomSpecificPlot: If you write ''Princess Tutu'' fanfic, there's a good chance you've written a story in which [[spoiler:Fakir writes a story to turn Duck back into a girl or turns himself into a duck]].

** And then you have the manga's version of Edel. Dang girl.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: All. Over. To the point where 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.

* DaintyLittleBalletDancers: Mytho is a rare male example, being depicted as being 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.
** Averted with Fakir, since despite him having the same build as Mytho he is constantly depicted as a strong or even intimidating presence and is also shown to be a much more aggressive dancer.
* DanceBattler: Well, ''[[CaptainObvious of course]]''. Tutu herself doesn't actually fight, but Fakir, Kraehe and Mytho do.

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

* 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.

* AnArmAndALeg: The Book Men, an AncientConspiracy, 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.]]

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

* BackForTheFinale: The final episode features many of the minor, one-episode characters in some cameo or another.

* EvilWearsBlack: As fitting for this storybook world.

* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: "Ahiru/Duck" isn't just a girl named "Duck". She really ''is'' a duck.

** A single rose in a vase in Fakir and Mytho's dorm serves as a simile for Mytho's current state when seen in the anime, Princess Tutu [[spoiler:and Prince Siegfried]] have flower-themed powers, Femio hands out roses as declarations of "love"...flowers are all over the place in this anime.
** Episode 16 in its entirety, since it centers around a girl who absolutely adores flowers.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Tutu's more on the idealistic scale, particularly considering that [[spoiler:in the end, the emotion of Hope is what is the key to the final victory--and what Princess Tutu has represented all along]], and Fakir changes dramatically from Cynicism to Idealism over the course.

* [[ThoseTwoGuys Those Two Girls]]: Pique and Lilie.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Pique and Lilie, respectively.

* ABoyAndHisX: If you view the series from [[spoiler:Fakir]]'s perspective, you could probably call it "a boy and his duck".

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.