Princess Tutu, ep. 10-13

[oyceter]

Spoilers for all four eps.

EEEEE! This just keeps getting better!

I spent the majority of the episodes yelling, "SO CUTE!" at the tv. Fakir has apparently now joined the legion of anime and manga heroes and heroines for whom "baka" is a term of immense affection. Just... Fakir and Ahiru are so cute! I now have a giant soft spot for Fakir.

I wonder why this type of character pushes my buttons, while the alpha bastard one doesn't? Hrm.

And there's even more story meta! I cheered when Kraehe turned and talked directly to Herr Drosselmeyer, and the entire bit about people/characters in stories having to know their places was fascinating, although my brain is too soggy to actually figure it all out.

I felt bad for Edel-san, who I liked.

I hug Fakir repeatedly. That scene when he realizes Ahiru is the duck he hugged was awesome, particularly his extreme embarrassment about someone seeing him cry. Awwww!

And the whole bit where they subvert what happens and get a happy ending is cool too, though it left me wondering what in the world they were going to do for the second half! I'm guessing the series takes a left turn into the metanarrative territory?

I am sure there are far more intelligent things to say about this set of episodes re: meta and fairy tales and Swan Lake part 234 and story and puppets and characters, but my brain is still hung up on the sheer cuteness of Fakir and Ahiru.

Comments

[cliosfolly.livejournal.com]

One of the things I love most about Princess Tutu is that they get a happy ending, but it's not the ending; I'm waiting to watch the rest of the series, too, and I suspect it'll get subverted very shortly.

duckgirl/deadbeat knight=OTP

[octopedingenue]

Now you see why Swan Lake music makes me cry!

Oh God episode 12 made me fall for Fakir and Fakir/Ahiru SO HARD. "Can ducks drown...? Well, for her it's a possibility...BAKA!" The entire exchange, including one of the few "heroine is suddenly naked in front of cute guy" scenes that feels relevant and not just fanservice! And the way he smiles at her after they swim through the tunnel. [Claymation!Rudolph] He thinks she's CUUUUUTE! [/Rudolph]

It does not hurt on the Fakir side that he is A)tall B)lean C)dressed in attractive black D)carrying a sword E)a goofball F)a hero G)a book lover. And smarter than the average shoujo male with his ability to put two and two together--"A duck...duck...where have I seen a duck befo--OH CRAP." H)a duck lover!

I believe I shrieked when Kraehe turned around and talked to Drosselmeyer directly. Whooo, gears!

I love that Ahiru gets around her fairytale limitation using a traditional-fairytale-style technicality: she can't speak her love and live, but none of the rules said anything about dance-mime communication. (I so need a dictionary of ballet-mime moves! All I know is love, death, and Princess Tutu's come dance with me hands.) And that Fakir does the "I'm going to sacrifice myself nobly now so you can be the awesome hero I know you are" thing usually left to shoujo females, so he and Ahiru can work together with both of them defying their fates and finding glory.

Totally unrelated to Princess Tutu

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I've tried to email you about this Saturday's Buffyfest, but it keeps bouncing. Shoot me a msg at laurasha at laurasha dot com?

But nothing is unrelated to Princess Tutu!

[octopedingenue]

Angel totally has the Swan Lake episode of ballet / controlling author meta.

I don't speak your crazy moon language.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Say what?

[oyceter]

Yes! It's so cool to see the standard anime plot and to know that a whole bunch of stuff is coming after the standard anime plot ending!

Re: duckgirl/deadbeat knight=OTP

[oyceter]

Awwww! Your icon! I saw it before but I didn't squee until now because Fakir! Poor trying-to-be-a-knight Fakir! Who still ends up being noble!

When Ahiru started dancing, I whacked myself on the forehead for not having seen that coming.

When Fakir realized the duck was Ahiru, I nearly fell off the couch because I was so happy! That was so good! And the blushing and the yelling!

I hesitate about OTPing them, just because I'm scared the story won't go that way. But I have a little smidgen of hope because the series subverts fairy tale things and who knows! But... so cute!

Re: I don't speak your crazy moon language.

[oyceter]

Ah, Princess Tutu is a series about a duck turned girl turned magical ballerina, with the additional fun sides of metanarrative and new takes on fairy tales and shoujo tropes. The heroine saves the world through ballet!

Come to think of it, it is rather like "Waiting in the Wings," though I never thought of that...

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

Damn. I'm still biting my tongue. But yes, I love Fakir in that moment too. As for "left turn into metanarrative," dare I say anything? No, I don't dare. Just watch the rest as soon as humanly possible.

[larryhammer]

No, it doesn't take a left turn into the metanarrative territory -- it takes three left turns, another right, then a U-turn around the roundabout. And that's after getting all Dark Rose Saga on Ahiru's little ducky ass.

I rilly like how they take a couple loose ends we're not noticing amid the glorious Swan-Laking handwaves, tug them, and let the whole fabric of the happy pause unravel. Heh heh heh.

---L.

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

And that's the best description of the narrative progression of this series that I've ever seen!

Re: I don't speak your crazy moon language.

[octopedingenue]

Millennium hand and duck!

[larryhammer]

:-)

It even correctly gives the direction you end up traveling at the end of it all.

---L.

[oyceter]

No spoilers!! (says she in a panic) But oh! Fakir!

[oyceter]

*snort* Ok, that is the best description ever.

Re: I don't speak your crazy moon language.

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

It is sad that I dislike Angel's one ballet episode, it really is.