Princess Tutu – 11/12 – Throwback Thursday

Welcome to the halfway point of Princess Tutu! It’s hard to believe, considering how this has all the makings of a finale. But considering Kraehe’s arc, Drosselmeyer’s position as the true villain and recent developments, it only makes sense. So let’s jump right into it!

Immediately, I want to talk music, because I love Princess Tutu’s. Yes, I know it primarily uses existing classical pieces that weren’t originally made for the show. But in my mind that makes it all the more impressive. Because Princess Tutu is able to take these hundreds of year old pieces, with their own histories and meanings, and make them work. Every time I recognize a piece, it fits. Every time I look one up I didn’t know, and read up on the work, it fits. An example of that this week is episode 12’s usage of “The Story of the Kalendar Prince” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Focusing on and using the inherent adventure of the piece and ascribing it to Fakir and Ahiru’s journey through the underground. I could go on, referencing pieces such as “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Tchaikovsky, but I think you get the point.

Moving on, let’s talk about this weeks episodes, La Sylphide and Banquet of Darkness. So much happened here and they are so interconnected, I simply can’t talk about them independently. Especially if we are going to start with Fakir and Ahiru. Princess Tutu did a great job of forcing the two to work and interact together. Starting on Fakir working through it all on his own, dancing alone with his thoughts set the mood really well. So when he confronts Ahiru, steadfast in his own ways, it makes sense. He has already worked it out for himself. Meanwhile seeing Ahiru refuse to be cowed was great. She has come a long way from where she was at the start. Not necessarily unafraid of Fakir, but willing to stand up to him for Mytho’s sake. All the while planting the seeds for the upcoming story thread forcing them to work together.

In fact, my favorite part of these last two episodes was seeing the two sides of Fakir come together. We have the Knight side, where he wants to protect and look after Mytho. Shoving everyone else away and violently confronting any and all threats. And then we have the Fakir side, the young man’s true personality. A young man who can laugh and cry and just enjoy life. Who was only able to open up to a duck until now. Over the course of the episode though Princess Tutu brought these together. As the more time he spent with Tutu, the more comfortable he got with her. Fakir began to see her less as a formless enemy and more as the clumsy Ahiru in a fancy getup. Warming up as they talked and searched for Mytho together, learning more and more about each other.

Princess Tutu makes this clear in a number of scenes. The most obvious of course is when Ahiru turns into a duck, literally barring her deepest secret to him. There is even a gag where she ends up nude after turning back, which while not to my taste, still fit. It’s Ahiru not leaving any secrets between them, making it clear both how she feels towards Mytho and to Fakir. Meanwhile we see Fakir do the same, but through smaller actions. Small talk, explaining things, smiling and even protecting her when they fall. By the end of episode 12 they have learned to rely on each other, since alone neither has been able to defeat Kraehe. It fits with Fakir’s earlier allusions when reading the book. How if he continues to fight everyone, he will meet his fated end like the story. But if he lays it down, who knows?

As far as where they go from here? Personally, I think Fakir and Ahiru are probably the best pairing in the series. They fit each other not only thematically, but in their actions as well. Both are seemingly fated to not get to be with Mytho, the prince. Whether that be through death or disappearance, neither get to be with him. But if they both abandon that road, Fakir laying down his sword and Ahiru never admitting how she feels, they can survive. At the same time, they support each other and have a camaraderie neither really have with Mytho. And the best part is, it would break from the story Drosselmeyer wants to tell. As the clear overall antagonist, representing Fate, ignoring his story fits Princess Tutu as a whole. This isn’t to say I want some grand romance, but it would be one of the better options.

Speaking of Drosselmeyer, we can’t not talk about him or his place in these episodes. He has always been present in Princess Tutu, but these last few episodes he has really stepped it up. Taking a place in the limelight, as he not only tempts Kraehe but begins to actively threaten Ahiru and Fakir. As throughout this episode we hear him drop menacing lines such as how “not knowing your place is dangerous”. Or how he opened episode 11 lamenting/threatening Edel as she might desire human emotions, as if this wasn’t the first time it had happened. This isn’t done only with Edel either. As we see Kraehe approach Drosselmeyer and negotiate with him herself. Offering him his “perfect story” if he can help her prepare it. But throughout these episodes he’s seen doubting Kraehe, asking if she is “actually the villain”, clearly using her for his own gain.

As I have said multiple times before now, I believe that Drosselmeyer effectively represents Fate in Princess Tutu. This overarching concept that things are predetermined to be one specific way. And as Princess Tutu is structured like a ballet, both in presentation and story, it makes sense this embodiment is their author. As every play had to get penned by someone. Every play’s ending was determined, not by the characters, but the author from the start. So to structure a ballet about stories as defying their own story and writing their own is perfect. The only place this really breaks down is that Princess Tutu in turn was written by an author. It’s ending to was predetermined from the start. But if you can suspend that part of this weird meta on meta concept, I think it works.

Getting back to Princess Tutu’s actual story, I want to move to Rue and Mytho. Or Kraehe as she has now embraced herself as. She took an interesting approach this week, abusing the fact that Mytho doesn’t know who she is. Taking his emotion of “Love”, the thing she desires, and twisting it with hate. Both literally dropping the gem, scuffing it, and metaphorically poisoning it. Even going so far as to let him have it, let him think he is regaining it… only to rip it back out at the end. I have said it before, but Princess Tutu really doesn’t feel like a traditional Magical Girl show. This isn’t happy, this isn’t unrelentingly and diabetes inductively positive. It’s a downright tragedy, with hopeful undertones, and I love it.

For example, even with Kraehe “wins” this week by corrupting Mytho, she loses. As she realizes that by ripping his heart out like that, she has returned him to the doll he was. Obedient, silent, and willing to do whatever she says. But that isn’t what she wanted, that isn’t the love she desired. Rather what Kraehe truly wanted was his smile from episode 5. The love he shows towards Tutu previously. She wants his emotions returned, but she wants them to be aimed at her. Yet in episode 12 she realizes that she can’t have that, she can’t get both the emotion and his love. Because you can’t control someone elses emotions, not and have them be true and pure like they are for Tutu. To use Princess Tutu’s analogy: It’s like clipping a birds wings to keep it close. A flightless bird loses what makes it beautiful.

To compound on this tragedy with another, as I said with Drosselmeyer, Kraehe most likely isn’t even the real villain. As throughout the episodes Drosselmeyer hints at how she might not be the true villain. Referencing Kraehe, along with Ahiru and Fakir, when he says to know your place in the story. Naturally, we know Kraehe is going to lose, we are only halfway through the series. But what makes it tragic is that in the context of Princess Tutu, she is doing her best to subvert that. She knows villains are meant to lose, and she is even negotiating with the author to try and prevent that. There are layers on meta textual layers of tragedy here, from Rue to Kraehe to Drosselmeyer, and I love it. I only hope that Princess Tutu can bring it all together in the 2nd half.

Finally, I want to talk about something a bit more lighthearted. Because this weeks marks the second ever Cat-Sensei gag to actually make me laugh. By now you all should know that I don’t really enjoy the marriage jokes. I think they are low hanging fruit at this point and don’t really fit the show. At least so long as Princess Tutu fails to work them into any meaningful arc. Yes, we have things like the talks with Goat-Sensei. But those could have been done without the gags leading up to it. Anyways, Princess Tutu actually got me by actually using Cat-Sensei as a cat rather than a teacher. Baiting him with Ahiru’s ahoge in the window, so he crashes into it. I don’t think it fit the overall tone, but it was a good joke nonetheless. I can only hope for more like that.

So all in all, how were these two episodes of Princess Tutu? Once again, they were fantastic, and it’s hard to believe we are only halfway through. This felt like it could easily have been a finale, were this a 1 cour show. And yet after this we still have 13 more to go, no doubt as Ahiru and Fakir take on Drosselmeyer himself. I will admit to some concerns, as people have told me the second half isn’t as good as the first. But at this point even if it’s terrible I will count this as time well spent. Because this opening cour has easily been the best Magical Girl has ever been for me. Even beating out the likes of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, which previously held the top spot in my heart. I can only hope Princess Tutu keeps it up.

What about where, what do you think of the show halfway through? I know some weren’t a fan of Mytho and his treatment, and I will admit I don’t like the.. screaming he does. But overall I have found their story really compelling. Let me know below, and I will see you next week for the first half finale!

One last quick reminder: If there is an old show you want me to cover, leave a comment below! Once Princess Tutu ends in… 6-7 weeks, I will put up a poll and if yours wins, it will be our next Throwback Thursday! Thank you!