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Princess Tutu
 Home/Change Series
Based on an original concept by Ikuko Itoh (Character Design, Sailor Moon and Mahou Tsukai Tai!) and directed by Junichi Sato (series direction, Sailor Moon, Pretear, and Kaleido Star,) this series ran in 38 episodes in 2002-03.
It builds from an unlikely premise: an ugly duckling of a little girl (whose name really is Ahiru, or "Little Duck") gains the magical ability to turn into a ballet goddess (Princess Tutu). However, in return for this gift, she also falls under a curse: whenever she stutters and makes a sound like the Japanese "quack," she morphs into a real little duck.
Itou and Sato turned this idea into a rich exploration of the fairy tale and the ways in which fantasy comments on real-life human situations. The music (much of it drawn from classical ballet scores) fits the dreamlike quality of the story perfectly.
More importantly, the artistic team seems to have been inspired by the way the series shifts between reality and fantasy. Sets of original backgrounds came on the market soon after the series finished, and among them were some of the most extraordinary images I've seen in production art. At present, the best place to see more of these wonderful backgrounds is SAZEN's Gallery, which contains many even more astonishing pieces of art.
A few years later, small batches of sketches appeared for sale, allowing me to add a few precious samples of layouts, genzus, and gengas to this gallery.
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8.82/10 
9.47/10
9.03/10 
84 votes