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Much like every other reviewer, I went into Princess Tutu with low expectations. I was looking to just goof off for a while- and what better way then to watch an anime with a title like 'Princess Tutu'. I was expecting it to be a laughable magical girl show, at best.

I was horribly wrong.

This was not an anime that immediately painted itself as a masterpiece. I did not realize how enthralled I had become with it until I found myself on the edge of feeling during the finale.

Character Development:
The characters in Princess Tutu, at their cores, were spectacular. The characters challenged modern portrayals of ... good and evil. Based on the character designs alone, Tutu, garbed in white, was the protagonist and Kraehe, donning raven black, was the antagonist. This cliche, however, is challenged throughout the show, as the characters often struggle with whether the roles fate handed them were truly for the benefit of others. We see this in Kraehe as she struggles between her identities, we see it in Tutu as fate unravels along with Mytho's heart, we see it in Fakir as he fights to find the best way to protect Mytho, and we even see it in the prince himself as he must choose between how things were and how they could be. Drosselmeyer brings up the idea time and time again of the question of who the real heroine is- and as the show goes on, it becomes evident that there is not always a clear cut answer to that question. The characters themselves are layered beautifully with surprising emotion and struggles that are both intrinsic and extrinsic. They are, in my own opinion, superbly multidimensional.

Music:
Princess Tutu's music was more than just a soundtrack. It was in integral part of the show; it flowed so masterfully with the story that it would be travesty to even separate the two. It was as if the music and the story were crafted specifically around each other. I have never watched another anime with a soundtrack that so perfectly complimented every facet of a show the way that Tutu's did.

Story:
I was dubious about the fairy tale theme from the very beginning because I expected the predictability that comes along with fairy tales. The guy gets the girl, they live happily ever after. That was not the case at all. I was shocked by the dark cadence that the anime carried all the way through- it was a reminder of the original Brother's Grimm fairy tales, which was ceaselessly pleasing. The story, however, became more than just a typical fairy tale or magical girl cliche. It became a metaphor for the facets of fate and, as aforementioned, the blurred line between truly good and truly evil (and that sometimes they are one in the same). The story was engaging and layered far beyond what is seen on the surface, and it was full of unpredictable twists and a finale that left me shivering.

Princess Tutu was a masterpiece that revealed itself to me gradually, as I'm sure it will be to most others who allow it to enrapture them.