Favorite Tutu episodes
Apr. 28th, 2010 10:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveI’ve been attempting to ponder on my five favorite Princess Tutu episodes for a while now. Under the cut, I’ll see if I can list them. Do note the series is not episodic; it really needs to be watched in order at least once before skipping off to enjoy individual episodes again and again. **has seen it straight through twice, and has watched favorites repeatedly and most others at least a few times.**
And LOL, going back over my tagged entries, I originally liked the first season better. On my rewatch, I totally preferred the second season and continue to do so. I don't really think the first episodes of season 2 are fillery anymore, like I did then, and it's just so much darker and edgier, it's wonderful.And of course, there's Autor! Princess Tutu is an amazing show largely because of the second season. Not to say that the first isn't good, too, especially the latter half, but without season 2 it would simply not be the utter gem it is.
1. Akt 21 – The Spinners. Autor’s first appearance as a main character. (And how I exclaimed in triumph that my suspicions on him being important were correct!) There are a lot of classic moments in this episode, which is opened with Ahiru’s bittersweet dream (prophetic in some ways, but not others). Fakir’s meeting with Autor, and Ahiru joining them later, is awesome. The dialogue between the trio is top-notch. Nowhere else in the series do you find them all interacting. The only other time they are gathered after this episode is briefly in Akt 25, and Autor doesn’t speak, though if I’m seeing it right, he looks sad—perhaps knowing and thinking about Princess Tutu’s fate.
There are wonderful Fakir/Ahiru moments, with Ahiru being upset at Autor’s warnings and later, becoming Tutu to save Fakir from being sucked in by the oak tree. Fakir says that he heard her voice, and as shown during his test, that is what saved him from being irreversibly caught in the tree’s realm. You really stop to think about how far they’ve come since the beginning of the series. It’s just incredible.
The hurt/comfort material doesn’t stop there; Autor is violently electrocuted by the oak tree’s forcefield around Fakir. My gosh, he’s thrown several yards! You can see the electricity still sparking off his body when he lands. He crashes apparently unconscious, and though he revives enough to see that Fakir passed the test, he swoons again. And we never do learn his fate that night, but of course Ahiru and Fakir would have helped him after their reunion.
As a bonus, the episode also boasts some of my favorite music pieces. Dance of the Knights is exclusive to this episode, as are two of Mendelssohn’s Lieder Ohne Worte: Opus 67 No. 4 The Spinning Song and Opus 38 No. 3 The Poet’s Harp. The latter is played during the intense climax, and knowing the name of the piece makes me realize why they must have picked it for that scene. There is so much attention to detail and so many subtle things on the show, it’s just amazing.
2. Akt 18 – The Wandering Knight. Many more wonderful Fakir/Ahiru moments and dialogue. The plot, revolving around the mysterious ghost knight and Fakir’s dream of the play’s missing ending, is tight and intense. We also get our first glimpse of Autor outside of the library, which I think may have been what made me realize that he was not just a running gag. (Or maybe it was his second library appearance and first close-up in Akt 17; I wish I could remember.)
I think of this as the Beethoven episode, as both his Coriolan Overture and the Egmont Overture are featured. I also think of both pieces as themes for Fakir, as they both seem to usually play in connection with him.
3. Akt 10 – Cinderella. We finally learn Fakir and Mytho’s past, as does Ahiru. At last it’s fully revealed that Fakir is not just the cold jerk he comes across as. The first real hint was in Akt 8, if I remember right, but this episode is full of such moments. And it ends with Ahiru’s identity as Tutu revealed (by accident) to him. Ahiru says during the next episode that strangely, when it’s Fakir, she feels relieved.
My favorite piece from this episode is the waltz from Cinderella featured in the climax. It fits so well, and with all the dancing crows, it adds a somewhat eerie air.
4. Akts 12 and 13 – Banquet of Darkness and Swan Lake. It’s probably cheating to put them together as one entry, but they really are a mini-saga (though this mini-saga technically began with Akt 10 and includes Akt 11). Fakir and Ahiru must team up to find Mytho and save him from Kraehe. Fakir realizes Ahiru is also the duck he’s encountered before, and they begin to really bond for the first time. Fakir’s fall in Akt 13 is always heartbreaking no matter how many times it’s viewed, in part because of Tutu’s reaction. And Mytho’s emotions reviving when he sees Tutu’s solo pas de deux is so unexpected. As always, the music selection for the moment is perfect. The final scene, where they find Fakir alive and Edel sacrificing herself to warm him and guide Tutu and Mytho, is an amazing, beautiful close to the first season.
The music choices for both akts are incredible. A piece from Scheherazade plays throughout Akt 12; Swan Lake is the theme for Akt 13, with the prelude to Act III of Lohengrin and the Coriolan Overture also making important appearances.
5. Akt 22 – Crown of Stone. I love the title of this episode. I dunno, it’s just one of the most amazing and insightful ones (right up there with Banquet of Darkness). It makes me think of how Story-Spinning is an incredible power (the crown), but using it comes at a great cost (the stone).
The Bookmen making their move with Fakir is highly intense and suspenseful, and it leads up to one of the most powerful scenes in the series. Combined with The Great Gate of Kiev as the score, the scene where Tutu sees them ready to sever Fakir’s hands and leaps to save him is highly inspiring.
And of course, Autor gets another chance to prove what a wonderful character he is as he finds Rue and she attempts to trick him into sacrificing himself to the Raven. The scene where he is not under her spell and still confesses his love for her, even that he would give his life for her, is so sad. Rue cannot believe it’s really true, as it goes against everything she’s been taught all her life. But she cannot bear to harm Autor now, and she lets him go. “I’m sorry, Father,” she says when he’s gone. “I’m a bad daughter. But I couldn’t do it.”
On a top ten list, among what would be included would be Akt 17, the crackiest episode of the entire show, and Akts 25 and 26. The finale was incredible. Actually, probably Akts 23 and 24 would round it out. I swear I’m not biased just because Autor is in all of those. LOL. But you have to admit, things started moving very quickly after he finally made himself known!
And LOL, going back over my tagged entries, I originally liked the first season better. On my rewatch, I totally preferred the second season and continue to do so. I don't really think the first episodes of season 2 are fillery anymore, like I did then, and it's just so much darker and edgier, it's wonderful.
1. Akt 21 – The Spinners. Autor’s first appearance as a main character. (And how I exclaimed in triumph that my suspicions on him being important were correct!) There are a lot of classic moments in this episode, which is opened with Ahiru’s bittersweet dream (prophetic in some ways, but not others). Fakir’s meeting with Autor, and Ahiru joining them later, is awesome. The dialogue between the trio is top-notch. Nowhere else in the series do you find them all interacting. The only other time they are gathered after this episode is briefly in Akt 25, and Autor doesn’t speak, though if I’m seeing it right, he looks sad—perhaps knowing and thinking about Princess Tutu’s fate.
There are wonderful Fakir/Ahiru moments, with Ahiru being upset at Autor’s warnings and later, becoming Tutu to save Fakir from being sucked in by the oak tree. Fakir says that he heard her voice, and as shown during his test, that is what saved him from being irreversibly caught in the tree’s realm. You really stop to think about how far they’ve come since the beginning of the series. It’s just incredible.
The hurt/comfort material doesn’t stop there; Autor is violently electrocuted by the oak tree’s forcefield around Fakir. My gosh, he’s thrown several yards! You can see the electricity still sparking off his body when he lands. He crashes apparently unconscious, and though he revives enough to see that Fakir passed the test, he swoons again. And we never do learn his fate that night, but of course Ahiru and Fakir would have helped him after their reunion.
As a bonus, the episode also boasts some of my favorite music pieces. Dance of the Knights is exclusive to this episode, as are two of Mendelssohn’s Lieder Ohne Worte: Opus 67 No. 4 The Spinning Song and Opus 38 No. 3 The Poet’s Harp. The latter is played during the intense climax, and knowing the name of the piece makes me realize why they must have picked it for that scene. There is so much attention to detail and so many subtle things on the show, it’s just amazing.
2. Akt 18 – The Wandering Knight. Many more wonderful Fakir/Ahiru moments and dialogue. The plot, revolving around the mysterious ghost knight and Fakir’s dream of the play’s missing ending, is tight and intense. We also get our first glimpse of Autor outside of the library, which I think may have been what made me realize that he was not just a running gag. (Or maybe it was his second library appearance and first close-up in Akt 17; I wish I could remember.)
I think of this as the Beethoven episode, as both his Coriolan Overture and the Egmont Overture are featured. I also think of both pieces as themes for Fakir, as they both seem to usually play in connection with him.
3. Akt 10 – Cinderella. We finally learn Fakir and Mytho’s past, as does Ahiru. At last it’s fully revealed that Fakir is not just the cold jerk he comes across as. The first real hint was in Akt 8, if I remember right, but this episode is full of such moments. And it ends with Ahiru’s identity as Tutu revealed (by accident) to him. Ahiru says during the next episode that strangely, when it’s Fakir, she feels relieved.
My favorite piece from this episode is the waltz from Cinderella featured in the climax. It fits so well, and with all the dancing crows, it adds a somewhat eerie air.
4. Akts 12 and 13 – Banquet of Darkness and Swan Lake. It’s probably cheating to put them together as one entry, but they really are a mini-saga (though this mini-saga technically began with Akt 10 and includes Akt 11). Fakir and Ahiru must team up to find Mytho and save him from Kraehe. Fakir realizes Ahiru is also the duck he’s encountered before, and they begin to really bond for the first time. Fakir’s fall in Akt 13 is always heartbreaking no matter how many times it’s viewed, in part because of Tutu’s reaction. And Mytho’s emotions reviving when he sees Tutu’s solo pas de deux is so unexpected. As always, the music selection for the moment is perfect. The final scene, where they find Fakir alive and Edel sacrificing herself to warm him and guide Tutu and Mytho, is an amazing, beautiful close to the first season.
The music choices for both akts are incredible. A piece from Scheherazade plays throughout Akt 12; Swan Lake is the theme for Akt 13, with the prelude to Act III of Lohengrin and the Coriolan Overture also making important appearances.
5. Akt 22 – Crown of Stone. I love the title of this episode. I dunno, it’s just one of the most amazing and insightful ones (right up there with Banquet of Darkness). It makes me think of how Story-Spinning is an incredible power (the crown), but using it comes at a great cost (the stone).
The Bookmen making their move with Fakir is highly intense and suspenseful, and it leads up to one of the most powerful scenes in the series. Combined with The Great Gate of Kiev as the score, the scene where Tutu sees them ready to sever Fakir’s hands and leaps to save him is highly inspiring.
And of course, Autor gets another chance to prove what a wonderful character he is as he finds Rue and she attempts to trick him into sacrificing himself to the Raven. The scene where he is not under her spell and still confesses his love for her, even that he would give his life for her, is so sad. Rue cannot believe it’s really true, as it goes against everything she’s been taught all her life. But she cannot bear to harm Autor now, and she lets him go. “I’m sorry, Father,” she says when he’s gone. “I’m a bad daughter. But I couldn’t do it.”
On a top ten list, among what would be included would be Akt 17, the crackiest episode of the entire show, and Akts 25 and 26. The finale was incredible. Actually, probably Akts 23 and 24 would round it out. I swear I’m not biased just because Autor is in all of those. LOL. But you have to admit, things started moving very quickly after he finally made himself known!
