I know there have probably been a lot of posts like this here before but I finally got around to watching this show this year and it is genuinely one of my favorite anime that I’ve ever watched in 20+ years of being an anime fan. I watched it earlier this year with my gf and I loved it so much that I’m rewatching it with a friend just a few months later.
It’s just pure magic and hits me somewhere deep in my soul. I love how deeply artistic it is, not just in terms of the presentation but how it truly is a love letter to art itself. I think it’s one of the best exemplars of metafiction I’ve ever come across. A lot of times in other shows I’ve watched or books I’ve read the metafictional angle feels kind of forced, but in Tutu I really think that it’s perfectly done and fits so well with the message of “Don’t let anyone else write your story for you.”
The characters are also so much well-written, I love that the cast is small and they all go through so many changes and so much development throughout the story. None of the characters are anime tropes or cardboard cutouts even though you might say they represent sort of fairytale archetypes, they are fully fleshed out. And Ahiru is such an amazing protagonist, just such an endearing and lovable character. I love that she succeeds through empathy, compassion, and inner strength instead of through violence.
Honestly even writing about this makes me emotional, lately I’ve been feeling that the world is so dark and this show is just so inspirational and beautiful that it lifts me up a little bit. The only other anime that gets me this weepy and gives me a stone-in-the-throat feeling is One Piece.
10/10 masterpiece, will watch again.