timepiececlock | (no subject)

A brief squeeing thought on 9 minutes into Tutu, episode 9: Okay, Rue just looked into Mytho's eyes as saw Princess Tutu reflected, where previously anyone who looked into his eyes (including Ahiru) saw empty pools of nothingness. But that's not the interesting part! The interesting part is that in episode 8 Ahiru looked into Fakir's eyes and saw a reflection of herself as Ahiru. There was even a little zinging sound effect. That's the only two times in the show so far (that I've caught) where a distinct figure has been reflected in someone's eyes. And both of them ended up being her, Tutu for Mytho and Ahiru for Fakir. Hear that,

riddering? Shipwatch! Interestingly, if we take this a little farther, both of them are princesses that saw the reflections... Rue saw Tutu and Ahiru saw herself. I wonder what that means. I find it very interesting.

ETA: And Fakir randomly jumps through a window to save the day that doesn't need saving! And in doing so accidentally gives the villain back her evil motivations! I :heart: this anime.

ETA2: Also, the next-ep promos for this show are evil. Because they confuse me, and I'm already a fair amount confused just from the episode.

ETA3: I'm also curious about this quote they keep using: "There is happiness for those who accept their fate. There is glory for those who fight their fate."

That could have a whole host of meanings. Tutu's fate is to love & save the prince but never have him. Fakir's fate apparently involves a gory death? The prince's fate is still unclear. The raven's fate is apparently to fight Tutu while Ruu's fate is to always love Mytho. Who's going to fight their fate? Who's going to sacrifice happiness for glory, or vice versa?

Why am I so wrapped up in an anime about ballet?! ...because I already love it, I suppose.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oooh, excellent point about the eye-reflections! The dynamic between the girls and the princesses is getting even more interesting -- Ahiru is angsting because Mytho needs Princess Tutu, but she's not Princess Tutu, she's a duck. An ahiru. Even though she knows she can become Tutu and remembers that she's Ahiru while she's Tutu, Tutu can do things that girl and duck can't do (dancing in particular). And the transformation to Tutu, though it happens when she needs it to, doesn't seem to be something she actually controls.

And Rue (interesting name -- Rue as in 'rue the day'? What does that mean for her character) is also a bird-girl-princess, but for her the transformation to Princess Kraehe is literally painful, and the connection the story of the red shoes in the prologue suggests that what she does when she's transformed isn't something she can help -- obviously she tries to fight it in this ep. But how much does Kraehe know about her other identities? She seems to know she's the raven, and Rue has at the very least picked up on the fact that she seems to have a connection to ravens; does Kraehe also know she's Rue, and suppress that personality, or does she not remember the stage in-between Raven and Princess?

Interesting, too, how the relationships of Ahiru/Rue to Mytho are exactly the reverse of the relationships of Tutu/Kraehe -- well, angsting, morally ambiguous Kraehe, anyway.

But isn't it interesting that the piece of Mytho's heart that feels obsession manifested as obsession with Rue, her beauty and her dancing. That's so spuffy.

But isn't it interesting that the piece of Mytho's heart that feels obsession manifested as obsession with Rue, her beauty and her dancing. That's so spuffy.

OMGILOVEYOU. I totally missed that. I bow down before you. That's so brilliant, yet so right in front of my nose that I'm smacking myself. And that supports the idea I have that Mytho really is connected to Rue-- after all, when the feeling of affection was returned to him, he went to find Rue and danced with her and smiled at her. He wasn't running around chasing Tutu like he does later. I think Mytho's getting a little confused about Tutu because all the new emotions seem to come from her.

And the transformation to Tutu, though it happens when she needs it to, doesn't seem to be something she actually controls.

Yeah, I've noticed that from the beginning. There's also the fact, though, that both of the girls CHOSE to be the bird princesses in a way. Tutu chose with the most foreknowledge, but in this episode Rue knew well enough what she was getting into by putting on the shoes. There was definitely a willing choice made. I think Rue will now know that she is Kraehe though she might not really understand how or why. I agree that Kraehe also knows she's Rue and tries to suppress that personality, except for the part of Rue that loves Mytho that seems to go well with the raven's obsessive/dark nature and is probably influencing it.

the relationships of Ahiru/Rue to Mytho are exactly the reverse of the relationships of Tutu/Kraehe

I hadn't noticed it in quite that way before, but you're totally right. I also find it interesting that, while all this is going on, Rue and Ahiru are sort of becoming friends.

I bow down before you. That's so brilliant, yet so right in front of my nose that I'm smacking myself.

Hee! Arise, fair minion. :P

You think we're dancing?
That's all we've ever done.

I may have to make icons.

that supports the idea I have that Mytho really is connected to Rue-- after all, when the feeling of affection was returned to him, he went to find Rue and danced with her and smiled at her. He wasn't running around chasing Tutu like he does later. I think Mytho's getting a little confused about Tutu because all the new emotions seem to come from her.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. It's pretty clear that he's very confused about what he feels and which emotions are which. The process of figuring them out is going to put everyone through the wringer.

I think Rue will now know that she is Kraehe though she might not really understand how or why.

Yeah, I think she will, too. It'll be interesting to see how that affects her "normal" life. (Which reminds me -- there's this whole thing about how this town got suddenly strange, I assume when the raven got loose from the story, and that things are different outside it. The Sleeping Beauty-ballerina's boss, for example, wasn't always an electric eel. But as soon as they start to remember that, they brush it off. I wonder if anything will come of that -- what would happen if one of our main characters tried to leave town?)

I also find it interesting that, while all this is going on, Rue and Ahiru are sort of becoming friends.

Me too. And their friendship is developing so strangely -- first Rue is nice to her, dances with her, then she's like, "who the hell are you and why are you calling me Rue-chan?" And Ahiru says, "duh, we're friends!" and you get the feeling that Rue can be nice and has lots of admirers, but doesn't really know what 'being friends' means.

You think we're dancing?
That's all we've ever done.

That is scarily appropriate in so many ways.

This is one fan's interpretation of the character names that I read on a thread on fandom_wank (the thread was actually the place I first heard about Tutu and piqued my curiosity enough to put it in my Netflix queue). I won't put a link to the thread here, because it's pretty spoilery (so don't go looking for it!), but I'll give it to y'all after you finish the series if you want:

Personally, I think it was a deliberate choice on the part of the creators to go with the German "Mythos" (which is pronounced "Myuthos") just so they could have the pun of the Japanese pronunciation being "Myuto"/"Mute", since both "Mute" and "Myth" work for the character.

As for "Claire/Kraehe", the incredibly convoluted explanation I managed to come up with was that the creators were trying to reference Clara from the "Nutcracker" with Kraehe's name the same way they did with Mytho, only they weren't quite as successful.

According to a German speaking friend of mine, "Kraehe" is actually pronounced more like "Kureiya", not "Kureru" the way Tutu has it. However, to get "Clara" they would have had to use something like "Kurara" which wouldn't have worked for Kraehe. However, by using "Kureru" which sounds like "Claire", they managed to sort of reference Clara while keeping an acceptable pronunciation for "Kraehe" AND provide Kraehe with a plausible human alias.

To me, it works. ^^;;;;

(this is Kawcrow talking again now) Ahiru's name is pretty self-explanatory. The English dub translated her name as "Duck", which after listening to the translator's commentary on the DVD I actually agree with (although I would've gone with "Duckie"). A ton of the duck-jokes wouldn't work without her name being translated, for instance. Also, we English-speakers like "Ahiru" better because the syllables sounds more like a name to us, but it wouldn't sound like a name to the Japanese--they would never name a girl "Ahiru", 'cause it would be like naming her "Duck" or "Badger" or "Muskrat". But I'll continue to call her Ahiru because I'm a wacky English-speaker who thinks that sounds like a better name. *G*

(The dub commentaries on the first DVD are actually pretty awesome. There was one episode with the writer and the translator, which was very informative, and one episode with the English voice actors for Ahiru/Duck and Fakir, which was hilarious. You could tell the Fakir voice actor was trying throughout the commentary to think of a polite way of saying, "I am looking forward to watching the rest of the series, past these first five episodes, so that I can find out why I am so very very evil and so very very gay.")

...I have no idea what the heck Fakir's name is supposed to reference, though. Maybe y'all can help me with that. (Why don't I have a Fakir icon yet? ...Because all the ones I want to make are really spoilery, that's why. RAWR.)

I think "Duckie" would have been cute. But I guess Duck is better/truer than Ahiru.

I followed the Fakir name link. Interesting wise/holy beggar, huh? Very interesting. I'll definitely chase your for the f_w later.

If you make icons for that, don't forget to make some for: "I won't be fooled just because his bread is tasty!"

I'm totally using one of my only FIFTEEN icon slots for that. I used to have 50. Recently I ran out and am too frugal to buy them back.

(no subject)

no subject

no subject

no subject

Names in "Tutu"

Re: Names in "Tutu"

no subject

You rang?

Re: You rang?