A Magical Girl series that may not end the way you think it will. In fact things are most definitely NOT what they seem as we roll right into this strange new series which, at first glance, is a simple Magical Girl series about a girl who transforms into a powerful ballerina with magical powers named Princess Tutu... only that's where the familiar ends and the strange begins.

Meet Ahiru, who is your typical Magical Girl candidate.
Clumsy yet driven to suceess, awkward yet strong of spirit, uncertain yet driven to do good, she is the ideal girl for the job to come... but perhaps she will later wish she never accepted this power.
She goes to a school that encourages the study of ballet, of which she has the drive and will to be the best in (even if she is not as agile or skilled as she wishes she could be).
Running into a strange silent boy named Mytho doesn't help, especially since it seems that both he and her are going to be bound together by fate in a sense.

By "chance" she runs into a beautiful shop owner, who helps her by giving her a special pendant that later (when Mythos is threatened by a T-Virus mutant type of monster fish) helps her transform into Princess Tutu, the beautiful and graceful prima ballerina whose dance contains powerful magic to soothe and tame the darkest creatures (changing them into meek forms). But when it comes to Mythos her power seems to be for another purpose, the gathering and restoring of Mytho's shattered "heart" which Ahiru only wishes to restore to full to break Mythos out of his "zombie" quiet mode and maybe realize her feelings for her "prince"... but that's when things go weird.

First off WHY did his heart shatter? And why is it that the person who wants to protect him the most is most opposed to the restoration of his heart (and soul)?
What is the agenda of the beautiful woman who gave Ahiru the pendant, and seems to most likely be the source behind the troubles that reveals the shards of Mytho's heart?
Who is the new second "princess" who seems to have evil intent, and is fighting to keep Mytho's heart from being restored... or is she providing motivation for Tutu to hasten her quest by providing her a "nemesis" to motivate her forward?
Who is the true evil, and who has hidden yet good reasons for their actions? And, most importantly, WHY did Mythos lose his "heart" and what will happen when it's restored?

Filled with lots of greys and uncertain areas this is most certainly not the straight forward cut and dry Magical Girl tale. As time goes on more will be revealed... but will Ahiru be ready for it when she learns exactly what is going on?

It seems that Ahiru and Mythos is fated to be together, pity that the fate in question may be cruel fate.
But only time, and the remaining chapters, will tell what will happen and reveal who is what and why the powers that be in this book are doing what they're doing.

Breakdown time.

Princess Tutu Breakdown the 1st
What's Hot? Most certainly NOT your typical Magical Girl fare, this title is bathed in lots of grey areas and figuring out who stands where and why is not an easy thing. You end up with more questions than answers before this book ends, and only by purchasing the next book will you even begin to find those answers... or perhaps you'll find more questions facing you once you buy that book!

Only by riding this ride all the way to the end you'll know everything. And that is the compelling force of this read. You'll want to know what happens next, and it'll drive you forward right to the end.
And that has to be good, right? I think so.

What's Not? I can't think of a thing. It's not the usual Magical Girl fare so that's a good thing.

Moments to Remember? It's all memorable. I can't think of a more compelling read in the Magical Girl fare than this one. A different spin on the genre that is fresh and new, this is something that'll give you a different taste of the genre that I'm sure you'll approve of! Most certainly approve of!

What to Ignore? - Uh... why is one of their new teachers a... walking talking cat?
Anyone else notice the long tail, cat ears... fur... etc on the teach? No? Too bad. Especially since he often threatens to force his worse pupil to MARRY him... which is just plain creepy if you ask me.
Maybe after the birth of the litter of kittens somebody will notice something weird about him.

Overall? Say goodbye to the standard formula of Magical Girl genre storytelling once you pick this up!
With the lines of white and black no longer clear, and lots of grey shading the forces assembled on the field? The only way you can tell who is good or evil past our heroine Ahiru (who is good) is to wait patiently, and (as the Excalibans from Star Trek would recommend) allow the drama to unfold.

Beautiful in it's storytelling, compelling, and compelling by blurring the lines of who might be good or evil in this book. The title is a solid read that will give you a reason to check out Magical Girl fare titles if you haven't been reading them before. A must have in my opinion, well worth checking out.