Broken Illusion

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia
Lyrics: azlyrics
Theme: Mytho/Duck/Fakir
Spoilers: Yes

Review: The song chosen really fits Duck's POV very well. Mytho is her ideal, her dream; but then as she comes to know him, she learns how empty he is. Of course, she is trying to fix that, but that doesn't change the fact that he can't give her anything more than what she's idolized from afar. Meanwhile, Fakir certainly "couldn't be that man I adored," yet he is there. And willing to help her, despite his own shortcomings. And despite hers.
Right, on to closer analysis! The first lyrics are great for Mytho.  I like the alignment of "brought to life" with the Swan Lake scene, as that truly is when he seems to have been brought back life, or at least as close as he can get at that time. He's kind, he's proper... The first stanza's really put together very nicely. And then we have Rue and Mytho together, with the words, "Nothing's fine, I'm torn." Really a great insight into Duck. I mean, she's not holding it against Mytho or blaming him, but she's still hurt.
The next bit, from about :52-1:08, is a good match at first. And individually, the pieces could go well. But using one long scene consistently throughout the entire 16 seconds feels like too much, especially since the rest of the video. If there were intersperses of other clips, it would be nicer. The only other time a long clip is used is near the end with the dance in the Lake of Despair, but it's interspersed with some effects to make it feel more broken up. Also, it's more dynamic than simply Duck crying into the pond/lake here. The lake scene has no words accompanying either, so the lingering scene is even further justified. At this point, though, it feels like it was just set to the side and never gotten back to.
I do like the usage of Tutu interchangeably with Duck, though, especially with Fakir restraining her a bit. It's a different context with the song, of comfort and worry rather than restraint, but it still fits nicely.
I love the bit around 1:25-29, the exchanging of Rue's and Duck's pictures in her daydream. It really shows how she knows it's futile, but she still believed in it. And how it's still extremely saddening to see it change.
"But you crawled beneath my veins/ And now I don't care" - I really like this, because it's so true. It shows both Duck's quick-to-anger side (although Fakir really doesn't help that in general), and her selflessness. She truly doesn't mind/care that Mytho's moved on from her, that she isn't his choice. But it still affects her, it still hurts her, and she can't ignore that. The bit where she's going to throw the pendant away is really poignant about this. "I'm torn." Got that right.
1:55-58 = Wow. Yes. Illusion of both Mytho and herself as Tutu. The perfect imagery, daydream, illusion. And then herself as Duck. But no... that never happened. And it's hard on her.
Yes, Fakir, you're always late. GEEZ.
Juxtaposition of her dance with Mytho as Princess Tutu, and (in a little bit) her dance with Fakir as herself, as Duck.... gaaahhhh. It's gorgeous~ It focuses on how Mytho was there, but not really, and how she wanted it so bad, but it never worked. AND THEN FAKIR. ;w; (see my notes above for how this long scene actually doesn't get monotonous)(other than, you know, being this scene)
The ending is cute~ :3 Not the perfect ending exactly, it feels a bit abrupt to just switch over to them walking away, but it's still nice.


Overall Rating: 8/10

Fakir - Devastation and Reform

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "Devastation and Reform" by Relient K
Lyrics: azlyrics
Theme: Fakir & his struggles
Spoilers: Yes

Review: This is an excellent choice of song for Fakir, not only for its lyrics but for its energy. It's bursting at the seams, but yet still stays within rhythm, even when it shifts tone. It's a beautiful fit.
I'm also really impressed with the introduction. While the opening music to the song is immediately high energy, and maintains it fairly readily, it's difficult to get video to do the same. It's possible to not do so and still have it fit well, but this creator managed to get consistent cuts in a timely manner for nearly the entire intro, which is a crazy accomplishment! Not only because of the timing involved, but the fact that pretty much all the clips are different yet all very pertinent. The one drawback is that with such speed involved, it's kind-of hard to be able to recognize all of the clips, even after numerous watchings, but that doesn't really diminish the effect of it.
As it gets to the first chorus, I realize that yeah, Fakir does create a lot of problems. He's not the only one that's causing problems, and he does have plenty of other problems besetting him, but his anger and 'protection' do more damage than help as Mytho's getting his heart back. So yeah, destroying everything I love is a pretty apt description for Fakir in the first season. And then he gives himself that label/mantra in the second season, so again, it fits really well~ (Ok so he gives himself that label from the very beginning [aka his parents/Mytho] but it's less subverted in the second season.)
From 1:04-1:14 ish though, I'm a bit confused. It looks good, but I'm not seeing the correlation between lyrics and video that the rest of the video maintains. I can make a slight connection at how he's trying to restart/'reconstruct' his thoughts about Tutu, but... that's all I can gather. :/
The following epicness with the Ghost Knight is great, though. It really captures the essence of the song and Fakir's fears all together very nicely!
The following bit regards Fakir realizing that it's probably not the safest plan for him to go after this 'story,' but he will anyway, with zeal. Which he entirely does. And the usage of Fakir and Kraehe's first fight with the sword is a pretty good choice. It's arranged well, and is a good story reference point because this is where Fakir decides that the story's moving and he's going to do something about it. I personally think that it would have been good to use the ice lake swordfight bits here too, as that's when Fakir decides to go suicidal with his intensity, even against the story. But the clips chosen also go well with the next bit with windows and Kraehe.
Speaking of which, that was very well chosen! Kraehe and Duck are both problems for Fakir, annoyances that he can't be bothered to deal with but he has to. Even though both of them are kind-of essential to everything happening.
Also, I love the phrase "I feel like I was born/ for devastaion and reform/" paired with Fakir's fight with evil!Mytho. That has got to eat at Fakir afterwards. He's been spending his whole life doing what exactly? Protecting the Prince. And what's happened now? The Prince is evil. Crap. Can't protect him from himself.
And then... Duck... no comment needed. ;w;
*sigh* I love the interlude bit. Paired with Fakir's journey with the tree is perfect. Gives me chills and a slightly constricted throat every time~ (especially at the "failure is a blessing in disguise" part, as he falls to his possible death. And so many other failures, like being unable to protect the Prince, or defeat the Crow, or simply survive, or.... Gaaahhh.) And then, finally, the 'reconstruction' of his heart is fulfilled as he comes back to Tutu's voice, to Duck. He's finally been able to recognize that yes, he's had problems, but that doesn't mean he can't go through more and succeed.
The following build-up with being forced to write by Drosselmeyer is great. It's appropriately tense, because both the audience and Fakir are all "NOOOOOOOO" but there's nothing to be done, and then BAM! With the musical halt, comes a stop to the tragedy. (or at least realization thereof and then implementation)
The following craziness about near the end is beautifully put. Fakir's realized his complex about himself, and that he needs to move past it, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. He still has problems protecting, implementing, ensuring safety. But he keeps trying.
And the rewind is a great way to end it. Reminding him that he has so much more than "what I had when I first started."
The very end, though, with the flashes between their dances (with both Duck and Tutu), I'm left a little confused. It looks great, and the timing is wonderful. But... what's the connection? If it's still the flashback, then when he was talking to her as Tutu it was still a strong emotion, and it wasn't the same as the acceptance when they were dancing in the Lake of Despair. But I don't think that it's a big enough disparity to make the appropriate sentiment that the rest of the flashbacks have been. It would have been better to use the Sleeping Beauty scene, I think, or something else showing how much things have changed.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Memories

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "Memories" by Within Temptation
Lyrics: metrolyrics
Theme: Post-series story video: Fakir trying to bring Duck/Tutu back. Youtube description has full 'story' (tis short)
Spoilers: Yes

Review: First off, beautiful song choice. And with the little mini-fic/explanation, it fits wonderfully! (and the story is very plausible, too!)
Ok, brief overview of story: Duck gets killed post-series, and Fakir feels horrible. He writes about her, his memories rousing his muse. Then, Tutu awakens in a story, and as she looks around, remembers Fakir and everything that's happened. She worries about Fakir, and Fakir senses it. Fakir then proclaims his love; she hears him, and combined they have enough power to bring her through the 4th wall to him! (similar to the first time, but he's given her life again this round) (and the creator's description is nicer)
One, it's a rather clever idea that tells a future story while still using canon footage. Two, it is told very effectively. Even before I completely understood the fiction, I saw the video (I know, bad person for not reading the description first) and loved it. Greater understanding just increases that love~
Onwards now! The beginning of the entire video is evocative; the sadness and regret are practically palpable. The scenes chosen for Fakir's memories of Duck/Tutu make sense, and fit well with the tone of the music. I like the POV witch with the second verse, and the scenes chosen are put together just as well as the first ones. The parallel of "silent tears" between Fakir and Duck/Tutu is quite nice too. And then... the pair of them, calling out to each other... It's just fantastic.
Effects-wise, I really like the black & white use for memories vs color for present, although there are a few times I wasn't entirely sure if it stuck with that. It wasn't horribly distracting, though, or even something I noticed until numerous re-watches later. The timing is pretty good, and nothing feels overdone or rushed.
This isn't an analysis video, nor does it delve too much into what occurred in the series. But it's not supposed to. It's a story after the ending, reliving bits and pieces from the original but not dwelling on them excessively. It's a beautiful little piece that I really enjoy, although a bit in a different way than many Tutu videos. The story nature fits well with its source. Interestingly enough, I see this more as a fanfiction than a typical AMV, and so I feel like the rating is in a different category. (kind-of like the dark AU video earlier) So while I feel I can only rate this a 10, I also feel its a different level of 10 than the previous video (A Raven's Pride). It has something to do with the fanfiction-ness...
Hm. Alright; from now on, AU videos or ones more like fanfiction than commentary or more typical AMVs will have a different rating system. Still 1-10, but with FF in front of it. My reviews for those will be more focused on the story they tell than the video effects/portrayal, but that will still be a major component of how it is rated. That's how it's supposed to come across, after all.
And if I'm just being randomly persnikity and nonsensical, let me know. I want to actually be helpful, not just have annoying text distracting you from the video.

Overall Rating: FF 10/10

The Crow, The Owl And The Dove

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: 'The Crow, The Owl, and The Dove" by Nightwish
Lyrics: nightwish.com
Theme: series analogy with the song
Spoilers: Yes

Review: This was an excellent song choice. I really loved the symbolism, the song tune, and overall theme.
Kraehe, Drosselmeyer, Adel/Uzura, Tutu... wonderful matches to their associated bird. And I love that they're all 'extra' - they have things to share, to give, but Duck and Fakir need none of it. They have their own paths to create, their ways to make, without taking from anyone else. (albeit it's kind-of an incomplete metaphor, since they give to the others, and all of them are technically 'needed', but you know what, it's poetic. :3)
There were some clips where it felt like they were simply put in for singular shots of the character, rather than any other particular purpose, which was a bit at odds with other clip choices. But it wasn't a huge detriment to the video.
The effects were used quite nicely. The layering is done well, although sometimes it felt like a bit much for the scene/clip/context. Other times, you really had to look hard for the layering, and it was almost distracting, but still worked well enough.
Overall this was a great video, although there were some places not necessarily rough, but could have been better. I think it's a great montage put together for the series with the song~

Overall Rating: 8/10

Erutan Sally's Song

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "Sally's Song" by Danny Elfman; sung/arranged by Erutan (katethegreat19) (originally from the movie 'The Nightmare Before Christmas')
Lyrics: stlyrics
Theme: Duck/Tutu and Mytho (mostly Tutu)
Spoilers: No

Discovery: I love The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Princess Tutu. It was only a matter of time before I found a version of this I liked a lot.

Review: Sally's Song is the perfect one-sided ballad for a character like Princess Tutu/Duck, in terms of forlorn fatalism as well as a moderate waltz-like tempo. However, the while I love the original song, it doesn't quite fit with the atmosphere of Princess Tutu. But this version completely changes that. Erutan's arrangement with ethereal chimes and haunting echos just fits perfectly with this anime. It's beautiful to see them paired so well together!
The editing is great, though. The work with the clips chosen is wonderful. There's not a lot of flashiness or unneeded breaks/blinks. The simplicity of  the song and the clips themselves are left to do the communicating, with effects simply acting as enunciations.
The choices of clips varies in quality. Sometimes, it's really nice to see the lyrics and clips match up. Other times, they just don't mesh all that well. Now if the singing wasn't as obvious or central to the overall tune and tone, I think not aligning them would work better. Or even if the feeling of randomness simply happened less frequently with the current version, I would like it better. As it is, though, the video varied just a bit too much to connect as much with the song as I thought it was capable of. So while very pretty and nice, it didn't resonate with any deep chords.
I do like that the video focused on the first 'season' though (up til episode 13). Especially with the very last bit. That could have gone so many ways, but the clip chosen was very fitting for the atmosphere already established.

Overall Rating: 6/10