Swan Bows & Arrows

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "The Crimson Bow and Arrow" (Guren no Yumiya) by Linked Horizon
Lyrics: (Jap. & Eng.) animelyrics
Theme: Series trailer/Attack on Titan mimic
Spoilers: No

Review: First off, I have to say that I've never seen Attack on Titan nor even the opening, so I cannot give any feedback on how well that particular comparison was accomplished. If anyone else has and can give feedback, I'd love to hear how well it worked. Because everything else about this is already barking awesome.
Since I first saw this video, I thought it was an epic promotional trailer for Princess Tutu, and I still think it fits that category. There aren't any spoilers because of the rapidity of the clips and tone (despite blatant use ending episodes' stuff), but the speed doesn't overwhelm you to the point of discomfort - it just blows your mind and lets you consider the pieces. XD
The opening is beautiful, jumps right into the heat of things (I mean you see the Raven!), and yet takes you back to the beginning. The sequence 'recapping' how the Prince lost his heart is excellently placed and executed. Even without knowing what's happened, you can easily guess. And then Princess Tutu is shown as the radiant swan maiden, establishing her as a central character. And then there's Fakir, shown in hesitancy and donning the cloak. Such ambiguity, uncertainty; so very fitting~ The heart shard with the claw is an excellent presentation as well, and the musical break at that point is gripping!
And then, suddenly characters! All over the place! But they seem to fit together fantastically! The montage is put together splendidly, and is enough to get you very intrigued but not enough to give anything away. And Drosselmeyer, smiling while he oversees everything. Great.
I really love the use of the sword fight scenes as well, especially put so close together! It's exciting, for both newcomers and regular fans, and brings up so many parallels that might have been missed if you know the show already.
And then the ending. Just enough solidity to give you your feet back underneath you, but you're still wobbling by the time it's over. The entire video just kind-of slams you with awesome, and then hands you the pieces back at the end so you can contemplate on your experience.
And then even looking over the lyrics (in translation), the words work excellently. It's more of an abstract interpretation to fit well, but it doesn't take a whole lot of effort for that. And then, of course, just listening to the Japanese in general I find gorgeous~
One of the most impressive things I find about this video, other than the epic use of music and clips, is how it shares so very much without giving anything at all away! I mean, not even Kraehe is revealed, even though she's seen fairly frequently! It's fantastic!!
I would definitely recommend using this video as one of the introductory videos to get others interested, although giving the disclaimer that the series doesn't have as much action in it as this video would suggest. It's all in there, but spread out over more than just a minute and a half. XD And, of course, just watching it for its epicness is always an option!

Overall Rating: 10/10

(note: I've been absent because real life sometimes demands more of me than I anticipated. Or at least I expect more of me than I should. Sometimes both. <w<' )

Carol of the Bells

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: Carol of the Bells (piano version) - EDIT: likely the version by George Winston (as per the creator)
Theme: dance throughout the series/series teaser
Spoilers: No (no context given)

Review: I love this song, and this version is especially well chosen for this series. The focus on dance is exquisitely executed, and flows gorgeously throughout~
Ballet and instrumental music like this just go well together; Princess Tutu just goes right along with it. The piano music highlights a simplicity that the show puts forth, like a fairytale. Sweet and innocent, simple to identify. But then there are background flourishes, accents of emotion, tunes twirling together. It's a blend of all these things, so that something supposedly simple becomes intricate, complex, and even more beautiful.
The scenes chosen are never 'filler'; they all have a purpose, they all say something. One of my favorite parts is from 1:19-1:24, where parallels between Rue and Duck are just striking. There are many other dance parallels pointed out as well, such as in some of the clips before with Mytho/Rue and Fakir/Duck (1:07-1:18 specifically). I love the overlays, the poignancies with the piano's rhythm... And the beginning/ending flourishes with the shoes from the opening narrations just set it all off perfectly.
I feel like the video will probably mean more to those who have already seen the show, but this is a pretty good video to show friends who are (or will be) interested in watching. There isn't any real context given, other than a lot of ballet and that certain characters dance together at some point. While it isn't the most exciting video, and so may not be the best for those who want a flurry of action and suspense, it is a good exhibition of the beautiful dancing involved, and the amount of dedication the creators put into the show. It also shows different sides of all the characters without really attributing anything permanent to them. For those of us who have watched it all, specifics will be quick to recall and enchanting to watch again. For those who haven't, this is a great introduction to the possible intricacies awaiting~

Overall Rating:10/10