Part of Your World

All you who love stories, gather round....

Song: "Part of Your World" (The Little Mermaid) by Disney
Lyrics: stlyrics
Theme: Duck wishing to be a girl
 Spoilers: Yes

Review: This is a great concept, and albeit I've not seen a lot of adaptions of this song, I think this one was rather well done! It's cute and sincere, and the visual and audio work together well.
The point of view of Duck mainly as a duck is nice to see. Erm, maybe that sounds weird. It's usual for everyone to accept that she's a duck, but it's not usual to see that as a focus, or at least done nicely as here. I mean... *sigh* Her longing to be a human girl, whether Tutu or not, is really palpable in this video. And it's so her. It's beautiful~ and kind-of sad at the same time ;w;
I also really like how the emphasis is on dancing itself, on simply being a human to dance, to be a part of a group. While Mytho is a main part of that, he's not the focus. He is a part. And she gets so close! The pendant, everything... the video clips work very well with matching the emotions and inquisitive nature of the words.
Especially as you near the end of the first song, around 1:40-ish. The hopelessness... ;_; It's very well partnered. It grips your heart, as it should.
Then the transition to the second song is done really well! Both clip-wise and audio-wise. And it's gorgeous how Fakir is the one who shows her that she has become part of that world, she has earned the right to be human, to have friends like him and dance. And that he will make sure she stays part of the world, his world.
I will say that as it ended, the video clips of Duck & Fakir got a bit much... I don't know - they were good to use for the sentiment, but they were piled a bit too close together, too quickly, and it felt like they were just putting them in for the fact that Duck & Fakir were shown together. While that's not bad, for one thing the scenes used are very poignant, and they lose a bit of that when just put together. Secondly, they didn't have the same effort behind them as the rest of the video. So on its own, the end may have been an average montage-type thing, but with everything else before it, it's just rather disappointing and a bit confusing.
I will say it is a cute video. It's not heart-wrenching or anything, but it does touch you in a delicate way that makes you feel warm afterwards. I really like the majority of the video, and it's fun to watch and make the comparison. But the ending throws things off a bit.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Caged Devotion

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "Prisoner of Love" by Utada Hikaru
Lyrics: animelyrics & metrolyrics (also in video)
Theme: Rue/Mytho, Rue's POV
Spoilers: Yes
Source: animemusicvideos  (note: better quality video if you watch it in 'preview,' if you have an account there)

Review: ;w; Rueeeeee....
*ahem*
This is a very well made video. It... it fits with Rue, so well, so... practically perfectly! The music is a steady beat that I can see her dancing to (metaphorically and not), the words share her heart's fears and strains... It's beautiful.
"Feeling loneliness, being in pain, it's not so bad; I'm just a prisoner of love." Rue deals with this. Every. Day. Especially after Mytho starts regaining his heart. It only gets worse, but she stays. She fights to stay, even though it hurts her. "I've chosen an unforseeably painful path/ and you came to support me." ... I don't even know how to list all the ways this works. There are just so many.
And... and then there's the "Since you came into my life..." and "I've loved you since that day" with little Rue! The parts are beautifully aligned, and so true...
"Don't you ever leave me."
If that doesn't scream "Rue," then I don't know what does. She's had to deal with her 'Father' threatening to abandon her or eat her at every corner, his placid soothings of love only used as a reward system to get her to do what he wants. Mytho's the only one she's been able to count on, consistently, for practically her entire life. And she tries desperately to hang onto him when his emotions start tearing him away.
"Loneliness and Pain/ I thought I could deal with them..."
Those lines, in conjunction with the horror and realization that she can't handle this, but she also can't control it...  And that Mytho is practically beyond her help...! Gah! Heartstrings!
"Stay with me./ Say you love me."
Rue uses those last words, in so many scenarios. But by this point, it's a desperate cry. It's a plea, through tears and grief and agony as she sees him moving beyond her grasp...
And then ending with her dance in the Depths of Despair, thinking on Tutu & Mytho, losing so much... ;_;
Ok, I think it's established that I love this video for its concept. And execution. But I also have to praise the editing work! It's fantastic! The clips always fit together so well, and the transitions are wonderful! Sometimes the blackout-flashes do become a bit much, though. It's a nice theme to repeat throughout with the beat, but there were times when I couldn't quite fit them with much of anything musically, and it almost felt distracting. But the rest of the video and content pretty much made up for it.

Overall Rating: 9/10

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<' )

L'Assasymphonie

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "L'Assasymphonie" (or "The Assassinate Symphony") by Mozart L'Opera Rock
Lyrics: (orig and transl) lyrictranslate
Theme: Autor (and jealousy)
Spoilers: No (lack of context if it's not already known)

Review: This. All of this. *gestures* YES.
I have to admit that this was the first time I heard this song, and I LOVE the song, so there is a wee bit of bias. BUT it and the video together are just fantastical, and that's what I'm commenting on here. I will endeavor to say what I can about this amazingtastical video, but again today I am limited on the amount of time I have, so I'll get going!
First off: That intro. Beautiful setup. It's a bit questionable in the first few seconds, but it just draws you in and within 20 seconds you have the entire premise of the tone, feelings, characters, etc. It's gorgeous.
The interspersing of talking and such with Autor's stalking is great. Really sets a 'hold-it-in-yet-ready-to-burst' feel, and the music/talking draws you in. And his utter joy at Fakir's frustrations... Throughout the video! Always gives me chills. Alwaaayyysss. And looking up the lyrics just makes it more epic! "I dedicate my nights/ to the assasymphony/ To requiems/ killing by frustration/... I confess I curse/ all those who love each other." Interspersed with the happy faces of all who are enamored with Fakir, or at least are fans... Mraaahh. Fantastical.
Then the next verse. Drosselmeyer. Even if you don't know the words, it's obvious that he's taunting Autor. A lot. And it gets to Autor. And then, he throws water on the pedigree chart, which he pretty much reveres for the connections it shows with Drosselmeyer. The words give even more light on this: "I deny/ the fatal heresy/ Which gnaws at my soul/" Immediately following, his confrontation with the bookstore owner is "I want to be reborn/ To be reborn." O___o Goodness symbolism and overlapping! I just... wow. That's epic.
And then.......... There's the... assassination of Fakir. ._. Yes. It is beautifully exemplified, the watch-checking is just like Autor, and... and... *spaz*
Then. Theeeen there's Drossy again. Muttering and being the voice in the back of Autor's head. But it's also Autor muttering to himself. And the lyrics are analogies with music, and very well done! How things seem wrong, off... Perhaps the scene with Fakir resisting Autor is a flashback or something.
Becuase then! Then we get to a part where Autor is rescuing Fakir~! Like he had second thoughts about the assassination! Or, since we see writing, perhaps Autor wrote something that actually changed things so that Fakir would live...? I don't even know.
BUT THEN. He leads Fakir into the place, and he's got crows waiting for him!! Like another assassination! Or attack or something!
But then, after a while, even though Fakir collapses, Autor lets Duck in to see him... Perhaps he's not entirely dead, just really beat up because Autor wanted revenge/to take out anger on him in some fashion. Or... maybe he didn't make it...? I can't tell. Both are crazy and awesome and just-
And then Drossylmeyer. It has to end with him. Laughing. *wide-eyed-serious-face*

Ok, so when I get frantic, especially about things I enjoy, I type more. But really. And real quick, as if the video in and of itself weren't enough, the effects/clip usage was FAN-BARKING-TASTICAL. Really. The color changes made connections yet were still slightly confusing, but in a good way that makes me want to sit down and watch it repeatedly to figure out what the meaning was or if I'm missing a deeper portion. And how everything led to one another... and just... Grah. I love this. A lot.
<3
(and just for future reference, most every one of the videos that this creator puts up is of similar quality. Those will probably get similar rants of awesome.)

Overall Rating: FF 10/10 (and normal 10/10 too, I'd think)

Hero

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "Hero" by Skillet
Lyrics: azlyrics
Theme: Autor/Duck, Fakir/Rue
Spoilers: No

Review: This is a very interesting video, mostly for me because I'd never heard of the Autor & Duck pairing before finding this video. Now I will have to say that, even with the video, it's not really something I can see very easily. Nor is Fakir & Rue for me, but it's at least more plausible. Although that's mostly because of a personal headcannon of mine that they're actually related... But that doesn't talk for the quality of the video.
I love this song. And it's actually rather good for the series, too. For the topic of pairings, I think it fits with Fakir & Rue fairly well - both of them are desperately trying to be their own heroes, superhumans (and sometimes partially succeeding), but never are quite enough. The need another person, they need help. I really love the overlays with Fakir and the knight symbolism, how he tries to be that but he's not. The parts with the oak tree are aptly placed, too. And then Rue, who just tries everything within her power... and it's still not enough.
With Autor and Duck, I can see the saving on Duck's side a little bit, but it's not as nicely fitted. There is a bit of a nice piece near the middle where it seems Fakir's about to get onto Autor regarding Duck, but then she (or Autor?) convinces him otherwise... It took me a few times to catch it, though.
I also kind-of like the ending. I have to say kind-of, because it also confuses me. I don't really know what's happening, or being conveyed. But it's put together well enough that I still like it.
That brings me to the overall video compilation. Tis very well put together! Despite my hesitancy regarding the theme, I still enjoy this video. The timing is great, and the effects are generally used very well. There does seem to be an abundance of effects, though, like the creator was almost having too much fun with them, but it still works pretty well overall.
I enjoy this video. It puts forth some different pairings pretty well, and it makes the clips work for the song/vise versa.
Sorry, but I'm running short on time so that' all I can say!

Overall Rating: 6/10

[A/S] Pas de Deux

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "Lune Noir" by Sonitus Vir
Theme: Unknown|N/A
Spoilers: Yes (mild; out of context)
Awards: Honorable Mention in the Anime America's AMV Contest 2012

Review: I think this is an interesting video! I like it, but there are some parts that just throw me off too much to really allow a full endorsement/comprehension of the video. That, and there's no overall theme. While it looks pretty and fun, the lack of a theme or even overarching focus puts me off.
The beginning is great and attention-getting. I do like the sudden throw-you-into-the-fray quality of the music, and the usage of the prologue story elements is great. From about :25-:45, though, it seems a bit hectic. The timing with the music is pretty darn close, but the utter frequency and craziness of it feels a little much. I could probably handle it better if it were the only piece like that, but then it comes again at 1:45-2:05 ish. That is crazy random throw-this-together-ness. Timing was there... somewhere... The music was a similar pace as the others, but the clips just went aaaall over the place. *sigh* Maybe I'm being finicky since it is such a 'small' part, but the insane energy imparted in those little bits affects the whole video. I mean at 1:00-05, it was crazy music, but the theme of Kraehe and Mytho was still being carried. It was a bit hard to distinguish at first, but it was there.
The song itself is good, though, and the rest of the video is fantastic! Far be it to say that I didn't like the music so that's why I don't like the editing at those particular parts - it was just that it threw me off quite a bit. I mean the video started as seemingly a dance tribute in general, but then.... it just throws everything at you. Well, almost everything. Sort of. It's hard to tell, because of the speed of changes and lack of context.
But it's pretty~ :3
Back to the slower portions: they are gorgeous. Part of it is the fact that the clips were used more coherently together and with the music. Part of it may be that it was a little slower. Mostly, I think it was because they had themes! Or at least topics. Rue, Duck/Tutu, Kraehe/Mytho... Being able to single out something that unified the parts, even just to themselves, was great. Perhaps it's in contrast to the chaos of the faster parts that I also love these parts so much...
Overall, it's a crazy, random video that is good to watch for most parts, but don't expect to come away with much except a general: "That was really cool! .... But what was it?" I like it, but I still can't explain exactly why or what about it. And then there are the irritating parts. But I still will watch it repeatedly~ XD

Overall Rating: 7/10

At the Beginning

All you who love stories, gather round...

Song: "At the Beginning" (from Anastasia) by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx
Lyrics: azlyrics
Theme: Fakir and Duck, Fakiru
Spoilers: Yes

Review: This song has a wonderful theme that is fantastic to see put to such great use as in this video!
At the beginning of the first chorus, there's the desires to continue with life from when Tutu/Duck was stuck in Drosselmeyer's world. "Life is a road that I wanna keep going"; no matter what you say, Drosselmeyer! I think the thing I like best is how beginnings are highlighted, and the journey through them (lyric-wise and with footage); even though they've been through a lot, and things seem to be over, there's so much more yet ahead~ <3 I also really love the bridge verse and the following chorus (about 2:04-55); it goes through their relationship so well, or at least reviews it wonderfully.
Now, I do think that the overlaying was used a bit much. It was all to good effect, and sometimes more powerfully than others, but I think points could have been made simply by putting sequences around each other, not always overtop of one another. Also, while many of the clips were used in excellent points, lyrically and musically, there were a few places that just kind-of felt like filler. (Ex: 1:40-48, 3:04-12, 1:20-27) Not that it was bad filler; but it was filler.
So overall, I really enjoy this video. It's a great song for the couple, and in fact a great song for the series in general! Beginnings, journeys, unexpected turns... And the editing is really nicely used most of the time. I'd recommend this to a fan of the couple, but I'm not sure it'd exactly convince anyone not already on the bandwagon~ :3 (although it'd do a pretty nice go at it)

Overall Rating: 8/10