Princess Tutu

is a Japanese anime television series created by Ikuko Itoh, and directed by Junichi Sato and Shogo Koumoto. Inspired by ballet and fairy tales, particularly The Ugly Duckling and Swan Lake, the story follows a duck who is transformed into the mythical ballerina Princess Tutu in order to save the shattered heart of a storybook prince come to life. The 26-episodes series was broadcast from August 2002 to May 2003. It was also adapted into a two-volume manga series. Both the manga and anime series were licensed by ADV Films in 2004 for distribution in North America, then by AEsir Holdings; while Sentai Filmworks distributed the Blu-ray release of the anime series, as the latter two are parts of Section23 Films. Plot Once there was a writer named Drosselmeyer, who had the power to make his stories come to life. But he died before he could finish his final tale, The Prince and the Raven, leaving the two title characters locked in an eternal battle. After many years, the Raven managed to break free into the real world, and the Prince pursued him. To seal away the Raven's evil, Prince Siegfried shattered his own heart with his sword, causing him to lose all his memories and emotions.