Even at anime conventions that celebrate the special art and storytelling from Japan that is beloved worldwide, there are few chances for the creative forces to meet who originate the series and then translate them into English. That's why the Princess Tutu event at an otherwise quiet Ushiko's Block Party was so special. From left to right on the back row are dub director Jin Ho Chung; Naoki Yanagi, the Japanese voice of Mythos; Nanae Katoh, the Japanese voice of Ahiru, Princess Tutu's lead character; and Ikuko Itoh, the manga artist who originated the series. Dub actors are on the front row, including Christine Auten, Jay Hickman, Jessica Boone, Luci Christian, the dub voice of Duck, and Chris Patton. Regardless of language or background, this group agreed that the lead character, whether you use the Japanese "Ahiru" or the English "Duck," was their most favorite from the series. And for those who wonder why the ADV Films dub of the series uses "Duck" instead of the Japanese word, Chung had the explanation. First, the neverworld where Tutu takes place uses mostly German and European-sounding names and phrases, and the Japanese "Aihru" would sound out of place. Second, "Duck" works better in English language jokes and puns than "Aihru."

Urged on by Hickman, Christian and Katoh had a "quack-off" where they traded their character's duck sounds. More seriously, they spoke about the challenges offered by a lead role that comes with three personalities. "This was an unique experience," said Christian. "As I do most things, I stumbled into a lovely time. I had to audition, and when I was cast I thought, `a nice paycheck.'" It wasn't until after the first session that Christian, under Chung's direction, started to warm to the role. "The director allows a lot of creativity, and this was very much a co-creative effort - we had a lot of freedom. I've voiced a lot of anime and I haven't felt like I had to be a great actor, but on this show I felt challenged. It's the only show where I wish I could have gone back and done things differently." When Christian noted that she had to audition for the role, she was referring to a revelation made by Katoh, the role's Japanese originator, who said she did not have to audition for the part. That's because Itoh, the series' manga creator, chose Katoh for the role. The artist said she  made the decision long before Tutu was animated; she heard Katoh's voice, decided it was perfect for Ahiru and urged her to make sure her voice didn't change in the years it took to start producing the animated version. "I wanted to express a pure feeling," said Katoh. "I didn't think about things, I just acted." Katoh was asked about the hardest part of playing the role, and said the most difficult lines came when the duck transformed from a girl and into Princess Tutu. "When the sentences are very long as Princess Tutu, I had to struggle with the way she was thinking," Katoh said. "Me, too," Christian responded.

Dub actors aren't usually chosen for their similarity to the original Japanese voices; differences in the cultural meaning of female voices often mean that an English-speaking female actor has a lower-pitched voice than her Japanese counterpart. But the Japanese Tutu creators were impressed with how much Christian's performance sounded like Katoh's. The Tutu series was a long time coming - ten years from the creation of the manga to the end of the animated series, Itoh said. Despite all of the time and effort needed to create the Tutu universe and being it to animation, that kind of series can be lost in the flood of animated series that air on Japanese TV. Itoh said it can feel as if there are too many animated series on the air and viewers can feel obliged to watch every one of them. That's one of the reasons that the Japanese Tutu crew was so heartened to see that American fans, in what might feel like an out-of-the-way part of the world, love the show and its characters. Yanagi tried to return that love by reading Mythos' line "Tutu, I'm here for you" at the end of the presentation. Katoh tried to follow suit, but broke into laughter when it was her turn; "I'm so nervous," she giggled.