Anime: Princess Tutu

I'm in the middle of watching the anime Princess Tutu for the second time. It's good, but not quite as good as I'd remembered it. One problem with it is the protagonist's "friends" Pike and Lilie. The same-sex "friends" of the protagonist who do nothing but annoy and obstruct him or her is are a cliche of anime, and while they're intended as comic relief, usually they only annoy the viewer as well. Pike and Lilie were actually funny at first, but having now watched them for twenty episodes, they're irritating as heck. It occurs to me that it might be better to watch one episode of Princess Tutu a week, as I originally watched it, and as it was first broadcast. That would probably reduce the feeling of repetitiveness that arises from watching a bunch of episodes in a row. And Pike and Lilie would certainly be less irritating when taken in small doses.