This was a lovely introduction to the world of Annelise, brimming with tender heartfeltness. The music box is slightly melancholic and sentimental, suiting the game perfectly. The way the illustrations are set up is very storybook-like, but the illustrations themselves are incredibly vibrant, brimming with colors that are very "celestial," like a nebula. They really evoke a romantic, hopeful feeling, especially with the pink-tinged pictures against the dark, starry sky. I appreciated the use of NOVL mode as well, as it suited the game and lent more to the storybook-style.
While the narrative stays true to the Cinderella tale, I think it builds on it in a meaningful manner, offering rich characterization to both leads. Instead of the prince saving Cinderella from her life of abuse, Cinderella (Annelise) recognizes the prince's own suffering - his own cage of responsibilities. Despite being on polar opposite ends of the social spectrum, they're both just people trapped by their circumstances.
The phrasing "beyond the fairy tale" refers to how they both look beyond each other's "roles" to see each other for who they truly are - as humans, as people. They both start off "in the fairytale" (with Henri wondering what story Annelise is from, and Annelise likening Henri to a fairytale prince), before, at the end, wishing to go "beyond." Annelise imagines a fairytale prince, and she finds him, but at the same time she also recognizes his vulnerabilities, the parts of him that make him not very fairytale-like at all. Similarly, Henri wants to save Annelise, but not because she's a damsel, but because he recognizes her desire to be free. It's touching that, despite their own respective woes, they're both wholly focused on one another (Annelise especially gosh this girl does not have time to be worrying about the prince right now).
The symbolism of the glass slipper was ESPECIALLY clever! The slipper, at the end of the day, is a symbol of Annelise's continued "captivity," a facade that she used to live out the fairytale that she wished for - a fragile shoe that is only suitable for doing a restrained dance in the ballroom, and nothing more. I like how, rather than wanting to fit the shoe to Annelise, Henri wants to break her free from it - to break her free from that limited, fairytale version so that she can finally do what she wishes.
(Edit but I also thought that the development of Annelise's character that you mentioned in the postmortem was absolutely beautifully conveyed here, as she is able to recognize the cruelty of people but still struggles to accept it in the people that she calls her family.)
Overall this was a LOVELY and ABSOLUTELY ROMANTIC experience, and a perfect entry to a perfect jam!!!