Nadia - Il mistero della pietra azzurra

I have this in Japanese, English subbed and dubbed and even in French. Slightly different edits for each. A superb show with first class animation, especially in the first episode. Some very slight nudity was removed from several edits (including the French aired shows) and there are some very powerful emotional moments - such as Marie's grief at the loss of her parents. If you can, sit down and enjoy the whole show - it will not leave you untouched. Highly recommended introduction to the real art of Japanese animation. NB: The movie which followed is not so good.

"Nadia: the Secret of Blue Water" (originally called "Fushigi no umi no Nadia", literally translating "Nadia of the Mysterious Seas") is 39 episodes long anime series, which was originally aired in the years 1990-1991. Series primary director was Hideaki Anno, who had previously worked as one of the animators in Hayao Miyazaki's film "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (1984) and who would later direct one of the most successful anime series ever; "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (1995-1996). The story of the series has been inspired by the novels of Jules Verne, especially "20.000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1870). Also Miyazaki's film "Laputa- Castle in the Sky" (1986) has inspired some elements of the story.

Set in the year of 1890, Nadia, an orphaned acrobat girl working in circus, is trying to find a way to get to Africa to look her possible family and origins. While coming to Paris to perform, she is chased by a very Team Rocket- like gang of thieves, who try to steal "Blue Water", a mysterious blue stone Nadia is wearing around her neck. She is helped by Jean, a young inventor boy, who out of good heart decides to help Nadia to get to Africa. While trying to avoid any more contacts with the thieves, Nadia and Jean find themselves in the middle of a secret war between Captain Nemo, a mysterious scientist who lives in his submarine "Nautilus" with his crew, and Gargoyle, a power-mad masked villain. Just what is the secret of "Blue Water" and what is the connection of Nadia to both Nemo and Gargoyle?

When I watched the series I was already well passed the age when the animations with good guys vs. evil world dominating villains were interesting. Yet, "Nadia" is not as simple as it may first look like. The characters are not just two-dimensional but have some real life in them. Especially Nadia's character; who first appears as temperamental and distrusting, but learns to become caring and what she most values in her life, when she nearly looses all. Also, her relationship with Jean is very realistic for a change. Music is captivating and the story telling dynamic. The animation itself is not the best possible quality but it really doesn't bother. Voice actors (I'm talking the original Japanese ones, for I have not heard either of the two English dubs) are doing a great job. Noriko Hidaka (who has done such great anime roles as Akane in "Ranma 1/2", Kikyo in "Inuyasha" and Near in "Death Note") really convinced me that she was voicing a 14 year old boy; Jean. Yoshino Takamori did a great job with temperamental but caring Nadia and Motomu Kiyokawa (Walter in both "Hellsing" and "Hellsing OVA" series) was absolutely chilling as Gargoyle.

Sadly, series does have one terrible down side to it: the filler episodes directed by Shinji Higuchi, that for some unclear reason were demanded in the middle of the series. During those episodes story hardly moved at all, characters loose their interest and almost every minute is spend with some of the worst anime humor ever. These filler episodes are episodes 23-29 and 32-34. Episodes 30-31 are worth seeing for the story actually moves there somewhat and the relationship of Nadia and Jean strengthens there.

If you can forgive some simple animation, unbelievable plot twists and skip the previously mentioned filler episodes, then you have a great and entertaining anime series here, that will keep you interested from the beginning to the end. Warmly recommended.

Possible spoilers ahead.

I don't know what I can possibly say about this phenomenal series that hasn't been said already, but I'm here to try anyway. From the moment I saw a review of this series in Gamefan magazine (rest in peace), I fell in love. I had to see it. I dashed out to the mall and grabbed the first copy I saw. And it grabbed me right back, and would not let me go.

The series uses 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (and to a lesser extent the sequel Mysterious Island) as a jumping point for its own story. It takes place in 1889, and revolves around two teens, Jean, a French boy who wants to change the world with inventions and is the biggest weenie who's ever been the hero of an anime, and Nadia, a circus acrobat and animal trainer who has a magical crystal, the Blue Water, and no clue about where she comes from. During the course of things they embark on an adventure to get to the bottom of Nadia's past, meet Captain Nemo and help to stop a group of people from Atlantis from taking over the world. And I loved every minute of it.

I mean for crying out loud, what kind of mad genius does it take to make episodes on end of adjusting to life on a submarine entertaining? Whatever kind it is, the guys at Gainax had it. Their smarts in storytelling show in other areas too, mainly the finely tuned characters, like the obligatory kid, Marie, who manages to be anything but the obnoxious brat the kid in an anime series almost always is. Nadia's the only short-tempered anime girl I've ever actually liked. The Grandis Gang go from the comically inept antagonists to helpful and resourceful back-up for the other characters once the real menacing villains show up. In the two really big battles of the series it's arguably them who ultimately save the day.

It does warrant mentioning that this show kind of flounders in the middle, owing to a bunch of quickly-proudced episodes that were shoehorned in to pad out the length of the series when it became an unexpected hit. Most of the mid-to-late 20's of Nadia can be skipped without missing anything worth seeing.

If you're an anime fan, want to watch a series with people in it you'll care about, and don't mind being expected to root for a dork like Jean, please do yourself a favor and pick this up. Oh, and do yourself another favor and watch it with the subtitles on. I'm sure Nathan Parsons is a wonderful human being who'd give me the shirt off his back, but a friend of mine actually started laughing out loud at how dumb Jean's voice sounded when we watched it with the English voices.

And before I go, I want affirm what everyone else is saying, that the sequel movie is terrible and should be avoided by fans of the series at all costs. Unless you want to see how badly a story can undermine itself (pretty much every suspense issue is defeated by watching the series epilogue and twenty five minutes straight of the movie is series flashbacks). Otherwise, stay away. You'll thank me.

Before anime characters started sporting gravity defying hair and using freaky psychic powers to subvert the laws of physics, we got a few gems like these. Nadia is one of the most popular series of the 80s and one of the best looking, especially over the first few episodes. The visuals are breathtaking and the action is edge-of-your-seat exciting. The action is driven by exciting stunts and the (then) cutting edge inventions from the age of steam make for wonderfully unpredictable getaway vehicles. The first episode alone has one of the best anime chase scenes of the period, as memorable as anything in Castle Cagliostro, and the excitement keeps up from there. The 'villainous' trio pursuing the main character are my only real complaint with the series; they are meant to be both threatening and comical, but they just come off as goofy and tend to get in the way. The pace also tends to slacken a bit after episode two, but the rest of the series is still worth watching for its likable characters and gorgeous visuals. The first couple of episodes are maybe the best in the series and start things off at a frenetic pace, making for memorable entertainment and good fun.

i bought a package of various bootleg anime series (bad, i know) and spent a few months muddling my way through them all. some were really good (pretear, love hina) some grew on me (macross 7) and some flat-out stunk. (to heart, and ironically, the series for which i bought the bundle, angelic layer) i approached them all with a certain amount of skepticism and nadia was no different. the story takes place in the 1880's and spent its first few minutes placing the viewer within the frame of the times. however, a few minutes later the story introduces the villains/heroes known as the grandis gang and their apparent mastery of a level of technology unavailable now 100 years later. so if anachronisms and anthropomorphisms bug you, nadia won't appeal to you.

as the plot develops, the characters take on depth and voice and you can't help but be charmed. the story becomes complicated and textured and not a little dark. then suddenly the first act closes and the second begins by abruptly changing from a tense drama into a wile e. coyote cartoon. then as soon as you settling into the admittedly funny and loopy island adventures, the series swiftly switches back into its formerly dramatic theme. so if wild swings in tone bug you, nadia won't appeal to you.

can a series flip and twist back and forth between drama and slap-stick comedy and still work? watch nadia for yourself and you be the judge. i found myself forgiving its flaws because it created characters i cared about, who seemed to have the depth to consider who they themselves were and what motivated them. the series lovingly embraces its characters flaws rather then exploiting them. (as was the case in evangelion, also by hideki anno) i forgave the surreality of the plot because it had the profound insight and courage to craft REAL teenagers. (i know a real kid who in his loving teenage cluelessness could have written jean's painfully funny "nadia" song) i especially appreciated the fact that marry's 5-year-old character wasn't nearly as obnoxious as she could have been. nadia could have been done differently, eliminating either its most serious moments or its most ridiculous, but it might not have been the same.

somewhere between the wide swings of our own pendulum is where real life happens.

p.s. there is a movie. it stinks, and adds nothing to anyone or anything in the story. resist the temptation to find it or watch it.