Ranked #908

Ashita no Nadja

Ashita no Nadja feels like a collaboration of the general foundations from the stories Anastasia the Russian Princess and Robin Hood, set about 100 years ago, with the occasional dances and trolling over Europe amongst other things. This anime is a rough diamond and it’s a shame not as many people have seen it as one may like.

The story involves the backdrop of Nadja trying to find her mother. As she travels with a troupe of entertainers she encounters many different personalities, stories, dances and gains clues on who her mother maybe. The story is also comprised of many testing factors for Nadja such as friendships, betrayals, love triangles, greed, noblesse oblige and loss- all of which keep the episodes interesting and entertaining until the very end. The story really develops and gains pace after episode 35 though, before that’s its mostly character building.

The animation is the only technical aspect in my opinion which is a slight let down but after a while I got used to it- maybe that’s how it was intended to be; to be unique from the other animés?

The characters are charming in their own way. Expect some vile female characters though and some dodgy suspicious men. Most of the characters have at least an episode to themselves but of course development is more one the main ones than the supporting characters.

It was an enjoyable series for me. The comedy isn’t hilarious but the romance is nice. I was moved towards the end and I never expected that to happen! It’s a good watch: Ashita no Nadja ~ read more

a modern television masterpiece is what this show is. very few television shows, let alone longer than 13 episodes, are so well built, thought out and whole as this one and to top it all even the animation and sound production values are on a par with today's standards.

a very recommended show to everyone, and a must watch for lovers of epic dramas, romances and adventure.

Nadja is a young orphan girl who sets out of her orphanage to seek her family origins around europe of the early 20th century, armed only with her mother's party gown, journal and heart shaped brooch. she joins a traveling performance group and mutually falls in love with a young nobleman whom she meets along the way.

Nadja's personal and private journey is about to end up as an affair to fascinate all of europe, royalty and working class alike. but two steps back - as opposed to the later half of the series, it begins in a rather light note which seems to be radiating, easy going, cheerful and impossibly optimistic - all flows out of the titular character's beliefs and way of view.

some of those episode might be misleading as the show's main core is very hard, almost ruthless intense drama. some viewers might need to hold themselves down while the show sets up its world and premise, but they would be rewarded beyond compare.

the writers, and voice actress Ami Koshimizu, made an excellent work with fleshing out Nadja's character. i found her fascinating and a character to look up to, she is very strong willed, brave, thoughtful, humble and kind hearted. i was surprised at how deeply her ideals and beliefs are tested and challenged as the series progresses.

while Nadja is the most examined character throughout the show, she is accompanied by an impressively large cast of unique characters from different countries, social classes and economic levels.

there are almost no stock characters or stereotypes, each background character stands by its own right and almost all of them are being treated as seriously as a main character in a every other show. they have strong dilemmas and a distinctive take on life, they easily receive amazing closures, conclusions and catharsis.

other than the excellent writing, the direction is also very precise. each frame is carefully crafted and there's an impressive weight to light, shadows, colors and compositions. Takuya Igarashi (Ouran High School Host Club, Soul Eater) is the one to be thankful for and now everything he touches is automatically in my watchlist.

to sum it up i can not stress enough how amazing this show is and how important it is for it to be more known and popular. if you're thinking even a little about trying it out then by all means GO FOR IT.

thanks for reading, and enjoy your journey.




read more