It is rather difficult to find anyone who is a fan of this dub. Even though longtime NADIA fan Marc Hairston covered the making of the dub in an old AniMerica article and was very complimentary of the cast (and he was not alone; others such as NeedCoffee.com, Bryan Henson at AnimeJump, Bryce Coulter at Mania.com, Robert's Anime Corner Store, Allen Divers, and more recently, MARTZ @ the Nottingham Anime & Manga Soceity all gave the dub very positive reviews), other critics were negative, with several declaring it utterly unwatchable. The most primary attack of the dub is the use of accents for the various characters. However, this choice of style actually works IN FAVOR of the show instead of against it. After all, NADIA is a show set in Europe and there are many characters around the world that populate the story. The character who has the thickest accent is Jean, the French teenage inventor who propels the story. I will be honest. The first time I heard his accent, I found it jarring. But after about nine episodes in, it grew on me. Having seen the dub in its entirety and finding myself not even enjoying the Japanese version, I honestly can't imagine Jean without the accent.
That issue aside, what ultimately makes the NADIA dub so engaging are the lively, emotionally engaging performances by everyone involved. In what could very well be a rarity, the children triumvirate of Jean, Nadia, and Marie are all played by kids roughly around the correct age. This adds an intangible touch of realism to the dub that makes it easier to identify with them. As mentioned, Jean's VA has the toughest job, aside from the accent, he has to be genuinely charming, enthusiastic and engaging. The occasional awkward and/or missed line notwithstanding, Nathan Parsons does a great job at bringing out all of these emotions and never holds back. (He gets especially good at around episode 14 or so.) Meg Bauman couldn't have made a better Nadia; she manages all of the character's complex nature and vulnerability like a real pro. She seriously needs to do more voice acting; her Nadia is truly outstanding. Margaret Cassidy is about seven years older than her screen character, Marie, but it really doesn't matter; she sounded very natural and believable throughout, and IMO, surpasses the squeaky Japanese VA by far. All three are obviously inexperienced compared to their adult co-stars, but frankly, all things considered, they do exceptional jobs, embuing their characters with genuine chemistry and emotions. The adult co-stars are just as great, especially the Grandis Trio, as portrayed by Sarah Richardson, Corey Gagne, and Martin Blacker — like the children, all three are impeccably cast and are oodles of fun to listen to; the British accent Blacker supplies Sanson with, in particular, is especially fitting, and he really gets to have fun during the character's crazy moments. Sarah is just as amusing, while Corey's more scrappy, down-to-earth delivery provides for an amusing contrast between his co-stars. Jennifer Stuart's Electra also deserves mention; she gives the character a British accent — a choice on the directors' part — but it works well for the character's serious and over-controlled nature. She gets especially good during her breakdown scenes in eps. 21-22, her catfights with Grandis, and in the final episodes. Ev Lunning's Nemo sounds a bit stiff at first, but he rises to the challenge and gradually improves with each episode; the exotic Indian accent is a nice touch for the character as well. David Jones' Gargoyle is more deadpan than you may expect, but where he excels is in conveying the character's cruelty and arrogance. His speech about the power of Atlantis during episode 7 is especially powerful, oozing with condescending charisma and contemptuous coldness. He even gets to do some wicked cackling toward the end. The rest of the characters are all appropriately cast and deliver solid performances as well.
The translation script also deserves credit: instead of being slavishly literal to the subtitles or a drastic rewriting (unlike some of Steven Foster's scripts), scriptwriter Lowell Bartholomee does an exceptional job of turning the dialogue into natural, smooth-flowing English without sacrificing any of the important elements of the plot. He has mentioned how proud he is of his work on the show, and he has every reason to be: the labor of love is obvious from the start.
As you can see, I really love watching this show in English — a lot. As I mentioned, you do have to put up with some iffy accents, but the energy and commitment of the cast (who never lose their touch even when the show goes downhill in the abysmal filler arc) overshadows that flaw by far. To quote MARTZ's review: "For a dub that’s now over a decade old, it still holds-up...truth be told, I’d seriously give the dub a chance (two or three episodes at best before making-up your mind)." That sums up my feelings on the dub. Very highly recommended and grossly underrated. |
