Fushigi no Umi no Nadia (Nadia: Secret of Blue Water)

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Alternative Titles

English: Nadia: Secret of Blue Water

Japanese: ふしぎの海のナディア

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 39

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 13, 1990 to Apr 12, 1991

Premiered: Spring 1990

Broadcast: Unknown

Producers: NHK, Sogo Vision

Licensors: ADV Films, Sentai Filmworks

Studios: Gainax

Source: Original

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Historical, Romance, Sci-Fi

Duration: 25 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.56¹ (scored by 13,330 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1414²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2161

Members: 44,757

Favorites: 390

7.56

Ranked #1414Popularity #2161Members 44,757

Spring 1990TVGainax

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Episodes: /39

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Synopsis

In 1889, the world is on the pinnacle of great discoveries in technology. In mankind's grasp for the future, a sinister foe known only as Gargoyle, obsessed with restoring the former Atlantean empire to the glory it once held, begins his plans to take over the world. Nadia, with the help of a young inventor, Jean Roque Lartigue, and Captain Nemo of the submarine Nautilus, must fight to save the world from Gargoyle and Neo-Atlantis. Based on the Novel '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' by Jules Verne.

(Source: ANN)

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Background

The series won the 1990 Animage's Anime Grand Prix Award.

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Related Anime

Sequel:	Fushigi no Umi no Nadia: Original Movie
Side story:	Fushigi no Umi no Nadia Omake Gekijou

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

la Arwall, Nadia

Main

Takamori, Yoshino
Japanese

Roque Lartigue, Jean

Main

Hidaka, Noriko
Japanese

King

Main

Sakurai, Toshiharu
Japanese

Carlsberg, Marie en

Main

Mizutani, Yuuko
Japanese

Nemo

Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio
Japanese

Sanson

Supporting

Horiuchi, Kenyuu
Japanese

Granva, Grandis

Supporting

Takizawa, Kumiko
Japanese

Gargoyle

Supporting

Kiyokawa, Motomu
Japanese

Electra, Medina La Lugensius

Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko
Japanese

Narrator

Supporting

Kiyokawa, Motomu
Japanese

More staff
Staff

Anno, Hideaki

Director, Storyboard, Mechanical Design, Animation Director

Higuchi, Shinji

Director, Storyboard, Inserted Song Performance

Shimizu, Katsunori

Sound Director

Maeda, Mahiro

Episode Director, Storyboard, Original Creator, Key Animation, Setting

Edit Opening Theme

"Blue Water" by Miho Morikawa.

Edit Ending Theme

"Yes! I Will" by Miho Morikawa.

More reviewsReviews

Nov 9, 2008

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

BornIn1142 (All reviews)

139 people found this review helpful

Story: Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water is supposedly based on the novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The truth of the matter is, the plot elements shared by the two can pretty much be counted on one hand. The two stories are practically unconnected. But that's alright. The plot crafted for Nadia "based on" Jules Verne's is actually quite good by its own right. It offers both awesomely epic action and touching emotionality and handles both wonderfully. There are a few nicely executed twists thrown in as well.

Of course, no review of Nadia can get around a certain arc in the middle. Episodes 23-34 are directed by a replacement director. The twelve "filler" episodes, in my opinion, aren't horrible, but they ARE horribly mediocre in comparison to the rest. For those twelve episodes (episodes 30 and 31 excepted), the plot comes to a stand still. Life on a deserted island simply doesn't compare to the excitement of the main plot. However, that's not actually the worst part of it. I wouldn't have minded so much if it hadn't also distorted the characterization to a nigh-insulting level. More on that later.

So would you be better off skipping the island and Africa arcs? While they have their moments, in my opinion, the answer is yes. The experience would probably be enhanced if you left them out. The director felt only episodes worth keeping from those twelve were 30 and 31 and I'm inclined to agree. Those two are good and should be watched. You won't lose anything by watching the rest unless you're remarkably touchy, but you won't really gain anything either.

Art: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's character designs are as nice as ever, and the animation is generally good. Emotions are portrayed nicely and the complicated technological wonders and battles are quite nuanced and pretty. However, the series IS 20 years old and looking its age.
As for the supposed iffishness in part of the animation during the filler arc, I can't say I noticed it. It did, however, suddenly become somewhat more cartoonish than previously (like a character running off a cliff and only falling when he noticed it...) It wasn't very fitting, in my opinion.

Sound: The sound of Nadia is good but not notable. I watched the subbed version and the voices were fine. They suited their characters and the performances were good, as far as I can tell. Nothing much to say on this. In any case, the soundtrack was composed by Shirou Sagisu, so you know its good. The action-comedy parts and the epic struggle for the fate of the world are both handled nicely, but Sagisu's tracks for the bittersweet scenes really shine. I can safely say the score greatly enhances the emotions of the last episodes, especially the ending.

Character: Nadia's characters are, in a word, great. The leads and supporting cast are all very well developed, but even the minor bit parts aren't left as two-dimensional ciphers. The relationships between them are very carefully crafted and actually change believably over time and with new revelations. I personally rooted for Nadia and Jean's romance.
Especially noteworthy is Gargoyle, who is, in truth, a world-class villain and one of the best I've seen in anime. He appears in only about a third of the episodes, but comes off as a true menace who you really learn to hate by the end.

The worst offense of the filler arc is probably the messing with characterization. Nadia herself is by far the worst victim of this. While she has a canonically difficult personality, the the filler arc upgrades this to "annoying bitch". Every flash of likability is negated by another act of irritating stupidity. Especially retarded is her falling in love with some random African kid - a huge slap in the face of the love story that forms the core of the whole series. Thankfully, this and most everything else that happens in the island and Africa arcs is pretty much ignored later on.

Enjoyment: While one can certainly like Nadia solely for its artistic competence, it's also damn good fun. It's been a while since I watched a series as engrossing as Nadia. It's humorous moments are amusing and its sad moments are ridiculously touching. I've rarely come as close to crying while watching an anime as during the ending of Nadia. The characters are likable and easy to get into. The series doesn't take itself seriously all the time, but when it does, so do you.

Overall: Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water isn't nearly as well-regarded as it should be. I saw a bit of it as a child on television, and expected to at least nostalgically like it when I rewatched it. Instead, the series forced its way into my Top 10 list. It's an undervalued classic that most people have not heard of and possibly never will because of its age. Do yourself a favor and watch it. And you wouldn't be doing yourself a disservice if you only watched episodes 1-22, 30, 31, 35-39.

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Jan 14, 2008

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

JTurner (All reviews)

81 people found this review helpful

In the mid 1970's, prior to obtaining his well-deserved status as Japan's greatest animator ever, a young Hayao Miyazaki was hired by Japanese movie giant Toho to develop ideas for TV series. One of these concepts was "Around the World Under the Sea", based on Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," in which two orphan children pursued by villains team up with Captain Nemo and his mighty submarine, the Nautilus. Although it was never produced, Toho nonetheless kept the rights to the story outline. Miyazaki would reuse elements from his original concept in later projects of his, most notably the terrific action-adventure Castle in the Sky. Ten years later, in the mid-1980's, animation studio Gainax was commissioned to produce an original Anime series to be broadcast on television network NHK. Under the direction of a brilliant but angst-ridden artist known as Hideaki Anno, the studio selected Miyazaki's concept, and crafted an engaging story set in a steampunk 1889 France, with interesting characters, amazing animation (for its time), and a mixture of comedy, romance, mystery, and drama. The result was Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, which has since become a worldwide fan favorite.

The story begins at a Paris World Exposition Fair where Jean, a nerdy but charming and instantly lovable inventor boy of fourteen, becomes smitten with a pretty, dark-skinned girl his own age. The girl, known as Nadia, is an unhappy circus acrobat with no clue about her past other than a jeweled necklace she wears. After rescuing her from a trio of comic bandits (the Grandis Gang) Jean earns Nadia's trust. The two set off on an even bigger adventure to find Nadia's birthplace, which supposedly lies in Africa. Along the way, they have run-ins with a supercharged submarine commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo and his pretty but overprotective first officer Electra as well as a shadowy cult of Nazi-like masked soldiers known as Neo-Atlanteans led by the misanthropic, sinister Gargoyle, who wants Nadia's pendant at any cost. In the course of their around-the-world adventure, Jean and Nadia adopt an orphaned little girl, Marie, who senses that her new guardians will become more than just close friends. Although Nadia's explosive temper poses problems, Jean's patience and loyalty keeps their relationship afloat, and her growing love for the boy gradually transforms her as a person.

Nadia has all the makings of a classic series: a well-rounded cast of characters, unforgettable sequences, and a long, involving action adventure. There is a distinctive "Miyazaki-esque" style to the visual designs of the leads, yet only Jean seems to emerge as a Miyazaki creation. Which is arguably what makes him the most lovable character in the whole show. It's easy to see why Nadia finds herself falling for him--who wouldn't want to be with a boy as intelligent, genuinely compassionate, and impossibly generous as Jean? While he does display clumsiness in terms of social graces around the opposite sex, it only makes him all the more appealing as a character. Nadia herself, by contrast, is not always lovable. In addition to having serious anger management issues, she also has unbending and irrational principles about killing, eating meat, or trusting grown-ups. She does, however, display courage and, as mentioned, finds herself growing to care for Jean. Actually, Anno has said that he created Jean and Nadia based on his "light" and "dark" sides. Shiro Sagisu's music is sometimes bland, although some of the later tracks, notably the Neo-Atlantis themes, are memorable. The opening and ending theme songs as sung by Miho Morikawa are also enjoyable.

For all its assets, however, Nadia suffers from one fatal flaw that prevents it from being the classic it aims to be--it doesn't always stay afloat throughout its 39-episode count. The first twenty-two episodes are old-fashioned adventure at its best, with humor, young love, traumatic situations which involve death, and compelling, engrossing mysteries as we learn about Nadia, the Nautilus, and the Atlanteans. The production values in these episodes show their age at times, but frankly, they still exude detail and clarity for an early '90s series. In episodes 23-34, however, it devolves into a painfully dull, unengaging, haphazard, incoherent Saturday morning cartoon, with warped characterizations, and even worse scenarios totally devoid of imagination or credibility. Simultaneously, the animation takes a hit in these dozen episodes, with some episodes looking downright sloppy or dreadfully cartoonish. (In all fairness, these dreadful half-hours weren't supposed to have existed; distributor NHK requested that they be made after the show became a smash hit in Japan.) In the final five episodes Nadia does recover in terms of artistry and storytelling, delivering a satisfying finale, but it's hard to compensate for the damage that has been done. Simply put, the show would have been far better if it were eleven episodes shorter.

For their part, however, ADV Films deserves a shout-out for their work on bringing this series to American audiences. The visual and aural transfers are competently done, but it's their translation that really shines. The English dub, provided by Austin-based Monster Island studios, is notable for casting three actual children in the roles of Jean, Nadia, and Marie--Nathan Parsons (12), Meg Bauman (14), and Margaret Cassidy (11), respectively. For inexperienced youngsters, all three do exceptional jobs, and are amply supported by a similarly entertaining cast of adults, particularly Sarah Richardson, Corey Gagne, Martin Blacker (as the Grandis Gang) as well as Jennifer Stuart (Electra). Ev Lunning Jr. (Nemo) and David Jones (Gargoyle)'s performances do take a bit longer to find their groove, but when they do, they really shine. This dub has taken a lot of undeserved flak from critics who have made the mistake of writing it off on account of the sometimes uneven accents (Jean's admittingly shaky French dialect in particular takes some getting used to; although Parsons does improve on it as the show goes on). Despite that and the occasional trepidatious moment in the opening episodes, the end result is still a spirited, energetic, emotionally charged dub that really brings its characters to life. It is most certainly a very commendable effort that deserved better recognition than what it was accorded for back in 2001 and even today.

The ADV dub is not the only English track of Nadia to exist. In the 1990's Streamline Pictures attempted a release of the show. Interestingly, the head of Streamline, Carl Macek, did express interest in paring down the much maligned filler arc. As his version only got about as far as eight episodes, we probably never may know how it would have turned out. Having said that, though, I don't think the Streamline dub compares favorably to the ADV version. Wendee Lee and Ardwright Chamberlain are both very credible actors, but both are miscast as Nadia and Jean and unfortunately underwhelm. Jeff Winkless is a bit less stiff than Ev as Nemo, but even then his turn isn't anything amazing. I did like Edie Mirman as Electra (she ties with Stuart) and the Grandis gang doesn't sound too bad, but on the whole I prefer the ADV dub. It strikes me as the better of the two by far.

Out of curiosity, I did sample a few episodes of the Japanese version. Although some voices are solid (Nemo, Gargoyle, and Sanson), I felt rather indifferent about the others. Marie's voice is the weakest of the bunch; no offense to the late Yuko Mizutani, but I feel Margaret Cassidy does a far better job of bringing out this little girl's innocence as opposed to Yuko's high-pitched shrieking. Likewise, despite Yoshino Takamori and Noriko Hidaka's solid turns as Jean and Nadia I found myself preferring Bauman and Parsons, if mainly because both characters are supposed to be children. It just feels more natural to hear them voiced by actors of the appropriate age. Despite insistence from some long-in-the-tooth fans that this show should only be appreciated in its native language track, I don't consider either version better or worse, only different. Whichever one you prefer is a matter of personal preference.

Is Nadia a complete waste of time? Not at all; as mentioned, the characters are fully-realized, and for twenty-two episodes and the final five, the show does indeed deliver an entertaining, consistently engaging adventure story with just the right amount of heart, humor, and drama. It's just too bad that it goes downhill in the second half (despite delivering a phenomenal conclusion). Otherwise, this series would truly be worthy of the praise it receives as one of the greats. The best way to appreciate Nadia is to view episodes 1-22, then 31 (the only "filler" episode to have any genuine plot development), and finally 35-39. It will provide for a much more pleasing experience.

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Sep 6, 2018

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 6

CodeBlazeFate (All reviews)

24 people found this review helpful

Nadia is a strange and interesting series to talk about. From its reception, you’d find a show that can go from fun to nauseating and amazing to terrible at the drop of a hat after a magnificent early run. From the title and the premise, this show sounds like a wonderfully charming time. It creates this sense of trepidation as to whether you should watch the show, as while there is a lot of joy to be had, some may deem the lengthy yet temporary drop in quality not worth sitting through even for the ⅔ of the show that is worth cherishing.

Allow me to state that for all intents and purposes, now only is this show worth watching, but that a majority of it is some of the most charming and pleasant anime out there. Beyond the main antagonists and Nadia herself, every major character has a distinct level of whimsy and chemistry that make you want nothing more than to join them on their exploits. Absolute standouts include Grandis, Hanson, and Sanson, who apart from wonderful child character Marie, have the loudest and most animated personalities of the entire cast. Even the Nautilus crew manages to be wonderful despite the majority of them being tertiary characters. Along with the pluckiness of Jean, it becomes a glorious treat seeing their frantic exploits, and a blow to the heart to see them in tragedy.

This is another of Nadia’s defining strengths, and indeed something that Gainax is known for: its ability to elegantly tiptoe between charming fun and soul-crushing despair. The directing tends to compliment the scenes of sorrow magnificently, courtesy of the legendary Hideaki Anno and even the not-so-legendary Shinji Higuchi when the time calls for it every now and then in Anno’s absence later on. The visuals on display are generally wonderful, with fantastic character designs from Grandis, to Gargoyle, to the iconic design of Nadia and all her wonderful clothes. Each design adds a distinct personality to these characters no matter what they wear, which is yet another of this studio’s most notable strengths. The animation is so vibrant, kinetic, and fluid that chase sequences and all other major action sequences are a sight for sore eyes.

All of this is accompanied perfectly by the wonderful score composed by legendary Evangelion and Bleach composer Shiro Sagisu. Apart from the wonderful opening and ending themes, Sagisu composed a fantastic repertoire for this show. It goes from the heartwarming Ashita e, Hope, and Love of Tomorrow, to the gloriously imposing tracks of Neo Atlantis and Gargoyle, the melancholic tunes of Tragedy and Requiem, and the bombastic fun of The Evil Trio and All Purpose Submarine. While not all of these songs are extremely memorable, and even some of the ones listed here aren’t as fantastic as others, the OST is still a real treat forged by a master of his craft.

It all blends to create a work that feels as natural and whimsical as anime can be. All of this truly sounds like a wonderful time that no one should pass up, and it is...until the dreaded island arc assaults you like Gargoyle’s ships do to the Nautilus. For whatever production-issue related reason this arc had to go the way it did, there’s no getting around it: this arc sucks! A whopping 12 episodes that have humor that doesn’t fit with the show, several moments where characters are derailed or contradictory for either cheap gags and convenience like Marie in episode 25, King in episode 26, and Nadia in several portions of this arc. Other time, it’s done because the director and screenwriter of this portion of the show seemingly have no idea what to do with them like with Hanson and Sanson. The visuals take a hit as well, with episodes that have the character models seeming off at all times, several moments where there’s a looping image for at least half a minute, and several clip shows. To be fair, the earlier half had some problems with looping footage as well, and two problems that permeate the entire show are hoe the blatant and sometimes incomplete the looping footage is, and how the visuals sometimes get jittery. The island arc sadly does this issue even worse, and had far fewer scenes if interesting direction than what came before or after said portion of the show. It has a hard time finding that delicate tone balance that Gainax is known for as well, and it goes on for far longer than it has any right to. Lastly, while Nadia was certainly a tough character to put up with, her flippant hot and cold personality and more abrasive attitudes towards her peers about anything -especially the killing and consumption of animals- at least made consistent sense. While this arc does flesh out how she got this mindset, it also has her contradict herself constantly for no good reason other than a sheer mishandling of a tricky character that happens to be the focal point of this entire show. It's a truly loathesome experience fromm beginning to end. There’s more I want to say about this arc but I’ll save that it another time.

It’s not like the show picks up that much past this point. The final episodes are an absolute mess with glaring holes and moments of characters missing easy opportunities and making obviously wrong decisions, sloppy writing that feels like it assumes that the island arc answered important questions and connected pieces of its narrative to this final stretch better than it actually did. Even the power of willpower is used here, and it’s as cheesy as you’d expect. Character inconsistency also finds itself present within this stretch as well, and as intimidating as the villains are, even this portion of the show fails to make them anything but one-note pretentious “humans are our troubled servants so we must rule over them with an iron fist” characters and puppets. Characters such as Jean find themselves absolutely useless as well, and the final moments of this show are astronomically ridiculous for a variety of damning spoiler-related reasons that range from narratively nonsensical to character-shattering.

It’s honestly sad what happened here. Several of the early episodes were wonderful in nearly every way, and even the final episodes managed to instill a sense of scale and raw fun. The vibrant and epically fluid animation led to some brilliant sequences that make this show feel like it would be an absolute classic. It’s just that the show truly started fumbling in terms of its narrative halfway through and then dropped nearly every ball for roughly a third of its run before just becoming a fun yet total mess towards the end. With a bit of retooling and tons of cutting, the dreaded island arc could still be as wonderful as what came before it, and with that same level of retooling, the final episodes could have avoided being as messy as they ended up being while giving more characters a purpose. Regardless, despite how tumultuous the voyage ended up being, it’s still one I’d thoroughly recommend, if only with a few caveats.

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Dec 26, 2014

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 5

Fear_the_Reefer (All reviews)

34 people found this review helpful

Jean Raltique is a 14 year old, wide eyed inventor living in 1890’s France. He and his uncle are participating in the Birdman Rally, an event that wouldn’t actually be established until 1970’s England, but we’ll be gracious and ignore that fact. He falls in love at first sight with an exotic looking circus performer named Nadia, who wants to return to the place of her birth, which... Due to her dark skin... she believes to be Africa. They’re attacked by a trio of jewel thieves, and are chased all the way back to Jean’s house, where he smoothly offers to read more

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	Poll: Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Episode 32 Discussion JTurner - Jan 17, 2008	16 replies	by Dogezilla »» May 13, 8:43 AM
	Poll: Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Episode 38 Discussion JTurner - Jan 17, 2008	14 replies	by Animated_Amateur »» May 10, 7:22 AM