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

Add to My List

Add to Favorites

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: 7.61¹ (scored by 11,201 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet aired' titles are excluded.

Ranked: #1321²

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

Popularity: #1980

Members: 35,458

Favorites: 344

7.61

Ranked #1321Popularity #1980Members 35,458

Spring 1990TVGainax

Add to List

Episodes: /39

* Your list is public by default.

Edit
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)

Edit
Background

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

Edit
Related Anime

Sequel:	Fushigi no Umi no Nadia: Original Movie
Side story:	Fushigi no Umi no Nadia Specials

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, Animation Director, Mechanical Design

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)

126 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.

Helpful

permalink | report

Jan 14, 2008

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

JTurner (All reviews)

76 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.

Helpful

permalink | report

Dec 26, 2014

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 5

Fear_the_Reefer (All reviews)

26 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

permalink | report

Feb 13, 2011

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

NeverKnowsBest26 (All reviews)

22 people found this review helpful

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is one of the first works acclaimed director Hideaki Anno. Though inspired by Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" it is a sci-fi adventure that is enjoyable even without any knowledge of Verne's story. The show displays Anno's talent as a director early in his career. While not as refined as Anno's definitive work, Neon Genesis Evangelion, it benefits from Anno's mastery over characters and spectacle. Sadly, it also suffers from the director's unfortunate tenancy to overemphasize on those strengths and his weakness in theme and plot.

The show follows Jean Roque Raltique, a young scatter-brained inventor who spends most of his time creating half-baked inventions. While in Paris, Jean meets a girl named Nadia and instantly falls in love with her. Nadia, who has no memory of her birth and only a lion cub named King as a friend, is distrustful of other humans, and snubs Jean. As it turns out, she is being hunted by a trio of jewel thieves who are after the Blue Water, a large jewel that is Nadia's only link to her past. Jean helps Nadia escape and the two find themselves on the run from the jewel thieves. That is until they find a safe haven on the mysterious submarine The Nautilus, which is under the command of the equally as mysterious Captain Nemo. However, this is just the beginning of an adventure that will not only reveal Nadia's past but uncover secrets of the world; as well as start a battle the will hold it's fate in the balance.

Nadia starts off like a Ghibli film, which isn't surprising since the original concept was from Hayao Miyasaki, however Anno makes it his own (even throwing in biblical references near the end). One of the best things about this series is Anno's handling of the conflict between the crew of the Nautilus and the Neo-Atlantians, who serve as the series main antagonists. The Neo-Atlantians intend to use their advanced technology to conquer and reign over humans, which they see as inferior. Their leader, Gargoyle, makes a charismatic villain: cool, collected, and sophistic; possessing a silver tongue and merciless sadism. The crew of the Nautilus is a collection of people who have lost their homes to the Neo-Atlantians, and are determined to stop them at any cost. Leading them is Captain Nemo, who while cold and distant, retains a heroic demeanor by sticking to a strong set of morals. The sharp differences between the two factions and their leaders are put to good use and is one of the shows driving factors.

In the middle of these two battling sides are Jean and Nadia, two maturing youths with unique views on the world. The enthusiastic young inventor Jean is obsessed with technology, holding it on the highest pedestal and believing it could do no wrong. As the series progresses, he has experiences that force him to question his faith in technology as well as learning what it means to grow up. Meanwhile, Nadia has an affinity for animals and nature, an little trust in other humans. She detests hunting, and condemns anyone who participates in the action, even when it is essential for food. Through her journey, she finds that living on nature alone is more difficult than she believes, and learns to value other people. The development of these two youths is double-edged. It provides some of the series most compelling moments, and provides a good amount of character development for the entire cast, not just Jean and Nadia. However, it can also be very heavy-handed in execution, even preachy at times. On top of that, it eats up time that could be spent developing other parts of the plot. This is especially true for the deserted island arc mid-way through the series.

Speaking of the deserted island arc, it is the absolute low point of the series. For a time, the series takes the focus off the conflict between the Nautilus and Neo-Atlantians, and instead focuses on Jean and Nadia's relationship. This was not a good decision. For the entirety of this arc, taking up about a fourth of the show's run, Jean and Nadia's relationship more or less stays the same. Worse yet, there is no sign of the Neo-Atlantians or the Nautilus, making this stretch of episodes unbearably boring. The following arc, in which they travel to Africa, is similarly dull. Sure, there are some discoveries that progress the plot in these episodes, but it is hardly worth all the wasted time.

This is all really a shame, because a lot of the story elements unexplored are quite interesting. The back-stories of Nemo, Gargoyle, and Electra (Nemo's second in command) are all fascinating, but relatively little time is spent on them. Despite being one of the plots most interesting aspects, Nemo and Gargoyle's rivalry barely is explored; which is practically a crime. The growth of the Neo-Atlantians' technology is also barely explored; they just seem to materialize more powerful weapons out of nowhere with every encounter. Some of these complaints may seem trivial, but given this anime was 39 episodes long, it certainly had enough time to explore them. Instead, it opts to stick with Jean and Nadia having pointless misadventures on a deserted island.

While the storytelling quality is not constantly good, the art and animation are at least. The character designs and backgrounds are nothing jaw-dropping (especially by Anno's standard), but good none the less, and certainly get the job done. Character designs remain on model throughout the show, and while some backgrounds might be bland, they effectively create a believable world. The animation is quite impressive for a TV anime of its time. Movement is fluid, and is supported by Anno's keen sense of cinematography and editing. The spectacular battles between the Nautilus; and a nightmarish sequence which gives insight on why Nadia is so against the killing of animals, notably benefit from Anno's direction. The musical score is more or less like any other animated adventure, but is used accordingly and supports the story very effectively. Overall, quite a nice package production-wise.

Despite not putting its time to the best use, Nadia is certainly a solid watch. It has a strong, likable cast of characters and an intriguing plot. On top of that it is backed by the talents of a legendary director (albeit, early in his career). If it had not been for the incredibly poor use of time midway through the show, this could have been something great. As it stands, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a decent animated adventure that showcases the talent of a prominent anime director.

Helpful

permalink | report

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

NHK Announces Best 100 Anime

To commemorate one hundred years of Japanese anime history, NHK has announced a list of 100 Best Anime on Wednesday at NHK BS Premium. The list is based on the audi...read more

May 3, 2017 7:07 AM by tsubasalover | Discuss (423 comments)

Q1 2015 Anime Licenses [Update 3/31]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of anime licensed in the first quarter (Jan-Mar) of 2015. Winter anime which were licensed before the quarter b...read more

Dec 30, 2014 6:57 AM by Snow | Discuss (75 comments)

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

	Poll: Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Episode 39 Discussion JTurner - Jan 17, 2008	44 replies	by RafaelDeJongh »» May 23, 6:14 PM
	Poll: Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Episode 38 Discussion JTurner - Jan 17, 2008	11 replies	by RafaelDeJongh »» May 23, 5:32 PM

Fushigi no Umi no Nadia

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Edit
Synopsis

Edit
Background

Edit
Related Anime

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

More staff
Staff

Edit Opening Theme

Edit Ending Theme

More reviewsReviews

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

More featured articles
Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

Top Page Views

MoreMost Popular Characters

Fushigi no Umi no Nadia

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

EditSynopsis

EditBackground

EditRelated Anime

More charactersCharacters & Voice Actors

More staff Staff

Edit Opening Theme

Edit Ending Theme

More reviewsReviews

More recommendations Recommendations

More newsRecent News

More discussionsRecent Forum Discussion

More featured articlesRecent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

Top Page Views

MoreMost Popular Characters

Edit
Synopsis

Edit
Background

Edit
Related Anime

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

More staff
Staff

More recommendations
Recommendations

More news
Recent News

More discussions
Recent Forum Discussion

More featured articles
Recent Featured Articles