Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Episode 23 Discussion

What did you think of this episode?

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Jan 17, 2008 5:30 PM

JTurner

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Jan 2008

538

THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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This episode begins the dreaded "island arc", in which the quality of the scripting, animation, and character development goes downhill. The "concepts" for the episodes are both terribly conceived and needlessly padded out (you wonder if anything happens at all for more than half of these episodes), but it's the warped characterizations that make these episodes despicable. Nadia, Jean, Marie, and King, all act out of character and engage in goofy, bizarre, hastily conceived half-hours in which they get absolutely nothing done and speak dialogue that could have come from a poorly written sitcom. There are also many instances where the style of the animation clashes with the previous 22 episodes, the cartoonish visual gags resemble a third rate Looney Tunes cartoon rather than Nadia. (Case in point: early in this episode, Jean swallows a ton of water, swelling up like a balloon. This was where I began to realize that something was wrong.) The animation, incidentally, takes a massive punch to the head--other animation studios were contracted to produce these episodes, and unfortunately, it shows due to the choppy frame rate, sloppy drawings, and a distressingly cartoon-like palette.

In all fairness, this episode isn't as atrocious as many of the later ones that follow, but it does demonstrate the radically jarring characteristics that populate its brethren. However, the plot, in which Jean, Nadia, Marie, and King become shipwrecked on a deserted island, could have been told in five minutes or so.

JTurnerSep 24, 2012 9:00 PM

Jun 7, 2012 6:44 AM

EratiK

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Apr 2012

4896

What a weird (crummy?) ep. I wonder what happened. Did they spend all their budget? If they subcontracted, did they subcontracted the writing too?

And, duh, you can swim to get rations, and duh, you've got a jewel that can scratch titanium plates, so opening cans with baby lion teeth = fail.

Anyway, kind of a bad surprise when you think of the all-around precision of the show so far. Hadn't had much expectations for this arc, but not that.

Sep 24, 2012 8:59 PM

JTurner

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Jan 2008

538

EratiK said:
What a weird (crummy?) ep. I wonder what happened. Did they spend all their budget? If they subcontracted, did they subcontracted the writing too?

And, duh, you can swim to get rations, and duh, you've got a jewel that can scratch titanium plates, so opening cans with baby lion teeth = fail.

Anyway, kind of a bad surprise when you think of the all-around precision of the show so far. Hadn't had much expectations for this arc, but not that.

That's exactly the point. I felt that the same team wasn't working on the show anymore. Not only did the artistry look inferior, the writing was both lacking in logic and inconsistent. The characters are all derailed, too; Jean and Nadia were making slow but steady progress in the relationship during the Nautilus arc, but during eps 23-34, the writers press reset every five minutes that it gets so infuriating. Even Marie got out of character, especially in the episode where she abuses King (26). And don't even get me started about King's antics.

Nov 8, 2014 1:00 AM

EvenJellyOn

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Mar 2013

1884

I'm shocked nobody here has pointed out the awful re-cap at the start.

added the fourth most popular anime onto this site

Nov 8, 2014 9:23 AM

JTurner

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Jan 2008

538

EvenJellyOn said:
I'm shocked nobody here has pointed out the awful re-cap at the start.

It's not so much that it's bad but it's unnecessarily longer than the previous ones. That's how I could tell things were off at the beginning.

JTurnerJun 25, 2016 3:43 PM

Jun 24, 2016 1:53 PM

rolltier

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Mar 2016

On this episode now. After reading how awful this and the rest are should I skip far ahead?

Jul 11, 2016 6:44 AM

Resurrection_man

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Jul 2016

Decided to not skip the arc and just detach myself from the show during it. My god, I think the worst parts from this episode were the silly visual gags.

Jul 11, 2016 8:35 AM

JTurner

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Jan 2008

538

CausticDA said:
Decided to not skip the arc and just detach myself from the show during it. My god, I think the worst parts from this episode were the silly visual gags.

There were some cartoonish comical moments in the earlier episodes, but none of them were this exaggerated.

Jul 11, 2016 10:40 AM

Resurrection_man

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Jul 2016

JTurner said:

There were some cartoonish comical moments in the earlier episodes, but none of them were this exaggerated.

Yeah. Just watched episode 27. I think the most astonishing part is that even the filler is full of filler. It's just random dream sequences/gags/references etc. I got 1-2 laughs at first but it's mainly just nothing happening. Sitting through the episodes is dull and painful.

And the less I think about what happened to the character development the better. :D It's a shame because there are some quick glimpses of nice parts but then they get erased away.

Jul 11, 2016 11:19 AM

#10

JTurner

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Jan 2008

538

CausticDA said:

JTurner said:

There were some cartoonish comical moments in the earlier episodes, but none of them were this exaggerated.

That's just it. Whoever wrote these episodes were doing so on autopilot and/or didn't really pay attention to how the characters interacted in the initial episodes. Regressing Nadia from a morally conflicted heroine to a hysterically unlikable brat was a mistake, as was the whole mushrooms/extended dream sequence. The only good scenes from those episodes are the ones where Nadia experiences her life in the circus and when Gargoyle holds a funeral for Nemo… but the writers really weren't thinking things through when they wrote them.

Interesting note, too, that in episode 27 in the Japanese version there are cases when a character's mouth moves and nothing comes out. Luckily, the dub of Nadia corrects this mistake.

Case in point: when the children spot Ayerton in the sand, Marie in Japanese says absolutely nothing even though her mouth is moving. In the dub she says "he looks dirty." There are also cases where a character's mouth is gaping open in the Japanese version while a line is uttered. Which creates an awkward situation: what do you do when you dub something like this?

It happens in episode 30, where Sanson says "well it's really not up to my standard and style but it'll have to do, EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?!??!!" While in Japanese as Sanson's mouth is agape, he's saying a line! No fault of the dubbing team; blame that on the source material.

Dec 14, 2017 2:04 AM

#11

Farabeuf

The Shrike

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Nov 2009

11901

Still as bad on a rewatch. Anne must have vomited in his mouth when he saw this crap. Not only is the story dire holding filler, but the animation is awful too.

"Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii

There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov

Mar 23, 2018 1:23 PM

#12

korsarz

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Sep 2007

353

With all due respect, what the fuck am I watching? Are you sure it isn't Excel Saga or something?

Now I know why Neon Genesis Evangelion was so depressing. After turning your work into this thing...

May 22, 2018 3:17 PM

#13

RafaelDeJongh

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May 2012

25854

Boy everything sure is different now, the pacing sure went down and well I do have to give it to them they are on a deserted island, but still...

Well I do wonder how they'll get out of this one but damn that ending... Nadia has no feelings!

Sep 6, 2019 10:19 AM

#14

St0rmblade

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Aug 2017

3110

Nothing was good about this episode except for the OP and ED

Sep 7, 2019 2:54 PM

#15

bestanimeviewer

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Dec 2015

I've heard that the series gets bad at this point and I can definitely see why so far. This episode was just really weird with the Jean inflation gags which came out of nowhere.

Nadia seemed really out of character being okay if Hanson and Samson died considering all the time they spent together plus she isn't okay with killing.

Also the animation was pretty bad with multiple still shots, Nadia being off colored looking white at some points, and the worst part when Nadia starts talking and her eyes don't stay on her head.

Overall this episode was really bad which is unfortunate considering how good the series was until this point.

Sep 9, 2019 12:13 AM

#16

St0rmblade

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Aug 2017

3110

Silverchariot89 said:

Overall this episode was really bad which is unfortunate considering how good the series was until this point.

This will get much, MUCH worse than that. The animation will be terrible at moments, the characters of our heroes will be perverted and made completely unrealistic, etc. Just watch episodes 30 and 31 (they're somewhat redeemable and are relevant for the plot) and go to episode 35. Don't even bother watching the rest (especially 32-34, these are just atrocious in every conceivable manner)

Apr 20, 2020 6:37 AM

#17

TheCrimsonEye

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Jan 2014

528

. . . . . and so it begins a long descent into madness XD

I mean sure that recap went on a bit too long but I thought that is alright there is just a lot to cover and at the start I thought okay Marie is misreading the room and being more annoying then adorable but not too bad so far. Then Jean sneezes causing those leaks okay a bit silly but not too bad . . . and then he tries to drink the water flowing in and he swells up in a matter of seconds like a balloon . . . oh man I thought I prepared myself but this is going to be pretty painful!

What started as a bit off in tone became complete mood whiplash! I mean seriously I did get a slight grin from Jean lightly sneezing and causing another leak while Nadia and Marie are glaring at him but then I thought wait a minute the previous episode had some of the biggest revelations and emotional roller coasters of the whole series what is up with the feel of this episode!?! Plus we seem to get a lot of stretched out dialogue and bits that go on for way to long like they really desperately tried to make hat run time. Plus with the dip in character models and animation it looks like this was a rush job to just quickly commission more episodes. And I mean cartoony actions have happened in this series before but they usually made sense in the context of the world and were not so over the top that they were distracting but now that has been thrown out the window. But, I could forgive some of those things if it was entertaining and the characters still acted like themselves but the way they talk and what they say almost makes it sound like these are versions of them from earlier in the series but they remember bits and pieces of their adventure SMH it is just all over the place XD

And apparently these filler episodes will go on for 10 more episodes man oh man I think the only way I can weather these going forward is if I just imagine they are not canon and it is just a parody or specials to the main series. Also, damn Nadia just wants to live on this island and forget all about Gargoyle and everything else ah see see I am already doing it already remember non canon NON CANON! Well lets keep this rolling hopefully it is just mildly painful and not severely painful ^-^

Aug 17, 2020 3:40 AM

#18

Kuruna_Dagurasu

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Jul 2020

Prior to watching the episode, I personally knew I was going to be disappointed because there is no realistic way any creator could maintain the incredibly high quality that comes from the peak writing the previous story's climax gave its audience. And boy did it ever meet my low expectations with an absolute dud of an episode without any direction for the grand plot and meager development to show's weakness links- the children- more specifically Nadia.

While many here argue and complain about the show's animation quality going down starting here, this entire episode rating rested upon one key element: How would Nadia react to the full realization of her horrific behavior towards her presumed father, Nemo? Would she finally show some remorse or even guilt, for being a despicable brat towards her Dad and finally start growing up and becoming an actual protagonist, maybe even a heroine, we can root for? Nope. Just a meager tear and she moves on without showing any sign of character improvement in growth or maturity like displaying actual pain and shame. Instead she continues to behave like the cruel girl who treats her only friend, Jean, like crap, and continues to condemn everyone like they are on the moral level of Gargoyle. Like the actual protagonist of the show said, "Nadia, your actions make me very sad".

Overall, this show will greatly suffer over the next twelve episodes as I assume the show keeps the focus on the unlikable MC and that frankly has nothing to due with poor animation or lack of story development. The show's peak so far episode 4-22 is all due to fact the story focus on the best aspect of cast and that of course was the Nautilius crew and without them the show is sunk until their inevitable return.

Kuruna_DagurasuAug 17, 2020 3:44 AM

Sep 14, 2020 9:05 PM

#19

syncrogazer

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Mar 2016

2038

Hmmm, that repeated shot of the waves lapping against the beach seemed awfully familiar.

Blah blah blah people said something was bad and look it ended up being bad blah blah blah. Also, it looks like posting spoilers is a-ok in these Nadia threads.

syncrogazerSep 14, 2020 9:29 PM

Oct 2, 2020 3:17 PM

#20

tr25a3

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Aug 2018

1260

The frequent switching between dead serious episodes and ones that are completely unrealistic and silly is awful.
I don't mind brighter episodes with some comedic relief, but at least make them somewhat believable.
He sneezes and the ship (that took ages to get anywhere close to the surface. So much for the buoyancy.) starts leaking. And if he had farted, the whole ship would have imploded on the spot?

Edit: Read up on the Island arc. And I have to say, it's a shame. While watching this episode I thought that they could have made something great out of this. Some Robinson Crusoe stile survival. Gathering food, building shelter, survival basics.

tr25a3Oct 5, 2020 4:00 PM

Oct 5, 2020 4:49 PM

#21

1Konochi

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May 2020

1635

Aside from Jean suddenly having cartoon powers, this episode was okay.

Jan 27, 2021 5:22 PM

#22

Fortress_Maximus

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Feb 2012

4262

There is a fifth person in the holographic image. Nadia's the baby, Neo is the boy, there's her mother and Nemo. But there's also another person next to Nemo, who is it?

I get this is a comedy but Jean swallowing water Tom & Jerry style detracted from the scene when we though they were going to drown, the sneezing is kinda acceptable but this show didn't have such attempts of humour before.

Why yell? They should've started a fire on the beach or something.

Why are some of the stars red?

Fortress_MaximusJan 28, 2021 2:03 PM

Novels I have read/am reading pending approval: since November 10 2022

Jul 15, 2021 2:21 PM

#23

Puncheon

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Jul 2021

164

The dreaded episode is finally here. I kept hoping for the best thinking it can't really be that bad can it? Oh wow, was it bad. Why did we need that ridiculously long recap of the entire series at the beginning? The scene with Jean drinking the sea water and swelling up was so stupid, as was the goofy scene of King opening the can with his teeth while sparks were flying.

I think the worst part was the animation though, what little there was of it. Several scenes were just shaky and weird like when the ship was going by. When they got out of the nautilus there was something white all over the top that I think was supposed to be water and they forgot to color it. The animation cels must have been filthy for some reason and it was really distracting. I could clearly see where each one was layered as different parts of the scene moved around.

I could possibly overlook all of this if the story had at least been good, but literally nothing happened.

Jun 20, 2022 12:07 AM

#24

Crack

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Feb 2021

2347

Back to wacky again. Also I realized Marie has probably the most annoying voice I've ever heard from a kid

Jul 7, 2023 8:47 PM

#25

hitoki27

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Jan 2017

syncrogazer said:
Also, it looks like posting spoilers is a-ok in these Nadia threads.

I don't get this, I can barely read the threads without stumbling into spoilers, very unsual.
This episode was not that awful, it was bad alright, but knowing there is a lot more, and even worse, coming is very disheartening, the last episode was fantastic and I've grown to really like this series so far.

Mar 3, 2024 9:13 PM

#26

Kitzoon

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Jul 2021

530

Seems like I reached those infamous Island episodes. So far its not too bad, gonna be interesting.

Jun 13, 2024 7:25 PM

#27

gannoncannon55

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Dec 2022

4710

hahaha Jean went full Luffy and filled his belly with water, proto Luffy
this deserted tropical island aesthetic is tickling my fancy
LOL poor King's teeth

Nov 17, 2024 5:58 AM

#28

LotteGiants

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Dec 2019

949

Reply to hitoki27

syncrogazer said:
Also, it looks like posting spoilers is a-ok in these Nadia threads.

@hitoki27 Who's gonna go back through the forums and report untagged spoiler posts from 15 years ago on a not-very-popular anime from 35 years ago?

Anyway, its weird how anime worked like this a long time ago. I have no idea if this is actually how it worked but it seems like studios were happy to make as many episodes as possible rather than finish projects before they turned into nonsense. Nowadays animators have to work on a half-dozen projects at once to get their hours in but back in the day they would produce 40 episodes of a show with like 20 episodes worth of actual content.

See All Discussions

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Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Episode 23 Discussion

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