Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

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Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
ふしぎの海のナディア
(Nadia of the Mysterious Seas)
Genre Adventure, Steampunk
TV anime
Director Hideaki Anno
Studio Gainax
Licensor Flag of the United States ADV Films
Flag of France AB distribution
Flag of Germany ACOG
Network NHK
Original run April 15, 1990 – March 16, 1991
Episodes 39
Animated film: The Secret of Fuzzy
Director Sho Aono
Studio Seiei Animation
Released 1992
Runtime 90

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, known in Japan as Nadia of the Mysterious Seas (ふしぎの海のナディア Fushigi no Umi no Nadia?), is a Japanese animated television series inspired by the works of Jules Verne, particularly Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and the exploits of Captain Nemo. The series was created by Toho, from a concept of Hayao Miyazaki, and directed by Hideaki Anno of Gainax.

The series follows an young inventor named Jean and a dark-skinned former circus performer named Nadia, who wishes to return to her home in Africa.

In its original Japanese broadcast, it aired from 1990 to 1991 and ran for 39 episodes. The complete television series is available in the United States from ADV Films on DVD. ADV's Anime Network has broadcast the series in the United States. Reportedly, the series was to have been screened on TV in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s, but the UK distributor balked because of the amount of violence in the series.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The series centers around Nadia, a young girl of unknown origins, and Jean, a young French inventor. Early in the story, the two protagonist were chased by Grandis Granva, Sanson, and Hanson, a group of jewel thieves who pursue Nadia for the blue jewel she possesses. After being rescued by Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Super Sea Cruiser Nautilus, the jewel thieves, and the young protagonist join forces and participate in the struggle against the Neo-Atlantean forces, who seek to dominate the world.

In the process, Nadia and Jean save the world from violent domination by the Neo-Atlantean forces led by Gargoyle, explore worldly mysteries and the powers of the blue pendant, uncover Nadia's hidden family ties, and ultimately discover the secret origins of Nadia.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water characters
Main cast of The Secret of Blue Water
Main cast of The Secret of Blue Water
Nadia
Nadia is a 14 year old circus performer. After escaping the Grandis Gang, she sets out on an adventure to determine the origin of the "Blue Water", the jewel that beckons the criminals to her.
Voiced by: Yoshino Takamori (Japanese), Meg Bauman (English)
Jean Roque Raltique
Jean is a young 14 year old orphan who fell in love with Nadia at first sight. He is generous, patient, friendly, and devoted to science. His father is a wealthy trader who was lost at sea and presumed dead, but Jean refuses to believe that and is determined to find him.
Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka (Japanese), Nathan Parsons (English)
Marie en Carlsberg
Marie is a 4-year-old orphan found by Nadia and Jean. The two decide to stay with her and protect her.
Voiced by: Yuko Mizutani (Japanese), Margaret Cassidy (English)
Grandis Granva
Grandis is a 28 year old woman. She was born into a rich Italian family, but is now broke and disowned by her relatives. She is the leader of the "Grandis Gang", a trio of jewel thieves.
Voiced by: Kumiko Takizawa (Japanese), Sarah Richardson (actress) (English)
Sanson
Sanson is the muscle behind the "Grandis Gang".
Voiced by: Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese), Martin Blacker (English)
Hanson
Hanson is the brains of the "Grandis Gang" who built the Gratan, the gang's small multi-purpose vehicle.
Voiced by: Toshiharu Sakurai (Japanese), Corey M. Gagne (English)
Nemo
Nemo is the captain of the Nautilus, a submarine manned by individuals looking to destroy the Neo-Atlanteans at all costs. He is a mysterious man with a dark past who acts cold when he first meets Jean, but later warms up to his outgoing cheerfulness and enthusiasm.
Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka (Japanese), Ev Lunning Jr. (English)
Electra
Electra is an orphan since the destruction of her hometown. She was saved by Captain Nemo and is his first mate on the 'Nautilus'.
Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese), Jennifer Stuart (English)
Gargoyle
Gargoyle is the head of the Neo-Atlantean forces and the primary antagonist. He is hell-bent on world domination, but to do that he must first destroy Nemo and the Nautilus, and take possession of the Blue Water.
Voiced by: Motomu Kiyokawa (Japanese), David Jones (actor) (English)

[edit] Production

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This show's origins date to the 1970s when Hayao Miyazaki was hired by Toho to develop a television series. One of these concepts was "Around the World Under the Sea", (adapted from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), in which two orphan children pursued by villains team up with Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. It was never produced, but Toho retained the rights for the story outline, while the animator reused elements from his original concept in later projects like Future Boy Conan and Castle in the Sky.

In 1989, Gainax was appointed by Toho to produce a series for the Japanese educational network NHK. Miyazaki's outline for "Around the World Under the Sea" captivated the Gainax staff and, under the direction of Hideaki Anno, created The Secret of Blue Water.

The series was scheduled to run for two cours, but show's popularity prompted the network to request more episodes. Production on new episodes ran late. Starting with episode 11, Anno was working up to 18 hours a day. After episode 20, NHK put Nadia on hold to make space for news coverage on the Gulf War. The series returned a month later with episode 21. Production was still slow, and Anno asked friend and Gainax co-founder Shinji Higuchi to take over the direction from episodes 23 to 34, while he focused on crafting the ending (episodes 35-39). Out of the newly commissioned episodes (dubbed as the "infamous island episodes" due to a drastic drop in animation and storytelling), Anno has later stated that he would have saved only episodes 30 and 31 if he were given a chance of omitting them. (In fact, he produced a shortened compilation of Nadia called "The Nautilus Story", which deletes much of the island/Africa continuity and focuses more on the struggle between Gargoyle and Nemo.)

Shortly after Nadia completed its first broadcast in Japan, Carl Macek and Streamline Pictures purchased the rights to Nadia. Because of financial difficulties, Streamline could only dub the first eight episodes, released over eight VHS tapes. The dub's cast included Wendee Lee as Nadia, Ardwight Chamberlain as Jean, Jeff Winkless as Captain Nemo, Cheryl Chase as Mary, Melanie MacQueen as Grandis, Tom Wyner as Sanson, Steve Kramer as Hanson, Edie Mirman as Electra, and Steve Bulen as Gargoyle. In 1996, Streamline's rights for the show expired. Later, ADV Films purchased the series, and commissioned a new dub to be recorded at their Austin-based Monster Island studios. The new dub cast included actual children in the roles of Nadia, Jean, and Marie.

A Nadia feature film sequel premiered in Japanese theaters in 1992. The events take place three years after the defeat of Gargoyle and Neo-Atlantis. A third of the ninety-minute feature consists of frequently edited clips from the show.

[edit] Media

A Nadia video game was released in 1991 for the Famicom console. The player controls a cast of characters in a simple looking strategy battle game. Battles are carried out through an RPG style turn based system.

[edit] Reception

The series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1990.

[edit] External links