Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Encyclopedia
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 a young inventor named Jean and a 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 in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s, but the UK distributor was concerned by the level of violence in the series.
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.
King: Nadia's pet white lion cub, who wears a red bandana
/scarf around his neck and a ring onto his tail. He is very attached to his mistress and occasionally gets jealous when Nadia gets closer to Jean. Even so, he is also very fond of Marie and often plays with her.
Jean Roque Raltique: Jean is a young 14 year-old orphan from Paris who fell in love with Nadia at first sight. He is generous, patient, friendly, and devoted to science as well as his friends. His father is a wealthy trader who was lost at sea and declared dead, but Jean refuses to believe that and is determined to find him.
Marie en Carlsberg: Marie is a 4 year-old orphan found by Nadia and Jean whose parents were murdered by the Neo-Atlanteans. The two decide to stay with her and protect her. She is incredibly intelligent and charismatic for her age. Her playmate is "King" the Lion cub.
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. After being rescued along with Nadia, Jean and Marie by the Nautilus, she and her henchmen befriend the children. She develops a huge crush on Capt. Nemo. She also becomes a mother-figure to Nadia.
Sanson: Sanson is 22 years old and the muscle behind the "Grandis Gang". He considers himself an expert on handling women and is an excellent artist with a rifle. He develops a relationship with Marie and tries to help Jean grow closer to Nadia.
Hanson: Hanson is 29 years old and the brains of the "Grandis Gang" who built the Gratan, the gang's small multi-purpose vehicle. Like Jean, he's into science and has a mild crush on Electra.
Nemo: Nemo is the captain of the Nautilus
, a submarine manned by individuals looking to stop the Neo-Atlanteans at all costs. He is a mysterious man with a dark past who acts cold when he first meets Jean and Nadia, but later warms up to Jean's outgoing cheerfulness and enthusiasm. He becomes a father-figure and mentor to both Jean and (most especially) Nadia.
Electra: Electra is 26 years old and an orphan since the destruction of her hometown. She was saved by Captain Nemo and is his first mate on the 'Nautilus'. She and Nemo share a past experience that's never explained.
Gargoyle: Gargoyle is the head of the Neo-Atlantean forces and is 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. He is ruthless, cold and remorseless and will kill anyone who gets in his way.
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 1988, Gainax
was appointed by Toho
to produce a series for NHK
Educational TV
. 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 the 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 due to limited budget. 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 final five episodes. These were occasionally referred to as the "island episodes" by fans who consider them oddly animated and poor-quality filler, a sentiment that even Anno shared. Out of the newly commissioned episodes the director has later stated that he would have saved only episodes 30 and 31 if he were given a chance of omitting them; 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, In 2001 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—Meg Bauman (14, Nadia), Nathan Parsons
(12, Jean), and Margaret Cassidy (11, 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. Gainax had no involvement in the production of this movie, and the quality suffered greatly as a result; nearly one third of the ninety-minute feature consists of frequently edited clips from the show. Due to its perceived poor quality, the movie is not well known in the United States. ADV licensed it and released as Nadia: The Motion Picture on DVD in August 2002.
answered at first that the culture at that time viewed colonization as justice, thus Neo Atlantis' actions are evil at the time. Before the end of the meeting, he gave another answer, which was that Neo Atlantis stops the evil empires from colonizing developing countries, just so that it can colonize the whole world, thus it is the supreme evil. However, no answer could be given to the question asked by Hideaki, and 15 years after the anime, Okada wrote a book called "Seikai Seifuku" wa kanou ka? ("Conquering the World", is it possible?) on behalf of the question.
was released in 1991 for the Famicom
console. The player controls a cast of characters in a simplistic strategy battle game. Battles are carried out through an RPG
style turn-based system.
There was also an adventure game released of Nadia for the Sega Mega Drive
in Japan.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series inspired by the works of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
, particularly Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax...
and the exploits of Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo, also known as Prince Dakkar, is a fictional character featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island ....
. The series was created by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
, from a concept of Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
, and directed by Hideaki Anno
Hideaki Anno
is a Japanese animation and film director. Anno is best known for his work on the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. His style has come to be defined by the touches of postmodernism that he injects into his work, as well as the thorough portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions,...
of Gainax
Gainax
is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
.
The series follows a young inventor named Jean and a former circus performer named Nadia, who wishes to return to her home in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from ADV Films on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. ADV's Anime Network
Anime Network
The Anime Network , a former subsidiary of A.D. Vision, Inc. , is a cable and satellite digital broadcast service in North America dedicated to anime.-History:...
has broadcast the series in the United States. Reportedly, the series was to have been screened in the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s, but the UK distributor was concerned by the level of violence in the series.
Plot
The series centers around Nadia, a young girl of unknown origins, and Jean, a young French inventor. Early in the story, the two protagonists are chased by Grandis Granva, Sanson, and Hanson, a group of jewel thieves who pursue Nadia for the blue jeweled pendant she possesses. After being rescued by Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Super Sea Cruiser Nautilus, the jewel thieves and the young protagonists 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.
Characters
Nadia la Arwall: Nadia is a 14 year-old Kenyan circus performer. She is stubborn, short tempered and a strict vegetarian. After Jean rescues her from the Grandis Gang, she sets out on an adventure with him to determine the origin of the "Blue Water", the jewel that beckons the criminals to her. Always accompanied by her tamed lion cub, King, she sometimes mistreats people, but as she grows closer to Jean she learns to become a much more caring and trusting person.- (Japanese), Wendee LeeWendee LeeWendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
(English, Streamline), Meg Bauman (English, ADV)
King: Nadia's pet white lion cub, who wears a red bandana
Bandana
Bandana can refer to:*Another name for a kerchief*Bandana *Bandana *Bandana, Kentucky, a small town in the United States*Y Bandana, a Welsh alternative rock band.**Y Bandana , their self-titled debut album....
/scarf around his neck and a ring onto his tail. He is very attached to his mistress and occasionally gets jealous when Nadia gets closer to Jean. Even so, he is also very fond of Marie and often plays with her.
- (Japanese), Carl MacekCarl MacekCarl F. Macek was an American writer and controversial anime pioneer and producer of the 1980s and 1990s.-Robotech and Harmony Gold USA:...
(English, Streamline), Shawn SidesShawn SidesShawn Sides is an American voice actress notable for the work she did for ADV Films now-defunct Monster Island Studio in Austin, Texas from 1998 through 2005...
(English, ADV)
Jean Roque Raltique: Jean is a young 14 year-old orphan from Paris who fell in love with Nadia at first sight. He is generous, patient, friendly, and devoted to science as well as his friends. His father is a wealthy trader who was lost at sea and declared dead, but Jean refuses to believe that and is determined to find him.
- (Japanese), Ardwight ChamberlainArdwight ChamberlainArdwight Chamberlain is a voice actor and screen writer currently living in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the voice of Vorlon Ambassador Kosh on the science-fiction television series Babylon 5...
(English, Streamline), Nathan ParsonsNathan ParsonsNathan Parsons is an Australian-born American actor, best known for his work in daytime television on the ABC soap opera General Hospital as the character of Ethan Lovett.-Background:...
(English, ADV)
Marie en Carlsberg: Marie is a 4 year-old orphan found by Nadia and Jean whose parents were murdered by the Neo-Atlanteans. The two decide to stay with her and protect her. She is incredibly intelligent and charismatic for her age. Her playmate is "King" the Lion cub.
- (Japanese), Cheryl ChaseCheryl ChaseCheryl Chase is an American voice actress best known as the voice of Angelica Pickles on Rugrats, All Grown Up! and Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze...
(English, Streamline), Margaret Cassidy (English, ADV)
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. After being rescued along with Nadia, Jean and Marie by the Nautilus, she and her henchmen befriend the children. She develops a huge crush on Capt. Nemo. She also becomes a mother-figure to Nadia.
- (Japanese), Melanie MacQueen (English, Streamline), Sarah Richardson (English, ADV)
Sanson: Sanson is 22 years old and the muscle behind the "Grandis Gang". He considers himself an expert on handling women and is an excellent artist with a rifle. He develops a relationship with Marie and tries to help Jean grow closer to Nadia.
- (Japanese), Tom WynerTom WynerThomas Halperin "Tom" Wyner is an English-born voice actor for anime series who usually gets tough guy or villain roles. He is also a producer, director, and writer...
(English, Streamline), Martin Blacker (English, ADV)
Hanson: Hanson is 29 years old and the brains of the "Grandis Gang" who built the Gratan, the gang's small multi-purpose vehicle. Like Jean, he's into science and has a mild crush on Electra.
- (Japanese), Steve KramerSteve Kramer (actor)Steven M. Kramer is an American voice actor for many anime titles. He has also done voice acting for various Power Rangers series in the past, with the best-known of those roles being the voice of Darkonda in Power Rangers in Space. His wife, Melora Harte, is a voice actress...
(English, Streamline), Corey M. Gagne (English, ADV)
Nemo: Nemo is the captain of the Nautilus
Nautilus (Verne)
The Nautilus is the fictional submarine featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island . Verne named the Nautilus after Robert Fulton's real-life submarine Nautilus...
, a submarine manned by individuals looking to stop the Neo-Atlanteans at all costs. He is a mysterious man with a dark past who acts cold when he first meets Jean and Nadia, but later warms up to Jean's outgoing cheerfulness and enthusiasm. He becomes a father-figure and mentor to both Jean and (most especially) Nadia.
- (Japanese), Jeff WinklessJeff WinklessJeffrey Alan Winkless was an American film and voice actor and music composer. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Two of his younger brothers, Terence H. Winkless and Daniel Owen Winkless, worked with him on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. He was also credited as Jeffrey Brock...
(English, Streamline), Ev Lunning Jr. (English, ADV)
Electra: Electra is 26 years old and an orphan since the destruction of her hometown. She was saved by Captain Nemo and is his first mate on the 'Nautilus'. She and Nemo share a past experience that's never explained.
- (Japanese), Edie MirmanEdie MirmanEdith S. "Edie" Mirman is an American voice actress best known for the voice of Fujiko Mine from Tales of the Wolf, and also for both Miriya Parina Sterling and Nova Satori from Robotech. She is also the voice of Teryx in Dinosaucers and Gatomon and Angewomon in the Digimon series. She is credited...
(English, Streamline), Jennifer Stuart (English, ADV)
Gargoyle: Gargoyle is the head of the Neo-Atlantean forces and is 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. He is ruthless, cold and remorseless and will kill anyone who gets in his way.
- (Japanese), Steve BulenSteve BulenJames Steven Bulen , better known as Steve Bulen, is an American voice actor. He has been doing voices for many animated films and television shows for Walt Disney Animation Studios and Hanna-Barbera as well several video games and anime titles such as Doomed Megalopolis, Giant Robo, Outlaw Star,...
(English, Streamline), David Jones (English, ADV)
Production
This show's origins date to the 1970s when Hayao MiyazakiHayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
was hired by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
to develop a television series. One of these concepts was "Around the World Under the Sea", (adapted from Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax...
), 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
Future Boy Conan
is an anime series, which premiered across Japan on the NHK network between April 4 and October 31, 1978 on the Tuesday 19:30-20:00 timeslot. The official English title used by Nippon Animation is Conan, The Boy in Future....
and Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" – 2:27#"Morning in Slag Ravine" – 3:04#"A Fun Brawl " – 4:27#"Memories of Gondoa" – 2:46#"Discouraged Pazu" – 1:46#"Robot Soldier " – 2:34...
.
In 1988, Gainax
Gainax
is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
was appointed by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
to produce a series for NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
Educational TV
NHK Educational TV
is the second television service of NHK . It is a sister service of NHK General TV, showing programs of a more educational, cultural or intellectual nature, periodically also showing anime...
. Miyazaki's outline for "Around the World Under the Sea" captivated the Gainax staff and, under the direction of Hideaki Anno
Hideaki Anno
is a Japanese animation and film director. Anno is best known for his work on the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. His style has come to be defined by the touches of postmodernism that he injects into his work, as well as the thorough portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions,...
, created The Secret of Blue Water.
The series was scheduled to run for two cours, but the 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 due to limited budget. The series returned a month later with episode 21. Production was still slow, and Anno asked friend and Gainax co-founder Shinji Higuchi
Shinji Higuchi
is a storyboard artist and is one of the top special effects wizards in Japan, best known for his work on the Heisei Gamera Trilogy. He works on both anime and tokusatsu projects.-Biography:...
to take over the direction from episodes 23 to 34, while he focused on crafting the final five episodes. These were occasionally referred to as the "island episodes" by fans who consider them oddly animated and poor-quality filler, a sentiment that even Anno shared. Out of the newly commissioned episodes the director has later stated that he would have saved only episodes 30 and 31 if he were given a chance of omitting them; 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
Carl Macek
Carl F. Macek was an American writer and controversial anime pioneer and producer of the 1980s and 1990s.-Robotech and Harmony Gold USA:...
and Streamline Pictures
Streamline Pictures
Streamline Pictures was an American media company that was best known for its distribution of English dubbed Japanese animation. -Founding:Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1988, Streamline Pictures was one of the first North American companies that was created primarily for the intention of...
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
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
as Nadia, Ardwight Chamberlain
Ardwight Chamberlain
Ardwight Chamberlain is a voice actor and screen writer currently living in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the voice of Vorlon Ambassador Kosh on the science-fiction television series Babylon 5...
as Jean, Jeff Winkless
Jeff Winkless
Jeffrey Alan Winkless was an American film and voice actor and music composer. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Two of his younger brothers, Terence H. Winkless and Daniel Owen Winkless, worked with him on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. He was also credited as Jeffrey Brock...
as Captain Nemo, Cheryl Chase
Cheryl Chase
Cheryl Chase is an American voice actress best known as the voice of Angelica Pickles on Rugrats, All Grown Up! and Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze...
as Mary, Melanie MacQueen as Grandis, Tom Wyner
Tom Wyner
Thomas Halperin "Tom" Wyner is an English-born voice actor for anime series who usually gets tough guy or villain roles. He is also a producer, director, and writer...
as Sanson, Steve Kramer
Steve Kramer (actor)
Steven M. Kramer is an American voice actor for many anime titles. He has also done voice acting for various Power Rangers series in the past, with the best-known of those roles being the voice of Darkonda in Power Rangers in Space. His wife, Melora Harte, is a voice actress...
as Hanson, Edie Mirman
Edie Mirman
Edith S. "Edie" Mirman is an American voice actress best known for the voice of Fujiko Mine from Tales of the Wolf, and also for both Miriya Parina Sterling and Nova Satori from Robotech. She is also the voice of Teryx in Dinosaucers and Gatomon and Angewomon in the Digimon series. She is credited...
as Electra, and Steve Bulen
Steve Bulen
James Steven Bulen , better known as Steve Bulen, is an American voice actor. He has been doing voices for many animated films and television shows for Walt Disney Animation Studios and Hanna-Barbera as well several video games and anime titles such as Doomed Megalopolis, Giant Robo, Outlaw Star,...
as Gargoyle. In 1996, Streamline's rights for the show expired. Later, In 2001 ADV Films purchased the series, and commissioned a new dub to be recorded at their Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
-based Monster Island studios. The new dub cast included actual children in the roles of Nadia, Jean, and Marie—Meg Bauman (14, Nadia), Nathan Parsons
Nathan Parsons
Nathan Parsons is an Australian-born American actor, best known for his work in daytime television on the ABC soap opera General Hospital as the character of Ethan Lovett.-Background:...
(12, Jean), and Margaret Cassidy (11, Marie).
A Nadia feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
sequel premiered in Japanese theaters in 1992. The events take place three years after the defeat of Gargoyle and Neo-Atlantis. Gainax had no involvement in the production of this movie, and the quality suffered greatly as a result; nearly one third of the ninety-minute feature consists of frequently edited clips from the show. Due to its perceived poor quality, the movie is not well known in the United States. ADV licensed it and released as Nadia: The Motion Picture on DVD in August 2002.
Pre-production discussion
Before production of the series, Hideaki Anno suddenly asked the production team why Neo Atlantis want to conquer the world, and why they do not simply use their superior technology to live a more comfortable life. More questions arose as to how they plan to conquer the world. An answer to the latter question was given that since the heroes are in a submarine, Neo Atlantis has to somehow conquer the world via operations using submarines. The final answer was that at that time period, the only method of trade is by sea, and Neo Atlantis planned to monopolize the trading routes. Another question that was asked was, since that it is set in a time where powerful empires colonize developing countries and make big profit from them, stopping the trade routes seems to not be evil but justice. Seeing that production was about to begin and no doubt should be left unanswered, Toshio OkadaToshio Okada
is an anime producer, author, and lecturer. He is a co-founder and former president of the production company Gainax.-Childhood:Okada was born on July 1, 1958 in Osaka, Japan and attended Osaka University of Arts....
answered at first that the culture at that time viewed colonization as justice, thus Neo Atlantis' actions are evil at the time. Before the end of the meeting, he gave another answer, which was that Neo Atlantis stops the evil empires from colonizing developing countries, just so that it can colonize the whole world, thus it is the supreme evil. However, no answer could be given to the question asked by Hideaki, and 15 years after the anime, Okada wrote a book called "Seikai Seifuku" wa kanou ka? ("Conquering the World", is it possible?) on behalf of the question.
Episodes
| # | Title | Airdate (Japan) | Script | Storyboards | Episode Director | Animation Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | エッフェル塔の少女 Girl at the Eiffel Tower |
13 April 1990 | Hisao Okawa | Shigeru Morikawa Hideaki Anno |
Shigeru Morikawa | Shunji Suzuki |
| 2 | 小さな逃亡者 The Little Fugitive |
20 April 1990 | Shoichi Masuo | Toshiyuki Kubooka Toshiyuki Kubooka Toshiyuki Kubooka is a Japanese animator, character designer, and illustrator. He is particularly known for his work on games of the Lunar series.-Anime:*Batman: Gotham Knight... |
||
| 3 | 謎の大海獣 The Riddle of the Giant Sea Monsters |
27 April 1990 | Yuki Masa | Shunji Suzuki | ||
| 4 | 万能潜水艦ノーチラス号 Nautilus, the Fantastic Submarine |
4 May 1990 | Yoshitomo Yonetani Yoshitomo Yonetani is a Japanese anime director and animation director. A member of the studio Sunrise, he has directed numerous series, including Gaogaigar, Brigadoon: Marin & Melan, and Betterman, and has recently worked on numerous series, including Planetes and both iterations of the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed... |
Kei Takeuchi | ||
| 5 | マリーの島 Marie's Island |
11 May 1990 | Takeshi Mori Takeshi Mori Takeshi Mori may refer to:*Takeshi Mori , commander of the Japanese Empire's First Imperial Guards Division, at the end of World War II*Takeshi Mori , anime director, storyboard artist, and script writer... |
Koji Matsunari | Hidenori Matsubara | |
| 6 | 孤島の要塞 Infiltration of the Secret Base |
18 May 1990 | Takeshi Mori | Shinji Abe | ||
| 7 | バベルの塔 The Tower of Babel |
25 May 1990 | Nagashi Tare Alan Smithee Alan Smithee was an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project, coined in 1968. Until its use was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild of America when a director dissatisfied with the final product proved to... |
Hiroyuki Sasaki | Kumiko Kawana | |
| 8 | ナディア救出作戦 Mission to Rescue Nadia |
1 June 1990 | Takeshi Mori | Shunji Suzuki Yoshiyuki Sadamoto |
||
| 9 | ネモの秘密 Nemo's Secret |
8 June 1990 | Hideaki Anno Kiyoshi Nemoto |
Yukio Suzuki | Hiroshi Kugimiya | |
| 10 | グラタンの活躍 A Crowning Performance by the Gratan |
15 June 1990 | Yoshisugu Ikegami Mahiro Maeda Mahiro Maeda Mahiro Maeda is one of the most prominent Japanese anime creators working today, having worked as director, character designer, and animator for many of Japan's top series.... |
Jun Kamiya | Kumiko Kawana | |
| 11 | ノーチラス号の新入生 New Recruits for the Nautilus |
22 June 1990 | Takeshi Mori | Hiroyuki Sasaki | Masahiro Kase Tadashi Hiramatsu |
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| 12 | グランディスの初恋 Grandis and her First Love |
6 July 1990 | Toshiyuki Kubooka Toshiyuki Kubooka Toshiyuki Kubooka is a Japanese animator, character designer, and illustrator. He is particularly known for his work on games of the Lunar series.-Anime:*Batman: Gotham Knight... |
Shunji Suzuki | ||
| 13 | 走れ!マリー Run Marie Run! |
13 July 1990 | Yuki Masa | Takeshi Mori | Yoshiaki Yanagita | |
| 14 | ディニクチスの谷 The Valley of Dinicthys |
20 July 1990 | Yukio Sasaki Kiyoshi Nemoto |
Yukio Sasaki | Hiroshi Kugimiya | |
| 15 | ノーチラス最大の危機 The Nautilus Faces its Biggest Crisis |
27 July 1990 | Shoichi Masuo | Masahiro Kato Tadashi Hiramatsu |
||
| 16 | 消えた大陸の秘密 The Mystery of the Lost Continent |
24 August 1990 | Hisao Okawa Kaoru Umino |
Masahiro Maeda | Kiyoshi Nemoto | Kumiko Kawana |
| 17 | ジャンの新発明 Jean's New Invention |
31 August 1990 | Takeshi Mori | Katsuhide Maruseka | ||
| 18 | ノーチラス対ノーチラス号 Nautilus vs. Nautilus |
7 September 1990 | Saraiko Gai | Shigehito Makino | Hiroshi Kugimiya | |
| 19 | ネモの親友 Nemo's Best Friend |
14 September 1990 | Takeshi Mori | Renji Kawabata | Koichi Takada | |
| 20 | ジャンの失敗 Jean Makes a Mistake |
21 September 1990 | Yuki Masa | Kiyoshi Nemoto | Toshiyuki Kubooka | |
| 21 | さよなら…ノーチラス号 Farewell Nautilus |
26 October 1990 | Shunji Higuchi | Fumihiko Takayama | Yoshiyuki Sadamoto | |
| 22 | 裏切りのエレクトラ Electra the Traitor |
2 November 1990 | Mahiro Maeda | Shigeru Morikawa | Shunji Suzuki | |
| 23 | 小さな漂流者 Young Drifters |
9 November 1990 | Hironori Urano | Kumiko Kawana | ||
| 24 | リンカーン島 Lincoln Island |
16 November 1990 | Kiyoshi Nemoto | Shigehito Makino | Noboru Koizumi | |
| 25 | はじめてのキス The First Kiss |
30 November 1990 | Shinji Higuchi | Shigenori Awai | Kazuto Nakazawa | |
| 26 | ひとりぼっちのキング King, the Lonely Lion |
7 December 1990 | Renji Kawabata | Koichi Takada | ||
| 27 | 魔女のいる島 The Island of the Witch |
14 December 1990 | Hironori Urano | Tadayori Uda | Kim Se-Chang | |
| 28 | 流され島 The Floating Island |
21 December 1990 | Yuki Masa Shinji Higuchi |
Renji Kawabata | Nam Yul Park | |
| 29 | キング対キング King vs, King |
11 January 1991 | Kiyoshi Nemoto Yuki Masa |
Shigehito Makino | Noboru Koizumi | |
| 30 | 地底の迷路 Labyrinth in the Earth |
25 January 1991 | Shinji Higuchi | Kiyoshi Nemoto | Takeshi Honda | |
| 31 | さらば、レッドノア Farewell, Red Noah |
1 February 1991 | Toshiyuki Kubooka | Hironori Urano | Kazuya Tsurumaki | |
| 32 | ナディアの初恋…? Nadia's Love |
8 February 1991 | Hironori Urano | Hiromitsu Hoshino | Yoshio Noguchi | |
| 33 | キング救助作戦 King's Rescue |
15 February 1991 | Yuki Masa | Renji Kawabata | Koichi Takada | |
| 34 | いとしのナディア My Darling Nadia |
22 February 1991 | Makura Inu | Tadayori Uda Hihachi Okamoto |
Kim Se-Changbr />Kūbo So-so-so-so | |
| 35 | ブルー・ウォーターの秘密 The Secret of Blue Water |
1 March 1991 | Mahiro Maeda | Hiromitsu Hoshino Mahiro Maeda |
Takeshi Honda | |
| 36 | 万能戦艦Ν-ノーチラス号 The New Nautilus |
8 March 1991 | Yuki Masa | Aono Chang | Toshiyuki Kubooka | |
| 37 | ネオ皇帝 Emperor Neo |
29 March 1991 | Hironori Urano | Shigehito Makino Makura Inu |
Noboru Koizumi Hideaki Anno |
|
| 38 | To The Sky |
5 April 1991 | Shinji Higuchi | Masayuki | Shunji Suzuki | |
| 39 | 星を継ぐ者… Successor to the Stars |
12 April 1991 | Toshiyuki Kubooka | Takeshi Mori | Shunji Suzuki Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Kazuya Tsurumaki |
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Video games
A Nadia video gameNadia: The Secret of Blue Water (video game)
-Famicom:Fushigi no Umi Nadia released 1991 by Toho for the Famicom console. Based on the characters from the NHK animated TV series....
was released in 1991 for the Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
console. The player controls a cast of characters in a simplistic strategy battle game. Battles are carried out through an RPG
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
style turn-based system.
There was also an adventure game released of Nadia for the Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
in Japan.