s the 39-episode Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water series begins, a young inventor named Jean is visiting the 1889 World Exposition in Paris, where he and his uncle hope to demonstrate their new personal flying machine and win a substantial cash prize. But Jean is distracted by the sight of a beautiful dark-skinned girl with a pet lion cub, and he pursues her to try and make friends. As he attempts to convince her that he's friendly, rather than weird or dangerous, she's suddenly accosted by a malicious, well-dressed woman and her two suited thugs, who want the strange, glowing blue jewel the girl is wearing. The girl escapes easily, but her attackers pursue, and before long, Jean's using his flying machine to rescue her from a giant armored tank with robot arms.
Jean eventually learns that the girl's name is Nadia, and her gem, which possesses a strange power she doesn't fully comprehend, is called the Blue Water. She wants to go home, but doesn't know where that is; she's been an orphan for so long that she doesn't remember her homeland. She was traveling with a circus, but after the people chasing her bribed the circusmaster to hand her over to them, she can't go back. Jean cheerfully offers her sanctuary and help.
From there, things get odd, adventurous and sometimes silly. Pursued by the well-dressed woman, Grandis (who bears a strong resemblance to Jessie, from Pokémon's villainous Team Rocket), Jean and Nadia flee on a boat, land, flee some more on a plane, crash, flee still more on a battleship, fall off and wind up as unwilling guests aboard the Nautilus from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. As the series develops, the stage is set for a world-spanning steampunk adventure, packed with odd inventions and grand-scale mysteries. ADV Films (which took over the rights after Streamline Pictures went out of business) has previously released the entire Nadia series in subtitled VHS form, but is only now creating subs and DVDs.
A rich, colorful steampunk fantasy
The first Nadia DVD is getting some extra attention because of its timing, which coincides neatly with the opening of Disney's Atlantis. Infuriated anime fans have complained that Atlantis has extensive, striking similarities to Nadia (which first aired in Japan in 1991), from the character designs all the way down to the story specifics, particularly the key plot points and the ending. Disney is, of course, denying that any of its creators (many of whom identify themselves as anime fans) had ever heard of Nadia, one of the single most popular series in anime history. The controversy, and Disney's stiff-arming response, are highly familiar from the similar 1994 flap over the many similarities between Disney's The Lion King and the classic 1966 anime series Kimba the White Lion. (Anime scholar Frederik L. Schodt explains and discusses the issue in an essay in his indispensable Dreamland Japan.)
Going back to watch Kimba The White Lion (which recently became possible, thanks to The Right Stuf International's 13-tape, 52-episode release) is fairly tedious for all but the most dedicated and nostalgic fans, but Nadia is a breath of fresh air. Its sweet, lively, energetic tone recalls the stellar movies of director Hayao Miyazaki, although it was actually directed by Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno. Nadia's child characters and the mysterious gem they protect strongly recall Miyazaki's 1986 Laputa: Castle in the Sky, which also centered on a bright, energetic young boy and the daughter of a lost civilization whom he tries to protect from a greedy cabal. So Disney isn't the only one borrowing. And Nadia does, of course, have a lot in common with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which it openly credits as an inspiration.
But sources aside, Nadia is a stellar series, full of bright, vibrant, busy images, instantly likable characters who develop as the series progresses, and a strong sense of creative identity. ADV Films has done a remarkable job so far with its dub, recruiting actual kids for the child characters and sticking closely to the sub script. (The young actors' fake accents get a tad annoying at times, but at least they actually sound like normal people talking; no strident comic screeching here.) This is a great starter series for kids, but animation fans of all ages will love the way it looks.
