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Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
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Animation - 7.1 |
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Sound - 7.9 |
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Story - 8.1 |
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Character - 8.6 |
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Value - 7.8 |
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Enjoyment - 8.4 |
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Average - 8.0 |
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Nadia the Secret of Blue Water: often cited as one of the classic anime series in terms of the story its based upon (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea). Not to mention it has quite a following in some modes.
And indeed, this is a story that starts out with steam, some cliches in tow, but an interesting senario nonetheless. Jean, a young French boy who has a dream of flying and a keen interest in his inventions, happens upon a circus performer with a special power in the necklace she wears is something I haven't seen in an anime prior to watching it some odd number of years ago (save for my latter watch of Laputa). It was only this year that I finally finished the series-and I have to say one thing: curse those Island filler episodes! XD
Seriously, I think Nadia's downfall wasn't in the characters (Nadia isn't the worst main heroine, she's actually likable in some modes-she may be vegetarian and terribly stubborn, but I think most people don't realize she's only a kid-14 or 15 at that and about as naive as Jean, but she grows in the course of the series) or even in the remote storyline, which actually had a lot of promise in the beginning and the very end of the series as well. But the fillers in some portions of this series are among the worst to grace some anime series I've seen to date and they kill the experience of the series in some modes (yes...worse than Naruto and I can say that with no regrets, but thankfully they only last for a few episodes and not the whole series :? ), some fillers are actually good (I found one of Marie's episodes so cute), while others (the Island arc) rather unnecessary. It's not so much that they're extremely bad...but they feel out of place compared to the rest of the storyline.
For a 1989/1990 production, I was impressed with the animation. It was better than most series that were made in the early 90s in terms of special effects and cel production was very nice, especially in some scenes where the crew comes within range of Atlantis.
Music is quite nice in most modes. The OP/ED themes by Miho Morikawa are among my favorite themes in anime to date, especially the ED theme "Yes I Will", but I love "Blue Water" just as much. Instrumental themes are beautifully weaved within the series, and some of the character songs are decent too, rather fun and quirky to listen to. Voice acting is quite enjoyable in the Japanese version. There are actually stronger VAs in the English version in some modes (one example, Grandis, Sanson and Hanson's VAs are spot on XD), while others take some time to get used to.
The story for "Nadia" is actually quite noteworthy, as it's rather character driven and oversees Jean and Nadia coming across the crew of the Nautilus and aiming to discover the secret of Nadia's necklace, the "Blue Water". There are quite a few unexpected twists and turns this series took that I appreciated-revolving around the deaths of some characters you come to love and others where betrayal comes heavily into the mix. And while Nadia's probably not the most likable female lead to start, you grow to like her dynamic with Jean and see why she takes on such a headstrong attitude in the course of the series. My favorite characters in this series were actually ones that started off as villains, but really come to take the highlight of the series-Grandis, Sanson and Hanson. Those three were cursedly funny, and entertaining to watch the whole way through. Nadia, Jean, Marie and King were all good to watch among the kids featured in the series, sometimes cute while others, Nadia and Jean in particular, where they were a little frustrating for their character flaws (stubborn natures mainly).
The crew of the Nautilus is a cast of interesting characters: the mysterious Captain Nemo, who actually reminds me of Captain Jamil from Gundam X; the kind yet emotional Electra (for reasons you definitely see during the series), among a cast that you grow to like in the dynamic of the series.
I'm not going to say Nadia is a perfect series, but I rather enjoyed it on several levels, and I probably would have more if the fillers weren't so detracting from the story. But if you wanted, you could just skip over them and you wouldn't miss much, and overall I think for its time, Nadia does a great job in terms of portraying its characters and story. Could it have been stronger? Sure. Have I seen stronger series with better characters and story? Definitely. But this was a ride that was well worth it for me, so I would recommend it.
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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petran79 |
(2008-01-14 19:53:33) 2006-08-05 12:38:29 |
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| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| (half episodes ADV DVD rip and the other half from a fansub group)
After having watched the masterpiece ''Mysterious Cities of Gold'', I hardly expected to find an anime that would make me feel the same excitement.
But while watching the first 23 episodes of ''Nadia, Secret of the Blue Water'' some moments reminded me of that anime. But as one reviewer pointed out it doesnt reach the magic of that series. Indeed overall only those first 23 episodes are worth watching and they have a darker overtone.
Personally I didnt see any resemblance with ''Castle in the Sky'' but rather with ''Mysterious Cities of Gold'', especially in the characters and the settings.
There were also many similarities with Evangelion (sounding siren, cryptic symbols and angsty teenagers, though I prefer Nadia and Jean to Asuka and Shinji and a scene with Marie's drawings that reminded me of the last Evangelion episodes. Marie's drawings of course were much better!).
In terms of action there were three factors that kept my interest. The initial episodes where Nadia and Jean have to escape from the evil trio, then the episodes where they have to escape, along with the trio, from a Neo Atlantis fortress and then up to ep 23 where there are intense submarine battles and the main characters end up on a mysterious island. If the series lasted only 26 episodes with that quality it would be as good as Cities of Gold in many points but as it ended up the difference in quality in episodes 24-34 is so obvious that I felt I was watching a different anime. The characters change completely, with the exception of Marie, and this turns like Pokemon. Seriously. I only didnt skip the episodes cause I thought it would get better but I was wrong. Ep. 26-34 are skippable and the second time I'll watch Nadia I'll probably do that. Ep 35-39 are good and the ending too but the damage had already been done. A pity.
Because the story was quite good and only a few animated features added such a good version of the Atlantis myth. In that respect it is on par with the story of Cities of Gold but only in that part.
The characters, especially in the first half are memorable. Marie should be an example of how to include a 5 year old in anime without making him/her annoying. Gargoyle was one of the best villains I saw mainly because he is always calm, smart and persistent and never turns hysteric. Unfortunately not many bad guys followed that trend afterwards.
Nadia and Jean are the typical kids that are likable in the first half but in the second they become so annoying and childish that I simply dont want to watch or hear them anymore. Especially King, the most annoying MALE lion cub ever.
The Trio Grandis, Sanson and Hanson were perhaps the best characters and the only ones who dont become mediocre in the second half. Truly inventive and funny where need be I wonder why they didnt become the main characters.
As for the Nautilus crew they werent that well developed even if the series lasted 39 episodes. Insted of the fillers they could devote some episodes to them and their past.
Animation was good in the first half, then falls flat till ep. 36 where there are some nice battles and action.
Sound: nothing memorable there though I liked the OP (but watched it only once every 5 episodes, as well as the ED). Some touching music was well used and the sfx were decent, but not the funny music. Some songs were featured in one episodes and I skipped them!
Final verdict: first 23 episodes are worth watching and the final episode as well (ending was appropriate and nice) but even that pales to Mysterious Cities of Gold. Also Evangelion fans might like some things in the similarities in the direction, but not much more.
A good title and for its genre it is a good choice but something is missing to make it truly a classic.
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Villain |
(2006-09-12 09:47:16) 2006-07-17 12:58:45 |
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| A classic adventure-series by early Studio Gainax, Nadia is definitely worth a look for all those who are interested in the evolution of anime as an artform. Nadia was not only a prototype for Gainax, but also an example for many other studios, and its influence can be seen not only in Neon Genesis Evangelion, but also in many newer series and movies, like Last Exile and Steamboy.
Based very loosely on Jules Verne's "20 000 Leagues under the Sea", the series is misguidingly set on the late 19th Century. The truth is, both the technology used and the issues raised in the series are very modern. The characters use submarines, fly on airplanes and build robots and other spectacular machines overnight. They also delve in such philosophical topics as science vs. nature, childhood vs. adulthood, man's purpose in the world, ethics and morality, vegetarianism, relationships between men and women, the difficulty of us ever understanding other human beings fully (Evangelion, anyone?) and plenty more.
Actually, the greatest flaw of the series is that it tries to touch too many issues instead of concentrating on the storyline. As a result, the story shifts focus several times, from one issue to another. Some might say it completely LOSES the focus for several episodes right at the middle of the series. This might bother some people less than others, but even the biggest fans of the series should admit that Nadia is very uneven, with huge differences in quality between episodes - and sometimes even between the scenes within an episode.
The overall mood of the series also changes multiple times, from lighthearted to dead serious and back again in a hearbeat. The scale is amazing, the range of ideas expressed unparalleled. And yet it feels like the series never gets as far as it tries in any department. At times even the otherwise excellent characters completely change their behaviour without any warning or reason. It could be argued that acting irrationally from time to time is a realistic human trait, as our emotions often overrule our thinking, but I'm not sure if presenting that repeatedly in an anime-series is a good idea.
All in all, Nadia was mainly just an exercise in TV-series storytelling and directing for Studio Gainax and Hideaki Anno. It took half a decade since Nadia before they were ready to create their masterpiece; but without the lessons learned from Nadia I doubt there would be Evangelion, which finally managed to succesfully develop many of the complex themes touched upon in Nadia.
And still, despite its lesser status, Nadia is for the most part surprisingly immersive and entertaining to watch even today. It might be too ambitious for its own good, but it is not a complete failure by any means.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I decided NOT to read up anything about Nadia before watching it, so the fact it's loosely based on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea intrigued me, as I'm a big Jules Verne fan and this is the first thing you find out when you turn the DVD on.
The storyline started off really well and I found myself thinking "Laputa". There were lots of things that reminded me of Laputa, the Blue Water Jewel, the bad guys chasing Nadia and the cute little boy who befriends Nadia.
The story was very intriguing up to episode 22 when all of a sudden it crashes with 9 really boring filler episodes that I speeded up just to get the gist of what was happening. Just as I was about to give up, along comes episode 32 and it refuelled my interest. The story ended on a very high note, which was extremely satisfying.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Nadia reminds me a little bit of Laputa both featuring their own rendition of the future like a 19th century story and centering on a girl with a mysterious past and carrying a mysterious, powerful jewel. Since Nadia's a TV show though, the animation isn't as great as Laputa so it would be unfair to compare the two in this way.
I believe Nadia was Anno Hideaki's first directorial work at Gainax before making Eva five years later. I had as much fun watching Nadia as I did watching Laputa.
Like Laputa, Nadia features a vast world to explore in a futuristic 19th century world. Being 39 episodes long, Nadia has plenty of time to introduce us to new characters and places, learn more about them, and find out what happens to them in the end. It was a treat learning of the connections between Nadia, Neo-Atlantis, the Nautilus, and the Blue Water as each episode passed. Gargoyle is one of the most ingenious and heartless villians I've ever seen in an anime and it was a treat seeing battles between Neo-Atlantis and the Nautilus. Comic relief was provided very well by the Gradis gang and Marie, but they can also have their serious moments. The only area the plot falters a little is during the show's infamous "lost island" episodes where the animation suffered a bit and there was little development in the plot.
Animation wise, the character designs were good to see and settings were made pretty well. Soundwise, music was solid and put well into most scenes and the seiyuu, for the most part, was great at actting out scenes of drama, comedy, or adventure. The only time the seiyuu suffered were in some scenes of speaking French and English, but this is just a minor complaint.
Nadia is currently tied with Laputa as my overall favorite adventure anime. Both feature memorable characters, vast settings to explore, plot twists, and clever villians; all are the perfect elements for a great adventure anime.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This show is a bit of a mixed bag. It starts out well with Jean meeting Nadia on the Eiffel Tower and follows their adventures to find Nadia's birthplace.
The quality of the animation varies a bit, depending on the episode. The action sequences are handled really well - especially the Nautilus battles against Gargoyle's fleet. Where the animation does suffer is during the eps on "Lincoln Island", where it can look downright shoddy one scene, but really good in another. It does during this phase that I started to notice King's prominent genitals...
The sound was good - nothing special though. I quite liked the OP theme. In ep 34 you're treated to a musical themed extravaganza - which was a little grating!!!
The story moves along quite well, interspersed with plenty of comedy and great action. Then they end up on a deserted island and it all goes pear-shaped for several episodes as Nadia gets incredibly preachy and Jean eats magic mushrooms. I was glad when the story was picked up again and the finale was spectacular!
As for characters - Nadia was fairly annoying throughout. I liked the two henchmen, Sanson and Hanson - they were really fun.
Overall this is a fun romp, an action adventure story (kinda like Mysterious Cities of Gold, but not quite so good IMHO). The Island segment kinda stalls the story, but serves up some funny moments. Lots of references to Atlantis and other related stuff.
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Nazo |
(2005-08-21 07:25:35) 2005-08-21 07:24:46 |
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| This one is hard to describe. It says it is based on the story 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, well, it's very loosely based to say the least, though it's true that the ways it is based on it will be blatantly obvious in a hurry.
Overall, I thought the show, on the whole, was quite nice. Not just an overarcing plot, but, little side-stories and, through the whole thing, a focus on the slowly developing relationship between Nadia and Jean.
I'll get into more detail later on why I gave the animation such a low rating. The characters and scenes are well drawn, so it's not as bad as it sounds.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| YAY!
After watching dozens of series I finally found my number 1 anime! ^^
When I first time checked this serie out at animenfo about 3 years ago, I thought that is was for kids..
Well, to the review..
(Beware of my bad english.. Well it's not that bad but clock is now about 4-5 in the morning and i just watched about 12 episodes straight.. (Yawn!.. I think I goto sleep after this..) -_- .zZzZzZ
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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jacks81x |
(2004-06-09 02:36:56) 2004-06-09 02:35:48 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Animation/Sound:
The animation is decent for its time. The character design isn't typical anime-ish, but fits the setting of the story. The OP and ED songs are pretty good and are accompanied by a nice soundtrack.
Story:
The setting of the story is Europe in the 1800s. However, there are sci-fi and religious elements in the story. Nadia was created by Hideaki Anno, who later created Evangelion. However, Nadia is a much simpler story than Evangelion is. Eva focuses more on the psychological aspects of its characters, whereas Nadia focuses on the story. Also, Nadia is not nearly as dark or complex as Eva is. Overall, the story of Nadia is quite interesting. The only drawback is that there are a lot of filler eps in the series. As for the ending, although cliche, does do a good job in wrapping up the story and the relationships of the characters.
Characters:
A well-rounded cast of typical anime characters. The series does a decent job in developing most of the main characters.
Conclusion:
Nadia is a decent adventure series with an interesting plotline that is somewhat watered down by all the filler eps. The series is almost 15 years old, but it's a good old-school adventure series that's worth a watch if you've got the time.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Great character design (and I mean both their appearances and personalities), complex but not purposefully confusing storyline, one of the best and most overwhelmingly emotional endings I've seen in anime... Unless computers have so f***ed up your optic nerves and sense of aesthetics that you can't enjoy good 'ole hand-drawn aniomation anymore, GO FOR THIS ONE!
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
6.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
0 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Nadia is regarded as an anime classic, but overall I found it disappointing. It was done by the director of Evangelion, but the direction seemed heavy-handed and a lot of the drama came across as forced (notably the episode with Faito-san). Not as "heavy" as NGE, since Nadia was aimed more at kids, but it's not really light-hearted either. Maybe because I had high expectations for it, I was disappointed--Nadia herself annoyed me and the infamous "island episodes" are the worst example of filler I've ever seen (in addition to being really poorly animated). If you're thinking about buying it, I'd recommend renting it first.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| One of the best plot developments along with some of the most thrilling scenes I've seen in an anime... until episode 22. After this you're completely thrown off balance. Only on episode 35 the series regains it's rhythm. I agree with Bleen that the island episodes involve character development, but Gainax ended up sacrificing too much for this. I'd rather sacrifice these episodes than compromise the whole anime. In the end I agree with Mal and Kouen who also view them as forgettable.
The atmosphere reminded me of Laputa and Porco Rosso since they all occur almost at the same time periods.
It's rare to find fantastic tales like this one. Well, at least the one until episode 22 and after 35.
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De Baer |
(2005-02-04 06:45:47) 2002-12-29 08:06:10 |
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Nadia gehört zu den beieindruckensten Werken von GAINAX und hat mich in jeder Hinsicht überrascht (von den veralterten Animationen mal abgesehn). Die Story ist großartig ausgedacht und verspinnt sich sehr gut im Laufe der Serie. Ein schöner Soundtrack und liebenswerte Characktere runden diesen Anime zusätzlich ab. Auf jeden Fall ein Empfehlung.
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Sinai |
(2005-04-12 22:34:50) 2002-12-10 12:23:17 |
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| A great epic story, Nadia is one of the older animes everyone needs to see. Its got it all, comedy, drama, action, romance. And a really cool submarine. What more could you want? This was the sort of anime that made Gainax a force in the industry.
One caveat, the eyecatch is the most horrible thing on the face of the earth. Watch it and you too will know the horror. Usually someone would realize commercial break was approaching and start screaming to fast forward...
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| With almost 6k of Japanese animation, and having watched most of it, I consider myself a fairly credible source on the topic. On the whole, I really Liked this series. It was charming, succeeding in making me both laugh and cry at various times. I must concur on one point though, the desert island episodes were terrible, and detracted from the flavour of the series.
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Bleen |
2002-10-03 21:32:42 |
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I've been watching anime for quite some time, and I've seen a lot of recent productions... NOTHING compares to a good plot, and more than that, lovable characters. Fushigi no umi no nadia delivers on that. The plot HAS a few holes in it, but I do NOT agree with Mal (read his review below) that the desert island episodes were fillers, on the contrary, those episodes were necessary to further develop the characters and make way for the main plot to advence. And those eps were the ones I enjoyed most. There really IS character development in this series. And this is something you rarely see in animes nowadays. And the characters being to lovable, and seeing them grow, makes you really care for what happens to them. This series is LONG (39 eps!), and it's a pity the animation is below average (even for that year). If it wasn't for that, I'd watch it again, at least half of its episodes. Anyway, since the animation and designs aren't great (not the character designs, I loved those), it doesn't really have much rewatch value... still, it's WAY better than many new series which may have excelent animation and nice designs and all but no character development and worst of all, no plot.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Perhaps something that could appropriately be called a working prototype of Evangelion. Indeed, Nadia shares a great many qualities with its much more famous successor - Judeo-Christian references, an advanced plot, interesting characters, extensive research...In fact, Nadia even shares a few cels with NGE. Its a great story though - about the advancement of technology and how it affects civilization. Though not as readily apparent as in NGE, Nadia is still among the deeper, more thought provoking anime. Eclipsed by the later Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nadia is nevertheless a good Gainax work and its main female character, Nadia, had the distinction of dethroning Nausicaa as the favourite in that category all those years ago.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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