It was 1990. Studio Gainax was barely holding it together. Before Neon Genesis Evangelion turned the industry upside down, there was a girl named Nadia, an inventor named Jean, and a massive submarine that felt like home. Honestly, if you haven’t revisited Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, you’re missing out on the literal DNA of modern prestige anime. It’s messy. It’s gorgeous. It’s kind of a miracle it exists at all.
Originally, this wasn't even Hideaki Anno’s idea. Hayao Miyazaki had pitched a "world-spanning adventure" concept to NHK years prior, but it sat in a drawer until the network handed the scraps to Gainax. What started as a Jules Verne-inspired romp through Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea morphed into something much darker and more philosophically complex. People think it’s just a kids' show about a circus girl and her lion cub. They’re wrong.
The Secret of Blue Water and the Gainax Identity Crisis
The production was a nightmare. You’ve probably noticed that the "Island" and "Africa" arcs in the middle of the series look... well, terrible. That’s because the studio ran out of money and outsourced the animation to shops that didn't have the same vision. It’s one of those industry secrets that fans still debate today—how a show can fluctuate between cinematic brilliance and looking like a Saturday morning cartoon from a bargain bin.
But when it’s good, it’s untouchable. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water introduced us to Captain Nemo, but not the one from your English lit class. This Nemo was haunted. He was a man carrying the weight of a lost civilization and the blood of his own people on his hands. It’s where Anno started experimenting with the themes of isolation and parental trauma that would later define Shinji Ikari’s journey.
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Why the Tech in Nadia Still Feels Groundbreaking
Let’s talk about the Nautilus. In most 90s anime, ships were just cool-looking toys. In this series, the tech felt heavy. It felt ancient and dangerous. The show effectively blends "steampunk" with "out-of-place artifacts" (OOPArts).
- The Blue Water itself isn't just a shiny gem; it’s a terminal.
- It links the protagonists to a literal extraterrestrial origin story for humanity.
- The New Nautilus (the Excelion) is essentially a spaceship disguised as a naval vessel.
Jean, the co-protagonist, represents the optimistic side of the Industrial Revolution. He believes science can fix anything. Nadia, conversely, represents the skepticism of nature and the trauma of how that science is used for war. This friction drives the entire narrative. It’s not just about stopping the Neo-Atlanteans; it’s about deciding if humanity deserves the technology it keeps finding in the dirt.
The Neo-Atlantis Problem
Gargoyle is one of the most underrated villains in history. He’s not some mustache-twirling baddie who wants to rule the world "just because." He is a fundamentalist. He believes in the hierarchy of the Atlantean "gods" over the "inferior" humans. When you watch the final confrontation, it isn't just a laser fight. It’s a philosophical breakdown of what it means to be a person versus a tool of a higher power.
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The secret of blue water is ultimately a burden. It’s the key to a power that destroyed Atlantis once, and the show asks if we’ve learned anything since then. Most modern shows wouldn't dare spend three episodes talking about the ethics of eating meat or the trauma of a 14-year-old realizing her father is a mass murderer, but Nadia did it while maintaining a primetime slot on NHK.
Misconceptions About the Ending
Some people think the ending is a bit too "magic" for a show about science. I disagree. If you look at the technical specs provided in the later Cyber Encyclopedia releases and the Nadia art books, the "magic" is just hyper-advanced biotechnology. The "Tower of Babel" wasn't a myth; it was a long-range energy weapon.
The tragic reality is that to save the world, the legacy of Atlantis had to be completely wiped out. The Blue Water losing its shine at the end is the most important moment of the series. It’s the transition from a world of "gods" and "destiny" to a world of humans and hard work. It's a bittersweet hand-off.
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How to Experience Nadia Today
If you’re going to watch it, you need to be smart about it.
First, get the Blu-ray restoration. The 4K scans significantly fix the color grading issues that plagued the old DVD releases. Second, and this is controversial but necessary: feel free to skim the "Island" episodes (episodes 23 through 34). These were the episodes produced during the height of the budget crisis. While they have some character development, the drop in animation quality can be jarring for a first-time viewer.
Third, pay attention to the music. Shiro Sagisu, who later did the score for Evangelion and Shin Godzilla, absolutely peaked here. The "The Huge Battle" theme is a masterpiece of orchestral tension.
Actionable Steps for the Dedicated Fan:
- Track down the "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" Movie: It’s actually a sequel set several years later. It’s not as strong as the series, but it provides closure on what happened to the world after the fall of Neo-Atlantis.
- Study the connection to Castle in the Sky: Seeing the parallels between Nadia and Sheeta helps you understand the "lost princess" archetype in Japanese media.
- Examine the 1991 PC Engine game: If you're a retrogamer, this title offers some alternate dialogue paths that flesh out the crew of the Nautilus in ways the show didn't have time for.
- Look for the "Red Noah" design notes: The mechanical designs for the floating islands are incredibly detailed and explain the "ancient astronaut" theory the show leans into during the final arc.
The real secret of blue water isn't the power to rule the world; it’s the realization that the past doesn't have to define who you are. Nadia spent the whole show running from her heritage, only to realize that her choices, not her bloodline, were what mattered. That’s a lesson that stays with you long after the credits roll on the final episode.