The Secrets behind The Scenes of Nadia And The Blue Water - Part 1

The year was 1990. On the thirteenth of April, an all-new animated serial premiered on Japanese television which would take viewers around the word, above the clouds, underwater, and beyond. The serial was "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water", a science-fiction action adventure tale with a little bit of everything: mystery, intrigue, humor, romance, melodrama, techno marvels, references to real life, and inspiration from Jules Verne's classic novel, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." The show became a favorite of millions of people around the world. Like Nadia herself, however, the series has many secrets of its own. Hello, my name is Jon Turner, and over the next half hour, we shall embark on a journey of a different type. We're about to uncover the mysteries behind this classic show, from its production phases to its creators, and a whole lot more besides. Allow me to be your tour guide on this momentous occasion. So sit back, strap yourself in, put on your diving gear, and get ready to delve into "The Secrets Behind the Scenes of Nadia and the Blue Water." Secret #1: "The Title of Blue Water". Believe it or not, there is a surprise secret behind "Nadia"'s title around the world. In Japanese, the show is called "Fushigi no Umi no Nadia." In the land of the rising sun's native language, "fushigi" means "mysterious. "Umi" means "ocean" or "sea," while "no" is a possessive article. Literally, the title translates as "Nadia of the Mysterious Sea." However, during its initial television broadcast in Japan, the English phrase "The Secret of Blue Water" was associated with it. Because the phrases "mysterious sea" and "blue water" could technically be considered subtitles, it was decided that "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" would be the final title. When the show was broadcast internationally, the title had rather different translations. For instance, in Italy, it was known as "Il Mistero Della Pietra Azzurra", or rather, "The Mystery of the Blue Stone," with no mention of the title character's name. The same is true for Spain's "El Misterio de la Piedra Azul." Germany, meanwhile, calls it "Die Macht des Zaubersteins" ("The Power of the Magic Stone"). Oddly, in Taiwan, it's even called "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!" Arabia, meanwhile, rechristens the show as "Blue Diamond." Only in France is Nadia's name referenced in its title: "Nadia et le Secret de L'eau Bleue." Russia's translation also retains Nadia's name. Isn't it interesting how local translations can differ from nation to nation? For a story that takes place around the world, that could arguably be another flavor for Nadia's appeal. Secret #2: "The Origins of Nadia". How was "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" born? Its origins date back to the mid-1970's when Anime pioneer Hayao Miyazaki was hired by Japanese movie giant Toho to develop ideas for televeions series. One of these concepts was "Around the World Under the Sea," based on Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," in which two orphan children pursued by villains team up with Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. Although it was never produced, Toho kept the rights to the story outline. This explains why Anime fans often liken "Nadia" to a Miyazaki production; the animator reused elements from his original concept in later projects of his, notably the sci-fi series "Future Boy Conan" and the action-adventure feature "Castle in the Sky." Flash forward about ten years later. Animation studio GAINAX (formed by a group of animation fans) was commissioned by Toho in 1989 to produce a TV series which would be broadcast on the Japanese educational network NHK (the equivalent of PBS). Miyazaki's outline for "Around the World Under the Sea" captivated GAINAX the most. Under the direction of Hideaki Anno, the animation studio took the central story and concept Miyazaki had developed and touched it up with their own creativity. Incidentally, Anno had previously worked for Miyazaki as an animator on projects such as "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind." For Anno, "Nadia" was an opportunity to produce his own interpretation of his former mentor's work. "Nadia"'s first episode premiered on Japanese television networks in April of 1990, concluding the following year. Reaction to show was nothing short of overwhelming. Anime viewers in Japan, who are normally separated by age and gender lines, were won over by the show's eclectic of action, adventure, romance, comedy, melodrama, and sci-fi techno marvels. Since then, it has been shown to millions of fans on TV in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines. Adding to the show's success, Nadia showed up on the Japanese Animage polls as favorite Anime heroine, dethroning Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä, who had been the top champion at the time. Behind the scenes, however, production on "Nadia" proved to be anything but smooth sailing. In the words of (then) GAINAX president Toshio Okada, "'Nadia' was true chaos... good and bad chaos." According to now lost sources dating from the 1990s (or at least fan speculation), it seemed as though Anno's direction for "Nadia" wasn't what NHK had in mind. Often the network would send feedback to the studio on how to "improve" the series. GAINAX's response, however, was to disregard such suggestions (without even reading them) and continuing production their own way. Considering the tight deadlines for producing episodes, the studio could get away with this practice, but it also resulted with a major clash of disagreements between the two companies. In fact, GAINAX never again worked with NHK on another show, perhaps because of this. Differing views weren't the only obstacles GAINAX had to overcome, though. Starting with Episode 11, Anno was working overtime — 18 hours a day. Eighteen hours! As such, many new episodes running late and/or missing their deadlines. Then there were financial issues; in the words of GAINAX co-founder Yasuhiro Takeda (author of "The Notenki Memoirs: Studio Gainax & The Men Who Created Evangelion") the studio "was left facing an impossibly large budget" while working on the show. "[T]he company ended 80 million yen (roughly $800,000) in the red, and was denied any of the rights associated with the project." (It should also be known that GAINAX has a history for mismanaging budgets, as evidenced from the varying animation quality of its later shows, particularly the ever-popular "Neon Genesis Evangelion.") Because of budget restrictions, "Nadia" was temporarily put on hold after episode 20 was broadcast on September 21, 1990. The 21st episode would air the following October. It also led to a drastic drop of quality when the show received an unexpected extension from its initial episode count (as will be discussed in another secret). There were numerous other mishaps that occurred during the making of "Nadia", but Takeda chooses to neglect talking about them to this day, "[B]ehind each of these events," he says, "several other events were simultaneously taking place." Even GAINAX founder Hiroyuki Yamaga admits that they felt "regret... that [we] didn't do the best job possible." Even if GAINAX neglects to mention "Nadia" among their finest achievements, however, the show still had a major impact on the company. Earlier, few knew of GAINAX's work. The studio's first production, 1987's expensive sci-fi epic "Wings of Honneamise," although widely acclaimed, was a commercial failure in its theatrical release. While their subsequent 1988 direct-to-video series "Gunbuster" fared much better, it was "Nadia" that truly brought mainstream attention to the fledging Japanese animation studio. Since then, GAINAX would achieve even greater success with "Evangelion", which would share many similarities with this adventure serial, but that's another story. Secret #3: "Nadia Comes to America". If Nadia's quest to find her birthplace was stormy, her own show's journey to find an audience in America was even more turbulent. Shortly after its first Japanese broadcast in 1991, the late Carl Macek and his company, Streamline Pictures, purchased the license for "Nadia" in the hopes of dubbing it for broadcast on U.S. television. Although the first eight episodes were dubbed, financial problems and difficult conditions prevented the company from completing the series. At the end of 1996, Streamline's license expired. It was not until the summer of 1997 that Texas-based ADV Films acquired the rights to the show. The first volume of the subtitled series was not released on videotape until March of 2000. The final volume reached the stores in the summer of 2001. Around this time, ADV Films commissioned its Austin-based dubbing studio, Monster Island, to produce an entirely new dub for the show. In the fall of 2000, production on the English script began. The script was penned by actor and playwrite Lowell Bartholomee. The actors chosen to lend their voices to Nadia include some of Austin's most talented artists. Says Bartholomee, who also co-directed the dub... "I can honestly say that I've seen every single adult member of this cast give a brilliant performance on stage somewhere outside of the dubbing studio here, and to see them bring all that talent into the dubbing studio for 'Nadia' is truly impressive." Secret #4: "The Voices of Blue Water." Much of the appeal of "Nadia" is due to its cast of compelling characters, notably the three children who propel the story. There is an interesting difference between how our young heroes were portrayed in the original Japanese version and the English dub. On its native language track, Nadia, Jean, and Marie were voiced by three well-known Japanese voice actresses — Yoshino Takamori, Noriko Hidaka, and Yuko Mizutani — who have performed in many other Anime titles. In the English version, however, the three young protagonists were played by actual child performers. Nadia was voiced by fourteen-year-old Meg Bauman, who had previously performed on stage as well as commercials and videogames. Twelve-year-old Nathan Parsons, who played Jean, had acted in several shows at the Austin Musical Theatre as well as the Austin Shakespeare Festival. Parsons did not know how to do a French accent at the time of his audition for Jean, so he turned to Ev Lunning, Jr., a professional accent coach who had not only been his director in a stage production of "Julius Ceaser," but also plays Captain Nemo, to teach him how to do an accent. Listening to exchanges between Jean and Nemo provides an interesting allusion of hearing Nathan receiving similar lessons from his own teacher. -NEMO: Do you know what the world map looks like? -JEAN: Yes. NEMO: Then imagine in your mind's eye the coastlines of the Americas, Europe, and Africa. -JEAN & NADIA: Uh huh. -NEMO: Do you see how those coastlines might possibly fit together? -NADIA: They do? -JEAN: I see... they're a perfect fit! Even so, it's kind of hard to believe they can move around like that. NEMO: It is impossible for 19th century technology to prove that these continental movements occur. But one day in the future, science will find definitive proof that they do. TURNER: Parsons and Bauman were good friends in real life, having worked together in productions at the Austin Musical Theatre before and after "Nadia." It's perhaps because of this that Jean and Nadia's interactions really come to life in the dub, even if neither Meg nor Nathan recorded their lines together. -NADIA: Did you and your uncle build this? -JEAN: Yes. And this aircraft will fly through the skies. NADIA: But aren't all aircraft supposed to do that? JEAN: Well, no one has invented one that really flies yet. NADIA: Which is why all those iron crosses are out on the field, right? JEAN: But no one in the world has designed a working aeroplane, until now. NADIA: Is that so? TURNER: Eleven-year-old Margaret Cassidy, the voice of Marie, had participated in productions at St. Edward's University in Austin such as "Annie" and "The Music Man." Like Meg and Nathan, Cassidy's lines were recorded separately, yet she still brought great charm to this cheerful four-year-old girl. Like the other girls who were auditioning, Margaret tried out for Nadia, but because her voice was so ideal for Marie, dub directors Charlie Campbell and Lowell Bartholomee cast her in the role. MARIE: You made Jean something to eat, didn't you? I guess Nadia really has eyes for Jean! It's natural for people in love to be together as MUCH as possible! TURNER: Since "Nadia", all three child actors have participated in other Anime dubs, including "Samurai X: Reflection", "Sakura Wars", "Getter Robo: Armageddon", and "The Devil Lady." Campbell has been very complimentary of these young starlets: "I love the fact that 'Nadia' appeals to children as well as adults!" he says, "It has been a real pleasure to use kids as the main characters too....They are all amazing actors and a pleasure to work with!" Bartholomee has expressed similar sentiments concerning his efforts on "Nadia." "I didn't know anything about the show when we first started," he says, "I BECAME a fan of 'Nadia' as I worked on it. And I'm still a fan. It's definitely one of my favorite projects that I've worked on here at ADV and I'm very proud of it." The rest of the cast was filled out by other skilled actors who performed in either theater or other voiceover projects. For instance, Shawn Sides and Sarah Richardson, co-founders for the Austin theater company "Rude Mechs," were cast as Nadia's pet lion King... -[King Growls] ...and the boisterously brassy Grandis Granva, respectively. GRANDIS: YOU never were much of a playboy, so just shut up and scrub my dainties! Just pray that you'll become a man like my Captain Nemo! -SANSON & HANSON: Arrrgh! TURNER: For Ev Lunning, Jr., Captain Nemo was his first Anime role. His previous credits were for computer games, such as "Wing Commander" and "Ultima." The actor was also a theater professor at St. Edward's University in Austin. Even some of the more minor supporting roles have impressive credits to their resumes. Ed Neal, who had been in memorable film roles such as the Hitchhiker in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and a Mercer interrogator in Oliver Stone's JFK, played Jean's jolly, lovable uncle in the first episode. -UNCLE: Once we get our hands on that kind of money, we will be able to make all kinds of wonderful contraptions! And my mean old wife will finally stop complaining. But who cares if she does, because before we go home, we're going to have some fun in Paris! [Laughing] Oooh la la! -[Uncle Continues laughing] -[Jean Laughing] TURNER: Maurice Moore, an extra from Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple", portrayed the doomed sailor Ensign Fait. FAIT: There's nothing in the world that can't be repaired except for human life. If something gets broken, then you just have to fix it. To this day, everyone involved with the English dub of "Nadia" are still proud of their contributions to the show. Secret #5: "Atlantis VS Nadia". On July of 2001, the first installment of "Nadia" premiered on DVD from ADV Films. Around that same time, America's animation giant Disney unveiled its latest production, "Atlantis: The Lost Empire." The release of the film sparked a series of controversial discussions about how the Disney production and Nadia were alike. For example, the lead characters, bespectacled hero, Milo Thatch and ancient Atlantean princess Kida bear striking visual resemblances to their "Blue Water" counterparts. Kida, incidentally, also possesses a crystal of untold power. There is even a submarine battle and a journey to Atlantis itself. In fact, some fans claimed that Disney somehow stole ideas from "Nadia"! This argument partially stems from a similar controversy involving Disney's 1994 megahit "The Lion King", which Anime buffs claimed was a ripoff of Osamu Tezuka's "Jungle Emperor Leo"! Although the creative staff involved denied it, some of Disney's own animators were reported to have videos of the Japanese animated show on their shelves! By contrast, nobody involved with Disney's "Atlantis" had ever heard of — or even seen — "Nadia"! In fact, directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise were more familiar with the works of Hayao Miyazaki, who, in 1986, churned out a similar themed work called "Castle in the Sky." Remember? Arguments aside, the similarities between the two simply stem from the fact that they were both inspired by the same source material — the works of Jules Verne. According to longtime "Nadia" fan Dr. Marc Hairston, "no story or creative work is ever completely, 100 percent original; every author, artist, or animator must always draw from the conventions of the medium they're working in and use the influences of everything else they've ever seen, heard or read."