Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [final ep - 39]

Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 02]

Episode 2

I do love being able to see all the brushstrokes in the animation on the BD. Also I think I like Team Rocket's British accents even more than Jean's French accent.

The show is starting to get its hooks into me now. Feels like we're in for a grand adventure.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 03]

ep3

Ah there they are!
huRFkG3.jpg

vGHmzDh.jpg

Still not as frequent or prominent as I recall but maybe that will change.

Sansons voice seems to change in the dub?

So Nadia's a vegetarian... I get the whole loving nature thing... but as someone who has dated a vegan... after a while it just gets annoying (apologies veggies).

A sea monster you say? Screw the harpoons we're going after this thing with cannons!

We seem to be getting a new mystery per episode at the moment;
The Mystery of Nadia's origin
The Mystery of the missing father
The Mystery of the sea monster

After watching a bit of the sub to get the screenshots I have to admit the dub accents do add to the experience.
 
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Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 03]

Ep 3 - Starting to get into the swing of things now. Hearing all these mentions of the accents is making me curious about the dub.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 02]

msgeek said:
Having used one I strongly recommend candles.
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I don't think I'm allowed to play with fire. That'd probably be what caused the apocalypse in the first place (I guess you might use candles to summon Zombies).

Episode 3

Quite fun episode with some fairly wacky personalities on the ship.

We got to learn a bit more about Nadia, which is nice. I'm not sure why she didn't just eat the bread though (I could understand not eating the vegetables on her plate since it had fish on it).

Also, Jean likes machines. I guess we knew that already.

I'm kind of used to watching episode previews these days so it's interesting that Nadia doesn't have any. It does have the recap at the start of an episode, did we know the "Gratan" was called that before the recap told us? I couldn't remember if they'd mentioned it before. That might also be different in the dub, of course.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 03]

Episode 3

Today I learnt that sea monsters don't read Parisian newspapers.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 03]

Ep3

Captain Melville chasing a giant sea-monster you say? Subtle.

I'm a little surprised Nadia & Jean's stay on the battleship wasn't longer than that, but given Ayerton's Scooby Doo-esque absence at the key moment during the attack, I suspect we may not have seen the last of him.

And yes, I think now that we're properly underway, we can probably do without the spoiler tags, so long as the post isn't covering any important points from upcoming episodes.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

Ep 3.
Getting involved with the American military, that's risky. Not that they had much of a choice in the matter. I get the feeling the 'Professor' will turn up again.
Interesting that this episode makes such a big deal out of not harming animals, yet there was not a single mention or sign of concern for all the sailors that will have been killed belowdecks on the battleship.
Team Rocket showed a fair bit of naivety in trying to take on a battleship with that little cannon on the Gratan, clearly they are not used to combat. The question remains, who exactly are they and what do they want with Nadia's gemstone? I doubt they are simple jewel thieves. Could they be working for someone else?
I think it's safe to assume the 'sea monsters' are actually submarines of some sort.
It's funny how Jean and Nadia ended up in the same situation at the end of the episode that they were in at the start. It's kind of amazing how fast moving this show is, every episode has a completely different setting.
One final thought, battleships are awesome.
 
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Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

Professor Irony said:
I think what strikes me most about it is how Ghibli-esque it feels. Not only in its setting, but also in its tone and its general subject matter.
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Yes, absolutely. I think as soon as they made the decision to put large natural concepts like "the sea" or "the sky" at the forefront of the show to help symbolize some of the themes and character motivations, it's almost certain to feel at least a little a little Ghibli-esque. It reminds me of looking at certain video games and thinking "this could have been made by SEGA on one of their good days".

On the specific setting of episode 1, I think very few things can evoke so easily the idea, championed by Fred Patten, of anime as the best form of expression for speculative fiction as a World's Fair towards the turn of the 19th Century. There's an argument they could have done more with it, but the idea itself is so unique that I think it really sets the start of this show apart.

(Interesting note on the World's Fair of 1889, persuant to another line of discussion in the thread: "A "Negro village" (village nègre) where 400 people were displayed constituted the major attraction". Not by any means something unique over the decades surrounding that time, but still.)

msgeek said:
OK I get it... Jean is a gadget freak, but he's not brilliant at it (still learning?)
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I actually think he is brilliant at it, but he has to work within "some" practical limitations such as a budget that he is running dry, and very little testing time/manpower.

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Episode 2

As others have noted, it was cool to see the issue of Nadia's race approached semi-indirectly via his Aunt's attitude without being dwelt on, but really we can tell from the body language of Nadia herself during that conversation what she is expecting to hear, without having Jean's Aunt come out and say it.

If you love nothing else about Jean, you have to love his blind faith in his own ability to solve whatever problem happens to be facing him at the time.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

Smeelia said:
I'm kind of used to watching episode previews these days so it's interesting that Nadia doesn't have any.
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They do exist. They featured artwork and postcards submitted by viewers alongside the next ep preview, and have generally been cut from rebroadcasts or home video collections over the last several years to avoid any issues arising from the personal details of the people who submitted those things being displayed. You can find them on older DVD collections, though.

Ath said:
Episode 3

Today I learnt that sea monsters don't read Parisian newspapers.
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:lol:

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Episode 3
Once again this episode is a mastery of storytelling, providing a lot of character details, additional mysteries to think about, and also just being a generally exciting action adventure (seriously, the main characters just escaped from a sinking American battleship, and the show is paced in such a way that this doesn't seem too crazy. In episode 3).

They also took time out to whip up some beautifully animated and colored reaction shots from Nadia two or three times in here, for no real reason other than because why not.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

ilmaestro said:
They do exist. They featured artwork and postcards submitted by viewers alongside the next ep preview, and have generally been cut from rebroadcasts or home video collections over the last several years to avoid any issues arising from the personal details of the people who submitted those things being displayed. You can find them on older DVD collections, though.
Click to expand...
Ah, that's also interesting. I wonder why they didn't at least put the audio (and subtitles) as an extra feature. I guess not many people would be too interested but it'd still be nice to have.

Episode 4

I found it funny that Electra was sufficiently worried about secrecy to feel she needed to wear a mask (but not so much that she'd bother getting a decent mask). At least she knows the kids won't be telling people exactly who they met on that submarine, there's no way anyone could figure it out. I suspect she just wanted an excuse to wear the mask, I guess I can't blame her.

It was also kind of strange that it apparently took Jean and Nadia around three days to figure out that their door was locked. I wonder what they were doing in the meantime?

Nemo is totally Tsundere. Also, is it nice to say that the name "nobody" suits someone?

Pretty good episode in all, I like a decent sub-hunt.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

Ep 4.
The first episode where Nadia and Jean were not the focal point of events. Clearly there is a lot going on in the wider world, and these two seem to be getting caught up in all of it.
So Nadia is a princess huh? It's interesting that Electra recognized both her and her jewel's names, but didn't report it to Nemo.
Nemo is a ship captain who doesn't like children? I got some serious Jean-Luc Picard deja-vu from that.
Always good to see some over-sized, over-engineered and overly noisy submarines duelling each other (though Jean blundering about didn't help).
I'm loving how the show has a different setting each episode, it contributes to the sense of fun that runs throughout the show.
One final thought, grumpy captains are awesome.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

ep4

As a side note the Animatsu logo is quite good when the disks load. (not as good as the siren visual logo though). Problem is (at least for me on PS4) it is 75% through playing once it actually appears on screen. I have the same thing with my other Animatsu disks. Jumping to title 3 allows you to actually see it all. Anyway... back to Nadia.

Well I guess the mystery of the sea monsters is resolved.

Yeah I guess that mask is of questionable benefit. Could it be a fashion choice? Maybe... but a bad one.

So Electra sends the Nadia and Jean into the shower... together... Maybe that mask was just part of her S&M gear.

"I made you some hot coco"... Well you didn't really make it did you? Unless pressing a button counts as making.

Ah a supposed reason for the mask is given... I'm not convinced though.

Now she's forcing them to share a room... At least they are bunks and it's not a double.

"Captain, please come immediately to the bridge" Nemo arrives instantly on a chair through the floor. (I guess that's just how he rolls). What was he doing, sitting on that chair under the floor waiting to be called to the bridge?

New Mystery: Who is this Gargoyle?

Enjoying it thus far. I'm sure it wont be long until Jeans plane lands them in the middle of another adventure.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

Episode 4

I do like the way Jean and Nadia interact. Their very different outlooks on life make for compelling viewing. I am also completely in love with the atmosphere and world of the series now. It's been an excellent start.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

Aha, that's interesting about the next ep previews - I did wonder about those myself, but I was guessing they were tied up with the omake or something like that.

msgeek said:
Maybe that mask was just part of her S&M gear.
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Can't say I wasn't thinking that >.>

Ep4

Yesssss - I was waiting for Nemo to turn up, I like how he seems to have wandered in from a Leiji Matsumoto space opera. In a way, I think it would be hilarious if the series just had the Nautilus for this one episode and then never mentioned it again, but I don't think it's a spoiler to say they'll be back.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 05]

Ignore this, I managed to double post when I was trying to update the episode number.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 04]

By happy coincidence, I started watching this a couple of days ago, and I'm already six episodes in.

I'd wondered how I'd get on with this. Hideaki Anno is one of those guys who instantly brings the words 'the emperor has no clothes' to mind. But so far, I'm diggin' it. I could live without some of the overly cartoony sound effects, and it's taken me a while to really get on its level, but as soon as Jean and Nadia arrived on the island in episode 5 I suddenly clicked with it.

Gonna be really interesting to see how this one plays out.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 05]

Spoiler Warning
Just in case anyone hasn't got around to watching the latest episode yet, this one's has some things that you probably don't want spoiled (assuming you're planning on watching the episode, at least). That's the warning out of the way, continue at your own risk...





Episode 5

Another fun and wacky adventure... in gravedigging.

It's kind of amazing how suddenly this one turns. Even so, it actually works quite well. The darker tone didn't feel out of place and integrates quite well with the story. There have been hints before that the show would be willing to tackle more serious issues and it sure does. I guess it's also nice that the show doesn't seem to completely abandon what went before either, it just shows that it's willing to go a bit further than you might have first thought.

Jean really steps up well in this episode, he's likeable enough being his slightly oblivious and affable self but it's nice that he gets to be a bit more than that.

The scene where Nadia's group were hiding in the house is a little odd. The bad guys use some kind of explosive (a mortar round, maybe?) just in front of the house but don't target the house itself, this despite the fact that they clearly have no intention of taking anyone alive. They keep Grandis' crew alive so it's odd that they're suddenly ruthless (maybe just the luck of which patrol you run into). To be fair, they might assume that Grandis' crew built the aircraft and thus might have useful information (and skills) so maybe they have more reason to keep them alive. I'm not really complaining as such but it just felt like the bad guys were trying a little too hard to make sure you knew they were totally evil (as if murdering Marie's parents wasn't enough).

Also, even Jean immediately assumes that the soldiers going around must be the killers. He was just saying that you can't make those kind of assumptions in the last episode, so it's odd that he has a different attitude here. For all he knows, these soldiers could be the "good guys" trying to protect the villagers and fight off the ones that shot down the plane. Maybe they chose the wrong kind of mask. I suppose it's possible there was some kind of evidence that I missed to convince Jean (like the soldiers saying "ho ho, remember how we killed all those innocent villagers, that was fun", although that would be worse).

At the end of the day, they're minor points but I find that kind of thing interesting.

Episodes 1 - 5
It's been a pretty interesting way to start the series. Anyone who tried the "four episode rule" could have missed out, which seems like a shame (though I suppose it's always a problem with shows that change in tone).

I expect someone knows about this, would Nadia have been broadcast as a "family" show originally? I know that Japan often has different standards for certain types of content so it wouldn't surprise me if the minimum age they were expecting would be different from standards here. It's pretty neat that a show can be wacky and "cartoony" and yet still respect it's audience and deal with real issues. I guess that's one of the reasons that I like anime in the first place.

I've seen the show before but I'd say I'm enjoying it a little more than I expected. I'm not sure if that's because of the analysing and talking about it part or if it just stands up well to being re-watched.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 05]

Eps 1-5. The series definitely seems to hit its stride in these episodes, and there's a lot packed into them. They don't feel rushed though, which is nice. Jean seems like the sort of person who'd be rushing around a lot so it suits him too. I really like the dynamic between Jean and Nadia too. I'm definitely looking forward to watching more.

@Smeelia - It was originally broadcast on NHK so quite possibly.
 
Re: Simulwatch - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water [current ep - 05]

Episode 5

Yup, this episode shows that Nadia isn't afraid to go into darker territory.

Random thoughts after the first 5 episodes

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I love watching traditional hand-drawn cel animation in HD. You can see all the imperfections in the colouring, which really adds to the charm. It's especially suited to this Jules Verne esque fantasy world Nadia is set in. We've been whisked from World Fairs to battleships and submarines and tropical islands and it's only been 5 episodes (I realise that I should enjoy this while it lasts, having heard about what's coming), it's a proper adventure.

Jean and Nadia make for an appealing lead pair, and I like the contrast between their personalities. Not Team Rocket usually make me laugh whenever they show up, though there's definitely going to be more to them, especially Grandis. I'm also intrigued to see how Nadia's version of Captain Nemo figures into the overall story.

I sit through the OP and ED each time, they suit the show perfectly so far. Shiro Sagisu's soundtrack is excellent as always, I especially like how he incorporates the melody of the OP into his music.

Nadia was something I'd been meaning to watch for years, but for some reason or another I just never did. I'm glad I've got the opportunity to watch it now.
 
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