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Review

by Allen Divers,

Nadia - Secret of Blue Water

DVD 10: The Prophecy Fulfilled

Synopsis:
Nadia DVD 10
The Secret of Blue Water stands revealed, as Gargoyle has finally captured Nadia and her Blue Water. Bent on world domination, Gargoyle sets in motion his final plan to control everything. Jean along with Nemo and his crew aboard the New Nautilus are all that stand in his way. Nadia is turned against Jean and her father, as the true origin of humanity stands revealed. Will Jean's love for Nadia conquer all, or is it the world's true destiny to be destroyed?
Review:
Nadia Vol 10: Prophecy Fulfilled brings closure to this intriguing 39 episode series. These final 3 episodes tie up all loose ends remaining in the story as Nadia's world is taken to the brink of disaster. Despite the show's age, ADV has put together a solid release to close out this great series.

Content and extras are kept light in the concluding volume of the Nadia TV series. Simple menus lead viewers to the 3 episodes, language options, scene selections, cast interviews and ADV previews. Also included are textless versions of the opening and closing animation as well as a preview of the upcoming release of the Nadia movie.

An interesting extra is the collection of cast interviews. On this volume, the interviews are with many of the English actors voicing the secondary cast members as well as the nemesis of the show. All text based, the interviews start with a quick factoid listing some favorite things of each actor, and then a standard set of questions and answers. The questions range from how each actor got involved in voice acting and what they thought of the character they voiced. For fans, seeing what the actors think of their role helps to understand the way the character was portrayed.

Over ten years old, the animation and art of Nadia shows its age. The transfer to digital was done quite well, but the occasional scratch does make its appearance across the screen. The animation, especially considering when it was created, remains top-notch and very consistent. Scenery and background designs portray the seriousness of the climax by remaining dark and brooding. The dark empty room where Gargoyle and Nemo meet for the last time marks this as the final confrontation. Visually, the mood is driven home that this will be the climax of the series.

The actors for both language tracks are at their best as the climax of the series nears. Music is kept minimal to focus on the dialogue of the characters as the majority of the series' mysteries come to light. Sound effects are loud, and dramatic moments are marked both with pure silence or echoing pulses to carry home the impact of that moment.

Every aspect of the show seems to exist to carry home the outcome of the final confrontation with Gargoyle. Much of the show's more comedic aspects are set aside as the main plot of the series finally comes to climax. Many aspects of the back-story will seem familiar to Gainax fans as many of them have been re-explored in later Gainax series. The final 3 episodes truly answer all questions that this series has created from its beginning, leaving little for fans to debate. The climax of the story takes on a different approach than the standard all-out brawl. Remaining intellectual to the end, the final confrontation is marked by the differing beliefs of Nemo and Gargoyle and their final debate. In the end, the story boils down to the ever-popular theme of "Love conquers all."

Nadia: The Prophecy Fulfilled marks the end of the journey for Nadia and her friends and family. While the series hit a bit of a bump with a tangent story arc in the middle, the end more than makes up for that unneeded plot line. All questions are answered, and fans are left feeling good for having taken the journey. Gainax crafted a beautiful story with strong characters, and in the end delivered on all expectations. The only real disappointment with this final volume of Nadia is that this marks the end of the story.
Grade:
Overall (dub) : B
Overall (sub) : B
Story : A
Animation : B
Art : B
Music : B

+ All expectations are met as the strong series comes to conclusion
Solid conclusion leaves little to explore in future stories

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Production Info:
Chief Director: Hideaki Anno
Director: Shinji Higuchi
Screenplay:
Hisao Ōkawa
Kaoru Umeno
Storyboard:
Masayuki
Hideaki Anno
Shinji Higuchi
Takamasa Ikegami
Toshiyuki Kubooka
Mahiro Maeda
Shōichi Masuo
Takeshi Mori
Shigeru Morikawa
Hiroyuki Sasaki
Yukio Suzuki
Tsukasa Tarunaga
Yoshitomo Yonetani
Episode Director:
Masayuki
Shō Aono
Shigeki Awai
Hiromitsu Hoshino
Jun Kamiya
Renji Kawabata
Toshiyuki Kubooka
Mahiro Maeda
Shigeto Makino
Koji Masunari
Shōichi Masuo
Takeshi Mori
Shigeru Morikawa
Hiroyuki Sasaki
Akio Satsukawa
Yukio Suzuki
Fumihiko Takayama
Tadayuki Uda
Yoshitomo Yonetani
Music: Shirō Sagisu
Original Work: Jules Verne
Character Design:
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Shunji Suzuki
Art Director:
Masanori Kikuchi
Hiromasa Ogura
Hiroshi Sasaki
Animation Director:
Masayuki
Tsukasa Abe
Hideaki Anno
Nam Yeol Baek
Tadashi Hiramatsu
Takeshi Honda
Masahiro Kase
Kumiko Kawana
Se Chang Kim
Noboru Koizumi
Toshiyuki Kubooka
Hiroshi Kugimiya
Shōichi Masuo
Hidenori Matsubara
Kazuto Nakazawa
Keisei Noguchi
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Shunji Suzuki
Kouichi Takada
Akira Takeuchi
Kazuya Tsurumaki
Yoshiaki Yanagida
Mecha design:
Hideaki Anno
Shōichi Masuo
Sound Director: Katsunori Shimizu
Licensed by: Sentai Filmworks

Full encyclopedia details about
Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water (TV)

Release information about
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - The Prophecy Fulfilled (DVD 10)

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