Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water - Nemo's Fortress (Vol. 5)

Rating:
Summary: And now that we're up to Volume 5...
Review: ...of NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, what can one expect? Well, first off, the video and audio quality is superb as always, the dub is getting even better as it goes along (Jean's voice sounds a bit like its getting more mature, as does Nadia's - a sign of growth, perhaps?), and the menu format and extras are identical to those of the fourth volume.

As for the content, the first episode centers on Jean feeling tired at being treated like a kid, and attempts to prove his worthiness by constructing an aircraft to impress Nadia. Watching Jean in this episode actually made me begin to like him a lot better than I did the first time I met him. He was always happy, even in the direst of circumstances, and I was sort of taking Nadia's side on him (perhaps a little too unfairly), but as the story went on, I began to like him FOR that reason. And when Nadia begins to mistreat him on the last episode, I actually feel more drawn to him and pretty much driven away by her. Her angry outbursts remind me painfully how I treated people in a similar way when I was younger, because I shared the same distrusting, rigid, stubborn, dismissive nature that Nadia occasionally gets into. Grandis, Hanson, and Sanson are as funny as ever, and Marie is just adorable (especially whenever she teases Nadia about being in love with Jean, and saying that they're going to get "mushy" with each other!). Of course, King also engages in some occasionally hilarious bits, although not many on this volume.

The highlight of this DVD is the Nautilus's trip to Antarctica. Enacted in Episodes 18 (which involves a grueling, and exciting, undersea battle with a giant shellfish) and 19, this depiction of Antarctica, although not accurate, is so spectacular that one will wish this is what it would really look like. From the warm cavern upon arrival to the shadows of the legendary beasts, to a mighty, talking(!) whale, finishing with an absolutely breathtaking shot of an aurora in the night sky atop the Southern Pole, the imaginative images of Antarctica could warrant the purchase of the DVD alone.

So why doesn't it? Well, because the last episode is the weakest on the DVD. It ends on a "to be continued" mode, which will leave the viewer wanting more (I personally didn't watch this episode until I got Volume 6). In addition, there is very little that is resolved right here. Also, as mentioned, Nadia may drive you away on the last episode. Her jealousy over Jean's friendship with First Officer Electra intensifies when Grandis "plants the seeds" in her head, and her inability to deal with her emotions almost destroys her friendship with Jean. She does, however, visit Electra and learns that she only considers Jean a friend, and not as a potential love interest as Grandis might have suggested. Even though she apparently starts to get a better idea, the lack of any scenes involving her with Jean after her talk with Electra is rather unsatisfying and unsettling.

There are two very mild sexual situations on the DVD. The first is a recycling of the sexual gag on Volume 2 (Jean trying to sneak a look as Nadia shakes her bra to cool off, only to receive a slap on the cheek), only this time Marie is involved as well. In this case, the two throw off their coats to cool off because they are in a cavern that they consider to be "too hot! Too hot! TOO HOT!" The second one is when Nadia and Electra share a bath together (where the latter reveals secrets which I will not go into detail about), and Marie, naked, is playing with King on the floor. There isn't anything revealing (sex-wise) about these scenes, and they're absolutely not offensive, but it is best to be informed so that you don't find yourself gagging in shock.

If there's anything disappointing about the fifth installment of NADIA, aside from the cliffhanging last episode, it may be the lack of interaction between Marie and Sanson. The two shared an absolutely terrific, funny, fast-paced chase sequence in Volume 4, with Sanson coming out of his egotistical shell and starting to care for Marie, especially when she gets sick. There isn't much of that right here, with the exception of a sand castle game and a very woefully short but funny scene where they play "house", with Sanson as a baby! *Hysterical Laughter* Nevertheless, I would have liked to see more of that, so that was a bit of a letdown.

In spite of its pitfalls, though, the fifth volume of NADIA only leaves you wanting more. It's still worth getting, but I'd also suggest purchasing Volume 6 as well. That way, you'll be able to pick up from right where you leave off in this volume. (Did I mention to also pick up the first four volumes if you haven't already done so?)

Rating:
Summary: A few slow spots, but well-told and executed throughout.
Review: Not as much of a masterpiece as Volume 4, but leaps and bounds ahead of the later weaker installments, the fifth addition to the NADIA series continues to be enjoyable and engrossing at the same time. Although the content here concentrates more on character development rather than advancing the plot, the entertainment value the first four volumes remains intact.

The first episode, "Jean's New Invention" may seem like a slow-going sidebreak in the story, but, unlike the dreadful filler episodes which plagued the show much later on, this one is effectively told, funny, and moving. We get to see more of the character's relationships unfold, particularly that of Nadia's with Jean. Nadia clearly cares very deeply about him, even if she doesn't know how to admit it (to herself or him); it is she who suggests Jean to build an aircraft (partially to bring him out of feeling upset about the events that made him miserable in the last volume), and, after scolding him for missing dinner (he had been working on the aircraft for her), she feels guilty and decides to bring him something to eat (a dish of seaweed, which Jean accepts... what a sweet boy he is!). And Jean, always cheerful yet trying to deal with a problem about whether to be a little more "grown-up" or seek advice from people he can trust, always has the answers to his dilemmas, thanks to some serious brain power and self-evaluation. He is the sort of boy ANYBODY would want as a best friend, and yes, a love interest. The episode ends with a touching airborne trip where a now confident Jean takes Nadia on his newly completed gyrocopter into the skies, and makes it clear that he will do everything in his power to take her to Africa... much to her delight.

The next two episodes are the highlight of the fifth DVD: a trip to Captain Nemo's secluded base in Antarctica. Here, the animators let their imaginations run wild. In the first of the Antarctica episodes, the Nautilus journeys to its destination, traveling through underwater icebergs and volcanoes, and, later on, going up against an aggressive Nautilus shellfish! (Hence the episode's appropriate title, "Nautilus vs. Nautilus".) In the second episode we're treated to more entertaining character interactions, but also on a spellbinding tour of the base. There are wonders to behold, including an ice chamber full of penguins, a breathtaking Aurora in the dark, icy heavens, and a museum of frozen prehistoric beasts which Nemo describes as "Homodinasonics... Saurians." The highest point of the trip is when Nadia is taken to meet Nemo's closest friend, an ancient (read: 20,000 years old!) whale whom she finds fascinating to talk to. She not only learns, from him, about humanity as a race, but an important clue which will become vital later on. This sequence rivals that of the Atlantis trip in the previous volume in terms of its striking visuals, imaginative marvels, and interesting twists on Biblical stories on the world's creation. It is moments like this which is what makes NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER such a fun show when it's on target.

If there's anything unsatisfying about the fifth entry, it may probably be the last episode. Is it terrible? No, it actually sets up the next two episodes which will eventually close the Nautilus arc, and it's nice to see Nadia overcoming her jealousy of Jean's friendship with Electra, especially when she has a conversation with the latter in a bath where she not only learns more about the Nautilus but also that she [Electra] considers Jean the equivalent of a brother she lost years ago. The problem is that it stops much too soon, ending at a buildup with no resolution and more cliffhanging, which is not terrible, but it does produce an effect that is good and bad. Good, because we get to see an even better two episodes on the next volume, but bad because it feels like an abrupt ending to such a fun volume. Plus, the fact that after these next two episodes on Volume 6 the show goes downhill, it does leave one feeling a bit cold and cheated.

Due to these above faults, the fifth entry of NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER is probably THE last volume of greatness to expect from the show until the closing episodes. So enjoy this addition all you can, folks, because it'll be disappointing to discover that the remainder of the show, save the finale, doesn't match up to what came before it.