Here we are ready for a new and unmissable appointment with Anime Breakfast, this time dealing with Nadia – The mystery of the blue stone
Jean, science is a wonderful thing: it makes the impossible possible, but it must take responsibility for the crimes committed by those who have tasted the fruits of knowledge.
– Captain Nemo
Our incredible journey around the world of TV series continues with a new unmissable appointment with our column Anime Breakfast. After dedicating the first episode to the cult Neon Genesis Evangelion, passing through Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and then tackling more teen genres such as the iconic Marmelade Boy, also known as Small heart problems and Rossana, today we will change gender again. Leaving aside (at least for the moment) physical fights to the death, apocalyptic environments, superpowers and love dramas, today we will focus on an anime that has made relationship between nature and science one of his hottest topics. In fact, we want to bring back to your memory another great classic, which surely many of you will remember: Nadia: The mystery of the blue stone.
This anime, originally called Fushigi no umi no Nadia (“Nadia del mare dei misteri”), became famous in the rest of the world with the subtitle The Secret of Blue Water, while in the Bel Paese it became famous with the name “The mystery of the blue stone”. Born in 1990is one of many successful shows produced by the studio Gainax and directed by Hideaki Anno, the same director of Neon Genesis Evangelion and His & Hers situations, just to name a few. Landed for the first time in Italy, in 1991Nadia: The Mystery of the Azure Stone was, like many other anime, broadcast on Italia 1, cheering up the afternoons of many children, who have now become nostalgic for those good old days. If you too, having returned from a long day of school, couldn’t wait to resume the journey with the bizarre group of characters protagonists of this show, then make yourself comfortable. The time has come to remember those moments.
A soul in European land
The release of this anime coincides with a golden age for Japanese animation, which had found fertile ground not only in Japan. Even Europe and Italy in particular, welcomed the arrival of these shows with open arms, never to let them go. But in such a thriving time for this type of entertainment, what made Nadia a success? Surely the fact that the narrated adventure starts just “two steps away” from our house. It is not a story set in Japan, in America, in imaginary worlds or in distant galaxies, but in Europe, more precisely in Paris.
The story begins in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, right in the period of its birth, 1889. In that year, the city is holding the‘Universal Exposition of Paris and a curious little boy named Jean arrives with his uncle to witness the modern technologies on display. Here she will meet Nadia, a circus acrobat, fleeing from a gang interested in a precious stone that the girl carries with her, able to indicate dangerous situations. Determined to help her, Jean will embark on an incredible adventure with her, which will take him to visit mysterious places, aboard the Nautilus submarine.
Miyazaki’s Footprint | Nadia – The mystery of the blue stone
Perhaps not everyone knows that this manga has a leading personality of Japanese animation behind it: Hayao Miyazaki. You got it right; the director, creator of unforgettable works such as Spirited Away (2001) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), is the author of the original story of this anime. There are many fans of the director who have found in this work common traits with other great successes of his. The director was, for example, a great lover of flying, a constant theme in his most famous works, it is also massively present here. A case? Maybe not.
Miyazaki himself was inspired by famous stories such as Two years of vacationfrom 1888 and Twenty thousand leagues under the seaof 1869-1870 by Jules Verne. The result is an anime steeped in adventure, which makes the sea a true protagonist. Shipwrecks, submarines and ships are always present. Undeniable inspiration from Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus, synonymous with efficiency and avant-garde. We must not forget the themes dedicated to exploration and the fight for survival, in adverse situations. All topics dear to the French writer.
Current topics | Nadia – The mystery of the blue stone
The place where the events take off is by no means accidental. It is immediately clear that the true protagonist of the Exhibition is the technology. It is accompanied by a counterpart that is far from negligible: the nature. The two worlds are in constant collision throughout the durations of 39 episodesbringing with it a big question: Will there ever be harmony between the two? The contrast is developed on different dimensions, especially as regards the settings and the characters.
The world of Jean and Nadia is in constant contradiction. Boundless oceans and islands where nature reigns supreme collide with settings where man has been able to arrive, thanks to science: the sky and the sea. There are many scenes featuring planes and submarines, able to overcome the idea that man is not fit to survive in places like the depths of the oceans or to dart around as if he had a pair of wings. Dualism is also constantly represented by the two main characters: Jean and Nadia. The former is fascinated by technology and the benefits it can bring to man; he lives life with enthusiasm, with his eyes always on the future and progress. The second is instead a convinced vegetarian, nature lover and convinced pacifist. The girl lives in a profound state of uncertainty, doubtful of what her future will be, but well aware of the dangers of being human.
Travel and Growth | Nadia – The mystery of the blue stone
It is incredible how the topics covered are, even today, more than ever heard. This is one of the reasons that makes Nadia: The mystery of the blue stone an anime capable of maintaining its value unchanged. Reviewing the episodes that kept us company in the afternoons of our childhood could prove to be truly rewarding and perhaps even introduce them to the little ones. Who knows if they too, seeing Nadia’s adventures, will find themselves dreaming of living an adventure like hers one day.
Nadia’s story succeeds in this: make you want to travel, to go on an adventure to new and unknown worlds. Only in this way will we be able to enrich ourselves by discovering different places and people and finding our way, always in the company of trusted friends. After all, what is this story if not a great metaphor? By embarking on our personal journey, with the right people at our side, we will be able to defeat our fears and understand who we are and what we want.
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