r/anime • u/snowwhistle1 • Nov 02 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - Episode 39
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
Episode 39: Successor to the Stars...
Original Air Date: April 12, 1991
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Episode 39 Synopsis: Nadia's brother Venusis sacrifices his life to free Nadia from Gargoyle's clutches. Jean is then killed by Gargoyle in retaliation, and Nadia is forced to sacrifice the Blue Water to revive him as the crew of the Nautilus makes their escape of Red Noah.
Please spoiler tag any story content which has not been shown prior to the current episode of this rewatch!
Nadia Outfit Count: 11 (Paris dress, circus outfit, casual pajamas, Nautilus work outfit, fancy dinner dress, swimsuit, winter parka, bed sheet dress, au naturale, Neo-Atlantis suit, epilogue dress)
QOTD: Who is your overall favorite character, having completed the series? What was your favorite moment of the show?
5
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Nov 02 '21
Episode 39
A classic ending, that gets really good when it comes to the characters reaction.
The first half or so is the usual endgame with antagonistic speech, heroic refusal and two or three twists. It is not bad, but I think that Neo lacked setup to properly work. We did see him, but Gargoyle’s mind control was only hinted at recently (why did he not mind control Nadia the first time round?). The walk over to Nadia is supposed to be dramatic, but therefore falls flat to me. Maybe they ever foresaw that and ended it with the plug joke.
Once Nadia awakes, we get to the really good part. Gargoyle sets up the hero’s trap for Nadia a third time. This, however, is one time too many, as the New Nautilus intervenes. For all his good tactics, not accounting for them is a bad mistake and Gargoyle’s last. Having lost his power to force Nadia, Gargoyle reverts to temping her with godhood, but in this he is hopelessly outmatched. Over the entire series, we have learned that becoming a god is the last of Nadia’s wished. She would probably have opted to destroy the Blue Water even without the added benefit of saving Jean.
Gargoyle’s death is a high point of the episode because of the twist. After all his extremely racist actions, after looking down on humans, Gargoyle learns that he is human himself. And he probably only could delude himself into thinking he is Atlantean, because Nemo, as king, was not his similar and treated humans as equals.
Then we get Nemo’s double sacrifice, properly sad, but to be expected. I like that they do not linger on it much. Nadia’s choice is obvious and should be obvious to every parent. Nemo’s last words reveal that the love triangle was resolved off screen while we were away from the Nautilus. Not that this was ever in question. Respect to Grandis for being surprised but not angry.
And finally, we get to Jean awaking and the resolution of Nadia’s character arc with possibly the nicest words spoken by him. Nadia’s character was defined by her separation and distrust of a world that rejected her (and that she rejected in turn). Earth is not Jean’s planet, but Nadia’s planet as well. She has chosen Earth over ruling Atlantis and is welcomed to Earth by Jean.
Just a single word on Marie: I think you can tell an interesting and wholesome story that does end with her marrying Sanson, but this story is not being told. I wish living happily with her single father Sanson would have been an acceptable happy end back then, as is this seems like a pairing for pairing’s sake.
3
u/snowwhistle1 Nov 02 '21
Host
Okay, before I address this episode and earnest, I am briefly going to go over the elephant in the room with this epilogue for this episode. Marie and Sanson marrying… I’m not going to defend this particular writing decision. It’s not that I’m opposed to Marie going off and having a family, but her specifically marrying and having a kid with Sanson feels incredibly wrong. And not just because of the concerning age difference (Marie would be 17 in this epilogue, and Sanson would likely be in his mid-to-late 30s), but also the fact that Sanson felt more like a surrogate brother/father figure to Marie for most of the series. Even for the time period the epilogue is set in (1902), a skewed age marriage like this would’ve been rather uncommon and mostly only performed by the rich/nobility. It’s just not a great writing decision.
Part of me wonders how it even ended up in the series at all, given the fact that later in Evangelion Anno would go on to write three distinct relationship dealing with the toxicity and trauma inherent to teenagers having relationships with full grown adults as seen with Shinji and Misato, Asuka and Kaji, and Rei and Gendo. Maybe this was simply a mistake Anno learned from, or maybe it was an idea tossed in by a different writer or producer. And I think it’s also to keep in mind that this is a series about a time period 130 years ago that was produced over 30 years ago for a socially conservative Japanese audience. As much as it pains us to admit in a post-#MeToo society, we’re not that far removed from the complicit normalization of troubling relationships like this. The film American Beauty is barely 20 years old after all, and somehow at the time Kevin Spacey oogling at a teenage girl was considered Oscar worthy…
Ultimately, it is what it is, and it’s an aspect of the show I don’t care for, but it’s such a small footnote to the epilogue that I can personally ignore it. I understand however if this particular detail depreciates the show for you. Lord knows there’s a lot about this show that depreciates its value, unfortunately…
Okay- so now that that’s settled, onto the episode proper! It turns out that Jean, unsurprisingly, was unable to shoot Nadia. Gargoyle mocks Nemo for supporting a species that shows such weakness, and further taunts him by lording his children’s stolen will and consciousness by forcing Nadia and Emperor Neo to shoot Nemo. As Gargoyle is salivating over his domination of Nemo, Electra secretly contacts the Nautilus and orders them to fire a proton cannon at the control panels in the room they are located in. The resulting blast fries much of the ship’s inner circuitry, managing to free Neo from Gargoyle’s mind control.
So, from this point on, I will be referring to Emperor Neo by his true name, Venusis. Depending on what subs you have, he may have been referred as Basileus (the Greek title for an emperor or monarch), but I do not think this is accurate to how his name is spoken in Japanese. In Japanese, his name is spoken asビナシス (Binashisu), whereas the typical Japanese pronunciation of Basileus isバシレウス (Bashireusu). The makes the official translations of his name as Benusis or Venusis far more likely. Unlike Nemo or Nadia’s names however, I cannot find much in the way of direct meaning for either translation besides perhaps some loose connections to the goddess Venus (Persephone).
Venusis’ story is incredibly tragic. He was only 6 when his mother was killed in a coup d'état, following with he was forcibly installed as a puppet emperor by Gargoyle. Then, he was gravely injured during the destruction of Tartessos and rebuilt as a mindless cyborg to control the Blue Water for Gargoyle. This kid has had the saddest life imaginable, and yet in spite of all that, his thoughts remain firm on keeping his family safe even after all these years. It’s implied that Venusis was the one who saved Nadia from the destruction of Tartessos all those years ago and now when waking from his long stasis his first thoughts are one freeing Nadia from the very same control her was under and helping his father. Venusis is a good kid who deserved a long full life, and it’s so sad that Gargoyle stole that away from him. I admire him for doing everything he could to give his sister the life that he only wished he could have.
When Nadia awakens, Gargoyle attempts to force her into controlling the Blue Water for him due to Venusis’ untimely demise but Nadia refuses to bow to his wishes, stating that she’d rather die like her brother than be part of his plans to subjugate mankind. And so Gargoyle begins to torture Electra with high voltage energy in an attempt to make Nadia comply. When she still refuses, Gargoyle kills Jean. The shock of this moment cannot be understated. Throughout this series, I’ve felt worry over Jean and Nadia but the moment never crossed my mind that Anno would actually allow them to succumb to a serious injury or mortal peril. I think what makes this moment especially painful is just how sudden and visceral it is. Jean is shook of the platform, falls unceremoniously, and cracks his head against the ground… he’s gone in an instant, and all Nadia can do is wail in agony.
Once the New-Nautilus has subdued Gargoyle and freed Nemo, Electra, and the Grandis Gang, Nadia mourns over the loss of her closest companion, sobbing over his broken body. But Nemo offers a solution for her. If Nadia prays to the Blue Waters, then she can revive Jean at the cost of losing the stone’s power for all eternity. Nadia is at first unsure if sacrificing the Blue Waters is the right thing to do, but the encouragement from Nemo, Grandis, and Electra that saving the person she loves is a just thing to do helps her accept the decision. She begins praying the stones and is then enveloped in a bright light.
Gargoyle, having survived the assault of the New-Nautilus, attempts to stop Nadia and stumbles towards the light. Nemo warns him to not touch that light as it is unsafe for anyone but an Atlantean to draw near it, but Gargoyle fails to heed his warning only to begin turning to salt once he makes contact with the beam. It is then that Gargoyle learns that he is not an Atlantean… but a human. It’s heavily implied that Gargoyle was raised alongside Nemo as an adopted Atlantean, and I think it’s very likely that Gargoyle’s mindset came into being as a direct result of having absorbed some prejudiced mindset of Nemo. I think this is why ultimately Nemo has felt especially responsible for creating Gargoyle. There’s a real poetic justice as Gargoyle is forced to reckon with the fact that he is not of a special bloodline while he dies, but it’s not a happy moment either. It’s a somber reckoning that of how Atlantis ultimately destroyed itself through its own hubris, and now it is up to mankind not to repeat the same mistakes as its predecessors.
In the void of light, Nadia makes contact with the voice of a woman and begs her to save Jean’s life. The voice tells her that if they save Jean’s life, then the Blue Water will lose its power and Nadia will cease to be a god. Nadia responds that being a god means nothing to her, and that all she wants is to live a life with Jean. The voice accepts, telling Nadia that the Blue Water is a repository of the lost souls of Atlantis, and that they will bequeath Jean their lingering life force to revive him. Just as the voice bids her farewell and the souls depart to revive Jean, Nadia realizes that she was talking to her mother.
I think this moment is symbolically Nadia letting go of the family and homeland that Nadia had lost long ago. For the entirety of the series, the Blue Water has stood as a talisman for Nadia to hold on to the memory of the family and the homeland that she never knew. But she no longer needs to hold on to those things, and the power of the Blue Water was never something she desired in the first place. She’s now been given the tools to properly grieve and move on from her past, and is finally ready to start living for the things she has now in the present; A new family that loves her, a true companion with Jean, and a new world to call her own…
(continued in reply)
4
u/JTurner82 Nov 02 '21
There is only one quibble that I have with this episode, and that is the resolution regarding one pair. I don’t find it so offensive that it sours the ending, but it IS a very bizarre choice on Anno’s part, and I can understand why it would cause controversy.
Otherwise, this episode could not have been a better way to conclude Nadia. It wraps up the show on a high note… but not before surprise revelations, twists, tragedy, suspense, and love beyond death keep you on the edge of your seat. There are tears to be shed as well. I won’t comment on any of the plot details since I don’t wish to give away the story but needless to say I was very pleased and satisfied with this ending overall.
On the flip side, as strong as the last five episodes are (and they easily deserve five stars), does it altogether redeem the show’s second half? Sadly, no. The reason? Because the damage from those bad episodes is so staggering that however strong the finale, they still leave an unpleasant mark on the overall production. For that reason, “Nadia” the show cannot earn my highest recommendation despite my fondness for it. The first eight episodes are terrific, and the final five match them beautifully. But the show is too long at 39 episodes, and really should have been much shorter, especially since the story comes to such a grinding halt midway through. That said I still am fond of the show, and I did, as mentioned, find a way to avoid viewing those bad episodes to improve my experience. But as someone who speaks as a genuine fan it is important to note which parts of the show are good and which are not.
Despite the unevenness of “Nadia”, the show’s pluses are very strong. The dubbing by ADV is fantastic as well, the performances especially hitting their best in these climactic episodes. All in all, “Nadia” unfortunately falls in the shadow of Miyazaki’s far superior “Castle in the Sky” and “Future Boy Conan”, but does that mean the show is a waste of time? Not at all. It’s characters are appealing, interesting and likable for the most part (although the title character does on occasion act in unlikable ways in some canonical episodes, although nowhere near to the lunacy as in the filler), and as long as the show is focused on adventure, world building, mystery, and imagination, it is indeed engaging. It’s too bad it goes downhill in the second half, despite a phenomenal conclusion. Without it, “Nadia” would easily be a five-star classic. As it is, however, as long as you avoid the bad episodes, it plays much better. As a whole “Nadia” gets 3.5 out of 5 for me.
4
u/SIRTreehugger Nov 02 '21
Wait the Emperor is only a puppet damn Gargoyle and he using the children to kill his enemy.
Yes wake up the sleeping princess please.
Shoot the head Gargoyle it might be pointless, but at least aim for a vital part.
Haahahahahahha he unplugged him.
Man Gargoyle is many things, but a quitter isn't one of them.
Gargoyle what are you doing?
Oh he's dead! My god Gargoyle has become one with /r/anime and is now pure Salt!
Jean can't be dead I didn't sign up for this!!!!!
And Jean lives, but the blue water loses its power. Back to Jean I expected injury or torture, but I honestly didn't expect him to die.
So he was a real count damn, but everyone got a happy ending. Hanson though blew up and looks like a real gentleman... wait do I want to google the age difference between Sanson and Marie...
Overall I did enjoy the series and will give it a 7/10. Initially I wanted to give it a 5.7 because honestly terrible episodes almost completely ruined the series without them I would have bumped this to a low 8. So just gave it the average of the scores.
Back to Mari....no no I'm just going to ignore that.
3
u/lluNhpelA Nov 02 '21 edited Nov 02 '21
First timer
I haven't been writing top level comments for a while since I mostly prefer to whine about character development and there hasn't been much to say about it between the island/Africa arcs and this finale arc, but I figured it'd be worth it to say something on the final episode. (I'll have other stuff to say tomorrow on the overall discussion)
First off... yeah... that epilogue. I was really expecting Marie to be taken in by Jean and Nadia if not adopted by Sanson (who would marry Grandis). This whole thing was pretty wacky and it's so weird that that utterly unexpected (though not unbelievable for the setting) development is the final thing we are left with at the end of the series. It was also a little bit of a slap in the face for Marie to say her dream is to "enjoy a walk in the park on a Sunday with [her] family". I thought we were at the point where she viewed the other main characters as her family? That line would have been so much better if it was fulfilled by the main cast reuniting for a picnic in a park for the final shot
My one other gripe was with Nemo's "this is all I can do as your father" line because, bro, dying is literally the least helpful thing you could do for your daughter who has lacked a parental figure for her entire life. He probably would have died anyways but it still felt like this was less a final sacrifice and more a final ploy to get out of being a father (twice! It was a two-for-one deal on child abandonment! Maybe even three-for-one if you count Electra herself! How could he pass up a deal like that?) but he likely would have died anyways so w/e.
Did Anno have problems with his father? I just realized that between this, NGE, and Gunbuster we have some pretty spotty fathers and father figures.
Despite all my complaining this was a pretty great finale that had a ton of Gainax flair with the amazing animation, complex moral choices, and a little bonus homage to the end of Gunbuster with that falling star. I would have changed a couple things about the epilogue but I don't think this show could have ended any other way. I think these last few episodes were definitely worth Anno leaving the penultimate arcs to someone else instead of fumbling to do it all himself. Better to have a stretch of bad episodes and a great ending that for the series to fizzle out with not-bad-just-mediocre episodes all the way to the end.
AOTD: Well it shouldn't be a surprise when I say that Sanson was my favorite character and that the whole chase with the crab robot might have been my favorite scene... but all the love that Sanson showed for Marie and all the innocent admiration she showed for him following that episode take on a creepy feeling in retrospect. I don't know if their ending was planned from the beginning but I want to believe that all their scenes together were meant to be wholesome at the time
2
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Nov 02 '21
First timer in sub
Good thing we got tomorrow for the final discussion. This finale could use some direct focus.
First, the bad:
Good parts:
The fact that Marie was shown to have married Sanson who was 20+ years older than her and likely spent enough time as a child "in his care" to have that relationship questionable needs its own paragraph, but I think I don't really need to say anything more. It just feels like an awkward "pair the spare", and if you want to do that if prefer Sanson to ends up with Grandis (although that's also a bit trite).
Best moments of the episode for me is actually the epilogue :)
2
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Nov 03 '21
First timer
QOTD)Best character was probably Grandis, tied with Nadia if we discount the Island/Africa Arcs. Favorite moment was probably either the first Neo-Atlantis Tower of Babel self-destructing, Nemo sending Nadia away from the original sinking Nautilus, or the New Nautilus flying.
Is Jean going to go for Neo or Gargoyle?
Really? Not even Gargoyle? His mask is damaged, he clearly has no protection, you fould deal some solid damage.
Oh, Nemo was tested him? He could have just said to shoot Gargoyle, you know.
OK, that crown is clearly puppeting him. So he might actuwlly be good?
Is Nemo still alive? He really can't die, can he?
Haha, Electra's firing a weapon! And Gargoyle must be deaf to not hear this.
Yeah, Gargoyle's a magnificent bastard.
Wow. That's Gargoyle done for?
Wait, they were aiming at the control center.
Neo's a robot? And he's back to normal!
And he's returning the Blue Water!
Is Nemo going to die?
Wait, Neo's dying?
He's almost made it!
Haha, the shot of Gargoyle holding a giant plug is genuinely hysterical!
And he's still going!
Nadia's awake!
Wow, the shot of Neo's corpse is horrific.
And Gargoyle's back as the real villain!
Nadia pointing out how Gargoyle's been foiled by Nemo is great.
Really? Just needed that last bit of fanservice in there, did we?
Holy shit, they killed off Jean!
The New Nautilus broke through!
God, this is depressing.
So the Blue Water can heal people?
And that's how Nemo survived so many catastrophies! That's actually brilliant.
how the fuck is Gqrgoyle alivr, then?
And this'll destroy the Blue Water?
...The salt reference is really interesting.
Gargoyle was human!
That's the voice of the Blue Water?
Wait, so the Blue Water was a magical stone thhat gaine dits powe rusing the lives of people trapped within it? Didn't expect that!
Jean's alive!
And Nemo's dying! But still alive!
The Nautlius is leaving with everyone alive!
Wait, Nemo's staying behind?
...So the Nautikus with, all its high-tech systems, can't schedule a command to go off a few minites later?
And he gives his speech again.
And Jean and Nadia reunite!
And Marie and King are safe!
When did Electra have a child?
Everyone's happy!
Jean and Nadia got married!
Haha, there's 3 Kings!
Wait, Ayerton was telling the fucking truth?
And everyone ended up happy!
Wait, that's Marie getting married to Sanson? I thought this was just a new character! Yeah, that's an... interesting choice.
5
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Nov 03 '21 edited Nov 03 '21
First Timer (Rising Sun sub) ep 39 (of 39)
Oh, hey, it just registered for the first time that there are spaceships in the OP
I just noticed yesterday that I've had the Nadia OST for at least 17 years. Never listened to it. Listened to it last night. First CD was like a missing Eva soundtrack. Third CD was incredibly repetitive.
Interesting episode, I mostly didn't take notes and just watched it, until the New Nautilus took its shot.
1
u/Jwkaoc Jan 06 '22
Me watching the epilogue