DESCRIPTION

CAST

NOVEL Slice of LifeAshita no Nadja: 16-sai no Tabidachi
MANGA AdventureAshita no Nadja

REVIEWS

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  Ezekiel01

  74/100
  Travel to 19th to 20th Century Europe and Discover Friends and Life Experience Along the Way!

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  Introduction

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  Nadja was one of my early childhood anime back in the early ’00s but I don’t seem to remember how it ended or how the story progresses. What I remember is the main plot itself when it aired on my local television network. It's been more than a decade since I watch it, so I decided to finally pick it up and make a full series rewatch on it. I was happy that I did. Because I am surprised the anime gave me a sort of diamond of the ruff impression about it. A good TV series for what it is from start to finish. This review will discuss further why this show is a hidden gem of its time and what makes Nadja a good show.

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  (Story/Plot/Writing) (7/10: Good) (Spoiler Free)

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  Starting off the Review of Ashita no Nadja or commonly known as Tomorrow's Nadja for international audiences, the story follows the Adventure of Nadja Applefield. Traveling around European Continent in search of clues about her mother’s whereabouts while meeting friends and learning about different cultures along the way. Nadja plays out like your classic late-century adventure stories where the protagonist needs to travel to new places to progress the story. We have lots of stories like that in animes based on western literature that is aired during the 80s and ’90s.

  But sadly starting around the 2000s this type of story in the anime medium got a steady decline. In 2003 anime releases Nadja is the only show that uses the formula, thus making it very unique alongside the other series that were airing at the time. 2003 is flooded with a lot of shows with a variety of genres, with different target demographics ranging from adults, teenage and younger audiences. Nadja aims for much more younger viewers but it cannot compete with the more rule of cool focus shows that even younger kids want to watch. It's quite common that nobody actually remembers or talks about this show even today. This is where my review comes in.

  For an Adventure Story, I can confidently say it’s well written and good. It has a beginning and an ending. Everything feels connected and consistent until the end of the show. Usually, for a children-oriented series, a lot of shows will make a lot of unnecessary filler episodes, especially if the show is around 50+ episodes. But in Nadja, the writers took an effort in connecting each individual episode. It makes each episode important in Nadja’s journey.

  The story has a rather slow exposition, and pacing, and each of the first episodes only gives small fractions of information for the main plot. The main story doesn’t kick start until around episode 33. The initial episodes are all about establishing the characters and structuring a world-building by introducing various regions in Europe. The episodes focus on exploring the people in the region and cleverly describing people's lives. Nadja is also a very good example of a slice of life series. But for its credit, it gives us enough time to breathe and digests the characters and story overall.

  The Setting is set to place between 19th and 20th Century Europe. It's lovely to see that this anime has a lot of educational content that feels natural for the plot. As Nadja learns new things as she explores new places, the audience learns from it by simply watching this show. Feels like a fun tour of 19th or 20th Century Europe. As if the Audience is also tagging along with Adventure. There is a sense of connection and pay-off. As Nadja travels around each country, new characters and new stories are introduced that complement the setting and the entire story feels layered in a way.

  

  Sample Locations Nadja Explored in the Series

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  (Characters/ Main & Supporting) (8/10: Very Good in My Opinion) (Contain Some Minor Spoiler)

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  When it comes to characters, the show shines the best. Nadja is a dancer of the Dandelion Troupe, a Small Group of Circus Entertainers, which makes a living by moving from town to town to provide entertainment for the locals in the area. Each Troupe member has their own unique personality and appealing side story to share. Some are ok while others are good on their own. Aside from Nadja and Her Troupe Family, there are also some supporting characters that have their own appeal, own story, and ambitions that shape the entire narrative. Some characters, for the most part, reappear in later episodes. Revealing their own character growth and development in the process made the show even more exciting as it continues.

  

  Nadja & The Dandelion Troupe

  There is some antagonist in the show that moves the story forward but there are some very despicable moments in the show that might ignite the audience's emotion into the wall. If you wondering how nasty are the so-called villains? I recommend you guys to check it out from start to finish to understand what I am talking about. This show knows how to give a really bad time experience for our main heroine.

  

  Introducing Nadja Applefield

  Now moving to our main heroine, “Nadja AppleField”, for a classic late-century female protagonist, there isn’t much anything special to say about her. She is good for what she does in her role, serving as a mediator for the character's conflict, the voice of reasons, and the eyes and ears of the audience in exploring the world surrounding her. The only gripe I have for Nadja as a person is that she sort of lacks an interesting personality. Sure, she got the looks of the main character, she is very beautiful, but she is very reactive in a lot of situations. There are moments in the show when her kind-hearted nature sometimes results in people taking advantage of her kindness. I consider this annoying. Luckily her flaws are corrected by supporting characters that compromise her weakness and save the day.

  But Hey that’s what makes her likable in the first place. An innocent pure-hearted maiden who only wishes the best in a person. To me, I refer more proactive and dynamic heroines that plan ahead and are able to identify when a person is taking advantage of someone's good intentions.

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  (Technical Stuff) (Art & Animation 7/10)

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  In the technical aspect of the show, for a 2003 anime, it's good and well polished. Given that this is a 50-episode series where the art style and animation remain consistent. The aesthetic is pleasing though some character designs are rather dull. The only character that stands out, when it comes to design, is Nadja's design and the clothes she wears.

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  ( Music and Sound Design 7/10)

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  Music I think it's good for what it is. But wouldn’t say it's worth saving in your MP3 song list. The OP and ED are good for what they supposed to function. When it comes to the background music and sound effects it's Ok. Nothing special but classical music always works on the show set in the late century so it’s a pass.

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  (Enjoyment/ Bias Personal Opinion) (7/10 Good and Memorable )

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  This is the section I will say both my positive and negative personal comments about the show base on my own flawed reference. There are things that I found amazing in the show that I don’t see much on other shows and at the same time, there are some very boring and jarring moments in the show that I wish the show will continue giving me that magic. The show has some very cheesy cliché and a number of plot conveniences but I know myself that Nadja is a simple show that has its own strength and weaknesses. And to be fair there are more good moments in the show that far out weight the bad ones. And for an anime aimed at kids. It far exceeded what I was supposed to expect it to be.

  Back then when I was a kid, Nadja was like another Saturday Morning Cartoon for me. Now as an adult I see it as one of the good series the 2003 era has to offer. It has far more meaningful moral content that can be applied in real life. I can appreciate the people who made this has some good intentions in mind. Personally, I think it’s a good show that is worth recommending to everyone that shares the same interest as me.

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  (Final Thoughts)

  (Overall 7.4/10 A Show Worth Recommending to a Few)

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  In summary, the show is all about Nadja Apple Field's life story but magnificently built upon collective stories of unique individuals from distinct places, cultural traditions, and social standing. You are given a variety of viewpoints to create a moral ground of what is good or bad with an added heartbreaking plot twist I wouldn’t expect on a show for kids.

  I like that the anime's main moral lesson teaching follows the Japanese tradition of teaching children “omoiyari” or showing empathy to others, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. In short caring for others. Which by the way, mature adults in the show teach Nadja when she creates a one-sided opinion on a person.

  In a simple line of dialogue.

  “Not all people are 100 percent good or evil. Everybody has their reason”

  This line really hit me hard. Because this idea remains steady throughout the entire show. Most kids teach the younger audiences what a good guy and a bad guy look like but in Nadja. It teaches you to think and understand a person's situation. It encourages people to not draw out selfish conclusions in defining what a person is. A lesson that is more relevant today because of the advent of social media spreading wildfire of conspiracy about groups and specific individuals.

  I might add, I didn’t expect this show to have complicated romances, social class conspiracy theory, and critical commentary about 19th and 20th Century mentality that seemingly controversial if ever talk about or look upon during that era.

  I like the charm of the show is a mixed bag of sharing meaningful moral content and unnecessarily wackily looney quirks. Huge respect for this anime-original where the studio is making an effort to write a complete story entertainment for people to enjoy.

  I hope when people watch Tomorrow's Nadja, the Inner “Noblesse Oblige” will surface in their hearts.

  “With great wealth comes the responsibility to give back to those who are less fortunate than oneself”

  “But Noblesse Oblige is not always giving material wealth”

  “Everyone can give back in different ways, on any shape or forms that will truly help people to stand up in life”

  

  "And Always Thanks for Reading"

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• 

  Juliko25

  88/100
  Ashita no Nadja is a fun, charming historical shoujo adventure drama that respects its audience's intelligence.

  I say in a lot of my reviews that it often times doesn't matter if a piece of media's tropes and premises are cliche or overused, as these days, nothing is truly original anymore. There's really nothing inherently wrong with cliches in and of themselves. It's the execution that counts, and if you actually care about what you're making and manage to create interesting characters and a solid, engaging premise, people will like it regardless of how cliche its premise is. After the end of the fourth Ojamajo Doremi season, Toei needed something to fill the timeslot up for the next year, and they decided, rather than another magical girl series, that they'd do a historical shoujo adventure instead, in line with stuff like Hello Sandybelle and Lady Georgie. That anime was Ashita no Nadja, which was an oddity in the year 2003, as by that time, according to Justin Sevakis' article about the World Masterpiece Theater here, Japanese-produced shows that were set in Europe were going out of style. Which is honestly a shame, as even with the context Justin mentioned, a lot of these shows were quite amazing and made the most of what they were given. Nadja as a show is an original anime, not based on an existing property, making it even more of an oddity in 2003, and it did get admittedly low ratings from what I've heard, but the people who did stick around to watch it really liked it and have fond memories of it. I myself didn't even know this show existed until I came across this review of it, and I did watch the first episode and liked it, but couldn't finish it due to other obligations and because at the time of the blog post, the final quarter of the series didn't get completed fansubs. This is no longer the case, thankfully, and I finally found time to watch this. And yeah, I agree with the reviewer, Ashita no Nadja has no business being this good and this well-written. More series should aspire to be like Nadja.

  But what's the story, you might ask? Taking place in the early 1900s, 12-year-old Nadja Applefield is an energetic, joyful girl living a happy life at an orphanage just outside of London. One day, her guardian, the director of Applefield House, gives her a suitcase full of luxurious things such as a dress, a diary, and an anonymous letter. Said letter drops a bombshell: Nadja's mother, whom Nadja once thought to be dead, is actually alive and that she was unwillingly placed in the orphanage when her mother's life was threatened by illness. Nadja barely has any time to process all of this, as the very next night, Applefield House is attacked by two burglars who are trying to steal Nadja's prized brooch, which holds the key to her true parentage. Nadja is saved by a mysterious protector, but Applefield House almost burns to the ground. She does manage to find work at a traveling circus, the Dandelion Troupe, and with their help, Nadja travels all across Europe in the hopes of learning the secrets behind her brooch and hopefully reuniting her mother. But that's easier said than done, as there are others who will stop at nothing to make sure Nadja never sees her mother, some of whom include members of her real family.

  The base premise doesn't exactly scream "Watch me!!" and in the wrong hands, this show could have turned out either really bad or just a soulless rehash of other stuff of a similar nature that had come out before it. But the staff behind this anime turned out to be exactly what Ashita no Nadja needed. The first half of the series is fairly light-hearted and episodic, with Nadja and the troupe traveling across Europe, meeting interesting people, and helping them out whenever possible. The second half is where Ashita no Nadja as a series really shines, in which the overarching plot really kicks into high gear, manages to remain engaging throughout, delivers on all of the build-up, and the characters all undergo fantastic development. This is a series that absolutely knows what it wants to do and manages to deliver in every way possible. I especially need to sing praises for the villains in particular, who turn out to be far from your stereotypical cartoon villains who are just there to be incompetent idiots who can't do anything right. Most kids shows have the villains always lose against the heroes. Without giving away spoilers, the villains come up with a fairly simple plan to keep Nadja from meeting her mother, but not only do they actually succeed in their machinations, they manage to do so multiple times, and their schemes aren't the overly complicated kind that you'd find in stuff like Death Note or Sword Art Online. The fact that the villains succeed in their endeavors is actually shown to have palpable consequences for the heroes, but those consequences still manage to make sense when you take into account the setting and time period, so it never feels like it's trying to make things more convenient for itself. These scriptwriters really put a lot into making the story make sense from a logical standpoint while still having it be solid and engaging throughout, making sure every plot thread is consistent and followed up on. It helps that both the light and dark elements of the show manage to blend together wonderfully, and without leaning too heavily on one or the other.

  For all the praise I just gave the villains, that's not to say our main cast of characters aren't worth giving flowers to. Every character from everyone in the troupe to even people who only appear in one episode are given their time in the limelight, have multiple sides to them, and feel fresh. Nadja in particular is a great character to follow, as while she is your typical cheerful girl who inspires people and gets along with everyone, she isn't shown as being perfect, and her cheerfulness is never taken to the sometimes saccharine levels of some Pretty Cure leads that would come later. Her trusting nature gets her into trouble plenty of times, and she can be childish and sulky at times, as is typical for any 12-13 year old kid her age. I saw another reviewer claim that Nadja comes off as more of a reactive, passive protagonist than an active one, and personally, I don't think that's true. Sure, there are times when Nadja gets in bad situations, and a lot of the time she does wind up getting saved by others, but there are just as much moments where Nadja does things herself and succeeds, so it's not like she's just a damsel in distress who gets dragged around by everybody else, especially one on the level of, say, that pink haired girl from Guilty Crown. I'd argue that Nadja is more like Liko from Pokemon Horizons in that while she doesn't do a whole lot because of both her age and lack of experience and knowledge of the world outside her orphanage, a lot of the major decisions in the anime are still up to her and she does step up when she sets her mind to something.

  On the more technical front, the animation is your standard Toei fare, complete with its good and bad points. The character designs by Kazuto Nakazawa are unique and vibrant, with no two characters looking the same (Except for one instance that's intentional), and the actual animation fluctuates quite a bit. Some times the animation is kinetic and smooth, other times it re-uses stock footage of Nadja dancing because they don't want to animate new dance sequences each time. Remember in my Digimon Adventure review, I mentioned that sometimes, during a scene, the background characters are drawn with thick lines and whenever a prominent character is moving or zoomed out, they're animated with thin outlines that make it look like they don't blend well with the scenery? Nadja has this problem too. Let's not forget the frequent uses of CGI that clash very heavily with the 2D animation and just look...off. CGI ballroom dancers, really? But those are the only real problems animation-wise, as everything else is fine. The backgrounds are well drawn, and it's clear that the staff at Toei put a lot of care into researching Europe during the early 20th century and how it looked back then, even if not everything about it is accurate. One thing I noticed about the soundtrack is that its very reliant on classical music a lot of the time, even using public domain music such as Offenbach's Infernal Gallop/Orpheus In The Underworld aka the Can-Can, which is used several times throughout the show, along with Johann Strauss' Blue Danube Waltz. I'm pretty sure there are other ones I don't recognize. The actual soundtrack for the show is pretty good, and both the opening and ending songs are fun, upbeat tunes that fit the show perfectly.

  But for as much as I want to praise Nadja up the wazoo, the show isn't perfect. For one, there are several aspects of the show that haven't aged well. In particular, two of Nadja's primary love interests are adult men, and there are a bunch of other adults who find themselves falling for Nadja, who is a 13-year-old girl. I don't think I need to go into this one. To be fair, it only goes as far as Francis kissing Nadja (And someone else but that's a spoiler), that's it, but it can still be a little uncomfortable. There's also one episode, episode 14, that has the rather...very sexist, very outdated, and very Japanese moral of "Tomboys need to be feminine in order to be accepted by society!" Also, Nadja always seems to meet the right people wherever she travels, especially in big cities where it'd usually be pretty unlikely to run into someone you know unless you're looking for them, and the series always has whoever she needs to meet with happen to be in the neighborhood. A little too convenient if you ask me, and it happens a lot throughout the show. Though to be fair, with how good the writing and story progression is already, the producers did have good intentions and made great use of what they were given to work with, so it wasn't like those conveniences were thrown in there for cheap plot-twists.

  It's easy to see why people who watched Ashita no Nadja way back when love it so much. It's an incredibly solid series that manages to excellently deliver on build-up, characterization, and story progression, and ending with a conclusion that manages to be believable and satisfying while pushing the characters further. What flaws it has didn't kill my own enjoyment of the series any. Seriously, Toei, why don't you make more shows like this more often? The series celebrated its 20th anniversary recently, and a few years back, it even got a sequel novel that takes place a few years after the events of the series...though from what I've heard, the direction it takes some of the characters is rather suspect. Overall, I found Ashita no Nadja to be a fun, charming, pleasant ride from beginning to end, and hopefully more people will see it and give it the love it deserves. I kind of wish I had seen this when I was a child. I probably would have loved it. Here's hoping a certain company picks it up for a home video release in North America. Yoohoo, Discotek!! Oh, one other thing: DO NOT watch those two English-dubbed compilation movies, because they're just slap-dash mish-mashes of random episodes, and apparently the actual English dub is really bad. Stick to the series, as it's much more worth your time.

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