Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water - Collection 1 (Vols. 1-5 + 2 CD soundtracks)
This long, involving anime series should provide a wonderful stepping stone for youngsters being weaned from Pokémon. Based partially on Jules Verne's20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,Nadia: The Secret of Blue Waterbegins as Jean, a young French boy who builds airplanes, teams with his uncle to enter a flying competition at the 1899 World's Fair in Paris. It's there that the preteen Jean meets and immediately falls for the exotic Nadia, who leads an unhappy life as a circus performer. Jean turns protector when Nadia is chased by a trio of bumbling villains who are after the mysterious "blue water" in Nadia's necklace. Their pursuit leads to the open sea, where Jean and Nadia board an American battleship searching for a vengeful sea monster, ultimately revealed as Captain Nemo's submarine,Nautilus. This first series from Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) has some of the charm and rich detail of the films of Hayao Miyazaki (who "conceived" the story) but features cardboard villains that could be distant cousins of Pokémon's Team Rocket.Nadia, Secret of Blue Waterstepped into the limelight in 2001, 11 years after its original production, thanks to myriad similarities to Disney's ambitious animated featureAtlantis: The Lost Empire, including period setting, design, characters, story, and a mystical blue necklace. This set delivers the first half of the series--39 episodes spanning 16 hours--which is far too long, as the story runs out of stream in the final third. Two CD soundtracks are also included. (Rated 12 and older for violence, but suitable for ages 7 to teens)--Doug Thomas