"The Secret of Blue Water" &
"Neon Genesis Evangelion"...What
should I say more about these two pieces of art, personally
considered as best anime ever? Both were made by Gainax, both
feature two geniuses such as Hideaki Anno and Yoshiyuki
Sadamoto in the staff...
That's one of the reasons to the fact that Evangelion is full
of [official and not] references to Nadia, that kind of things
fans (me, for example JJ) go crazy
for. There are similarities about
characters’ design and psychology, topics discussed and even
scenes faithfully reproduced !
But, first of all, remember that this section
features HEAVY SPOILERS
about Nadia, Evangelion & The End of
Evangelion !!!! So I suggest you to wait visiting this part
of the site until you watch all of them (or simply read the
synopsis J)
Important notes!! (especially the third one)
Apart from official/obvious references, I've added
EVERY similarity between the two series I could think to
(you know, the staff was almost the same for both anime,
so a lot of things in "Evangelion" recalls
"Nadia"). So please don't send me e-mail such
as "AARRGGHH!!!! How the hell can you compare
this part of Evangelion to that one in Nadia????
ARRRGGHH!!!" etc etc J
I had to split this section in five pages (soon they may
become six) due to the large amount of images (more than
a hundred). If you've more similarities to suggest,
please send me an e-mail J
You may wonder...How could Max avoid that this section
will end as "Nadia Vs
Atlantis", copie...ehm...no, "stolen"
is better—especially the images—by 2–3 people who also
had the effrontery to say it was me (!)
who took images from their "sites" (!)??
Simple! And, just to avoid misunderstanding, I'll tell
you how! Before making this section (first days of
January 2002), I checked and checked and checked the
Internet for similar comparison between Nadia and
Eva...believe me, I spent much more time surfing the
Internet for this reason than making this section!
Anyway, the only two sites
mentioning something similar (with just a few
references/comparisons) are these ones: 1 & 2 . That
means that even a dumb person will understand the original
source of images and so on if, someday one day, another
site will show a series of comparison as the one you're
going to enjoy (I hope, at least JJ).
C'mon, who didn't ever think "Hey, that
character in Evangelion reminds me...He speaks
as..."? JJ
Below there's a quick and all but closely
examined comparison list between Eva and Nadia
characters. The reason is that some of them can't
be compared *just* with another character: Nadia,
for example, reminds Shinji BUT she also reminds
a lot both Asuka & Rei...)
SHINJI IKARI: Guys at Gainax
admitted HE is the "Nadia" in
Evangelion J I
could talk about this topic for hours, but lots
of poeple would hate me JJ
Don't know who's the author of
this wonderful comparison (Sadamoto himself
maybe?), but I set it as a roll over, so enjoy
the animation J
KAJI RYOUJI : A
"Sanson" with less strength but more
brain JJ Especially
with women...
KENSUKE AIDA: Same face and same
scientific passions of Jean's
RITSUKO AKAGI : Less
"Elektra" than I thought before
watching the entire series...But a couple of
scenes and her relationship with Gendo seem to
confirm my first impression ...
GENDO IKARI: The "Captain
Nemo" in Evangelion. For example, he's
father of a problematic kid too, even if, by
another site, he can also be compared with
Gargoyle...
Dramatic scene - 1:
Nadia & Shinji
Two dramatic sequences in both series (even
if, to be right, the images on the right are
taken from the wonderful movie "The End of
Evangelion"). On the left, while in
Thartesos, Nadia starts a very sad and dramatic
monologue about her "evil" nature and
the fact she always gets everyone into trouble.
On the right, instead, a few screenshots taken
from Shinji's speech while Misato is trying to
persuade him to pilote the Eva01 again. Both
monologues are pretty similar and a few lines are
almost the same J
The Secret Of
Blue Water - Ep35
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - EoE
The me that's selfish and crabby
who always gets Jean into trouble?! The me that's
always scared of something? The me that's always
in a bad mood? The me that couldn't even say
goodbye to her father when he left?!
I...I can't do it...not me.
Piloting EVA to hurt people ...or even to the
point of killing people. I don't deserve to do so
I...I said before that all I can do is to ride
the EVA.
I hate myself! I hate everything
in me! There's nothing real inside me...There's
just the horrible girl who inherited the power of
Atlantis...
But I was just lying to myself.
To someone like myself who really don't know
anything!
There is really no point in getting into the EVA.
I don't have that ability anymore...I can't do
anything to help others!
Jean! Take a good look at me! I'm
not normal! I make you miserable! I make
everybody miserable! Sooner or later, I'll use
Blue water and make the whole world miserable!
Goodbye
Jean...
I've done something horrible to
Asuka...And I killed Kaoru....I don't have a
kind, gentle side...I'm just a weak-hearted,
wicked boy. I can only hurt other people! So it's
better that I don't do anything!
Dramatic scene - 2:
Elektra & Ritsuko
An important and clear tribute to Nadia in
Evangelion, as well as two of the most shocking
moments in both series. On the left, Nemo returns
to the bridge after he left the kids in a safe
place. There he discovers Electra aiming a gun at
him, believing he's guilty because he refused the
self-destruction to save Nadia. In a similar way,
Gendo enters on the huge room where Lilith lives,
finding Ritsuko waiting for him. The girl attacks
him with a gun and tries to destroy the whole
base with a self-destruction device. Please note
that both sequences are similar till a breaking
point: in fact, while the first one ends with a
[failed] suicidal attempt by Elektra, the other
one ends with Ritsuko's death, killed by Gendo.
The Secret Of
Blue Water - Ep22
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - EoE
Nadia & Rei
The style of Nadia and Rei's landing
after a long jump is exactly the same. J
(Thanks to Erik)
On the left, taken
from episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc etc of
"Nadia", here's... Blue Water!
On the right, taken from episode 5 and 6 of
"Evangelion", here's... Ramiel,
the fifth angel!
This tribute is so obvious that I've found a
very funny comic strip about it: you'll find it
in this
site.
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep5&6
South Pole - 1
Well, this is obvious as well...Though the
South Pole looked a bit better before the Second
Impact... J
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
South Pole - 2
In "Nadia",
the South Pole is the cradle of all life, due to
the presence of the World Tree (Tree of Life),
whose roots are spread throughout the world.
In "Evangelion",
instead, the South Pole is where the Second
Impact took place in the last year of the
twentieth century.
By one side it symbolizes
life; by another side, death.
Thanks
to Send
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
South Pole - 3
I've already mentioned
the World Tree (Tree of Life)
that appears in "Nadia" above. But it
also makes an appearance in "The End of
Evangelion", though it's not embedded in a
glacier J
Seems that Anno really loves this tree...
Thanks
to Send
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
The walls of Jericho
...as much as the walls of Jericho,
the ancient city in the southern Jordan valley of
Palestine, cited in the Bible JJ
In
"Nadia" they are mentioned when
Gargoyle decides to use the Atomic Vibration
Cannon ("[a weapon] which is said to
have destroyed the city of Jericho") to
destroy the Nautilus, during the battle at the
Kermadec Tonga Trench.
In "Evangelion", it's Asuka who
refers to them when menacing Shinji, in episode
9...J
Asuka: This is the unbreakable wall of
Jericho.
Shinji: What?
Asuka: If you invade my side over this wall,
you shall be executed.
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Noah's ark
[Fuyutsuki]: Will the Third Impact become
the Noah's ark that
saves all the humanity? Or will it become the
demon that destroys us all?
That's what
Fuyutsuki says in "End of Eva", when
the Tree of Life appears
(see below)
I think it's useless to explain what's the
connection with "Nadia"...
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
African animals
The angel in episode 16
("Disease to die, and...") of
"Evangelion" has black and white
stripes and it may refer to the period spent in
Africa by Nadia and her friends. Curiously, the
zebra is the only typical African animal (lions,
hippopotamus, rhinoceroses, giraffes etc) which
does not appear when
Gratan is flying over Africa.
Thanks
to Send
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Where did I already see
those trees? J
Eh eh, the episode with
Ramiel (the fifth angel aka "Blue Water
2" JJ)
strikes back! What about an entire reused
sequence? J
Note: it's an official tribute (of course...get a
look below and you'll understand why JJ).
In
"Nadia" (episode 7), a group of trees
are disintegrated by the power of the Tower of
Babel
In
"Evangelion", the same trees are
devastated by Ramiel's destructive light beam
(which is SO similar to the Light of Babel !)
Thanks
to Send
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep7
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep6
Well, after all, the
director is the same...1
Just a similarity between two scenes JJ
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Well, after all, the
director is the same...2
...well, again...J
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Well, after all, the
director is the same...3
This is an official tribute, reported even in
the Eva Encyclopedia. Do you know what TELOP
(note: it's an acronym) are? I'm not an expert
but, as far as I know, they are those writings
that appear on screen to give the impression of a
military operation.
For example, episode 6 of
Evangelion (believe it or not, the one with
Ramiel...again J)
shows a lot of TELOP, connected to Misato's Operation
Yashima. I'm not sure, but one of them
should be similar (or even the same) to one in
episode 37 of "Nadia".
The secret chambers at the South Pole and the
Terminal Dogma, where Ilion (in
"Nadia") and Lilith (in
"Evangelion") live, are pretty
similar...both seem huge pools, with an area
where characters can walk on.
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep19
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - EoE
Ilion & Lilith
On the left, Ilion,
the huge white whale friend of Nemo, emerges from
the water. On the right, instead, here's Lilith's
awakening, taken from "The End of
Evangelion". Get a look to the images below:
they're pretty similar, don't you think? The
background, as stated above, is almost the same.
Then, please also note the male character
(Nemo/Gendo) on the centre in both the scene, so
tiny compared to the huge bulk of the
"creatures".
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep19
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - EoE
Eyes, Neo Atlantis and
Angels
Did you ever notice NeoAtlantean typical
"eyes" even in Evangelion? JJ. Lots of Angels show
them on their bodies (as Matriel, the
"spider angel") and someone is even
eye-shaped (as Tzachquiel in Episode
12)!
SEELE's Coat of Arm is formed by an
overturned triangle with seven eyes
stamped on and, even for this reason, Lilith's
mask (see below) can recall a NeoAtlantean one.
Finally, what about an explosion that occurs in
"The End of Evangelion"?? Am I too
mischievous or it really looks like an eye? JJ
Alternatives to men
Just a curiosity...Both series show the
creatures that could colonize Earth instead of
men: in "Nadia", they are those strange
life forms or, better, "mistakes" of
NeoAtlantean genetic engineering shown during
Gargoyle and Nadia's Red Noah tour; in
"Evangelion", the Angels themselves.
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
The Human-Tank and the
Angels - 1
It's a bold comparison, I know J Anyway, on the left,
here is the triple eye of NeoAtlantean Human Tank
while, on the right, here's Israphel's (seventh
angel, episode 9) one...
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
The Human-Tank and the
Angels - 2
The Human-Tank strikes back! J. On the left, it tries
to hit Jean (failing)...On the right, instead,
Sachiel (third angel, episode 1) is going to hit
Shinji's Eva01.
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep8
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep1
Kermadec
Quick, official tribute to
"Nadia" in episode 10 of Evangelion.
NERV is investigating about the possible presence
of Sandalphon, the 8th angel, in
embriotic form in an active volcan. The live
in-deep broadcast bears the writing "LIVE picture from
Kermadek-3"...What does it remind you
if not the [real - get a look to Nadia
& Reality] trench where
Nautilus sinks in, after the battle against
Gargoyle's flying fortress?
Thanks
to Erik!
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep21
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep10
Doors of light
It's nice to see how the "doors of
light" which appear in "Nadia",
when Elektra is eavesdropping Nemo's revelations,
are used again in Evangelion. Well, the director
is the same J
Thanks to Dario!
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20121101034930/http://www.thesecretofbluewater.com:80/nadieva4-i.htm
In
state of emergency, the floor of one of the rooms
in Geo Front (right) is identical to the
"video floor" in Gargoyle's command
ship (left).
Thanks
to Send and MAGI System
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Melville and his
great-grandchild
Well, this is easy JJ.
Melville and Holland in "Nadia" are
almost identical to the captain and
second-in-command of UN fleet carrying EVA
Unit-02 (episode 8). Even the hat is the same!! J
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
A great
invention 1: the air conditioner
A funny connection
between "Nadia" and
"Evangelion" is about a couple of
pieces of technology that appears in both
series...For example, did you ever notice how,
according to them, the air conditioner seems the
greatest invention ever? J
Misato: I've always thought
that the air conditioner is the greatest treasure
of humanity! It's a true scientific success!
Jean: COOL! An
invention that keeps a room cool, even in summer.
That's the ultimate luxury!
Thanks
to Send
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep4
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep2
A great invention 2: the
escalators
...and what about the escalators?? J In "Nadia, even if
anacronistic, they are everywhere: in the South
Pole (Nautilus secret base), in Jean's house, in
Thartesos, in Paris etc... In
"Evangelion" it's the same! Escalators
in school...escalators in NeoTokyo-3...escalators
as pedestrian flyover etc etc
Thanks to Send
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
When the power's
cut...
Nadia - Episode 21:
{Engineer} We've been relying too much on the
machines on this ship...
{Dude} You said it...This's what happens when
the power's cut...
This is a snippet of a
dialogue between Nautilus engineers while
struggling to open one of the heavy missile
hatches by hand, in order to destroy the huge
magnet of Gargoyle's command ship.
There's a similar scene in episode 11 of
"Evangelion", when the power goes out
and NERV engineers have to open the doors by
force. Also, Maya and Ritsuko say something very
similar to the speech above.
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep21
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep11
Almighty science
"Evangelion" - Episode 11:
Maya: As the purely scientific city it is.
This is an era when the science is omnipotent.
Shigeru: Old-fashioned words.
LOL! I
know, it was one of Jean and Hanson's favourite
sentences JJ
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep11
Secret graveyards
The skeletons of prehistoric creatures put
into cages in Blue Naoh ("Nadia" -
ep35) recalls a lot a graveyard of failed EVAs
that appears in episode 23. Please note that I'm
especially referring to the second version
of the graveyard. In fact, Gainax modified this
sequence in post-production, putting a much more
suggestive "dumping ground" instead of
just a skeleton (shown below).
Thanks to AledonRex
& Cube
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Sexy suits J
As ever, the most obvious things are
ignored J A comment would be useless, anyway: on
the left, here's Electra's space suit; on the
right, Rei's plug suit. They resemble each
other, don't you think?
Thanks
to Cristina and AledonRex
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20121101035014/http://www.thesecretofbluewater.com:80/nadieva5-i.htm
Eh eh, the comparison between Neo (Nemo's
son) and EVA come out after a sleepness night J
Both are partly
biological, partly mechanical. Both have an
umbilical cable which is used to supply [electric]
power from an external source (though it's still
a mystery why Neo's one is considered a very
silly thing while the one in Evangelion makes the
story "much more realistic"...K) without whom they are
paralysed, unless a vital spark crops up. A vital
spark that, in both cases (berserk in Evangelion
/ Neo's miraculous awakening in episode 39), is
fundamental to succeed in their purposes
(destruction of the Angel - destruction of
Nadia's control system in episode 39)
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
One vegetarian...two
vegetarians...
In order to confirm that Nadia's unique
personality, in "Evangelion", is
splitted in three (Shinji has the emotive and
suffering part of it, as well as a bad
relationship with his father; Asuka, instead, has
an impetuous and falsely self-confident character
in defence of a psychological fragility) Rei is
vegetarian JJ
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Girlfriend of Steel -
Musashi
A new character in "Girlfriend of Steel", one of the most famous Evangelion
videogames. I don't know anything
about him, apart from his name, Musashi, and the
fact that he's the male version of Nadia JJJ
Shinji's classmate
Well...someone, in mailing list,
suggested that the girl on the right, shown in
episode 10 of "Evangelion", is almost
identical to Nadia...bah...JJ
Thanks
to Send
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep10
Rei & Red Noah
This is a similarity, not a tribute. On the
left, here is one of NeoAtlantean genetic
engineering "mistakes"; on the right, a
group of clones of Rei, taken from episode 23
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep23
"Blood...This is
blood..."
Jean touches the dead body of Marie's father,
looks at his hand, dirty of blood, and says: "Blood...this is blood..."
Shinji
is succouring Rei, all bandaged up on an
emergency stretcher, and looking at his hand,
dirty of blood, says: "Blood...this is blood..."
Really
thanks to Serosch
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep5
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep1
Adam
In episode 8 of Evangelion, Kaji consignes
the "larva" of the first angel, Adam,
to Gendo.
Gendo: "This is the first human being,
ADAM"
Gargyole says the same
identical words showing to Nadia Adam the giant,
during the grand tour of Red Noah.
Thanks
to Eymerich
The Secret of
Blue Water - Ep37
Neon Genesis
Evangelion - Ep8
Family quarrels
In episode 6, Nadia and Jean are arguing
about what to do in order to escape from the
island. Then, when the argument escalates, Marie
asks:
Marie: Hey, are you two having a
lover's quarrel ?
Nadia & Jean: NO !
In a similar way, in episode 17 of
"Evangelion", Touji stops a quarrel
between Asuka and Shinji:
Touji: Oh, a husband-wife quarrel?
Shinji & Asuka: NO WAY!
The Secret of
Blue Water
Neon Genesis
Evangelion
Four green eyes J
It's nothing more than a personal idea, ok,
but those four green eyes of NeoAtlantean
crab-robot recall Eva02's ones, don't they? JJJ
