INTRODUCTION

You might have heard comparisons between Atlantis - The Lost Empire and a 1991 Japanese series called Nadia - The secret of blue water.

This page, created by mhayden@silverhammer.org, highlights the similarities between these two projects.  Quite amazing!
 

ILLUSTRATION OF THE SIMILARITIES
 

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water Produced by Gainax, released in 1990	Atlantis: The Lost Empire Produced by Disney, released in 2001
Our hero, Jean, a nerdy yet sweet inventor who gets caught up in a quest to find Atlantis. Along the way he falls in love with a girl unlike anyone he’s ever met before. Accessories: big round glasses, red bow tie, assorted charts and scientific equipment.	Our hero, Milo, a nerdy yet sweet scholar who gets caught up in a quest to find Atlantis. Along the way he falls in love with a girl unlike anyone he’s ever met before. Accessories: big round glasses, red bow tie, assorted charts and scientific equipment.
The heroine, Nadia, an exotic young woman who turns out to be a princess of the lost kingdom of Atlantis. To save her kingdom from invaders, she must unleash her hidden power. Accessories: blue crystal pendant, skimpy bikini 'n' sarong costume, gold armband and hoop earings.	The heroine, Kida, an exotic young woman who turns out to be a princess of the lost kingdom of Atlantis. To save her kingdom from invaders, she must unleash her hidden power. Accessories: blue crystal pendant, skimpy bikini 'n' sarong costume, gold armband and hoop earings.
Nadia’s pendant	Kida’s pendant
The Nautilus, a high-tech submarine with an international crew.	The Ulysses, a high-tech submarine with an international crew.
The first officer	The first officer
The ship’s doctor	The ship’s doctor
The gunnery sergeant / helmsman	The gunnery sergeant / helmsman
An underwater battle!	An underwater battle!
A mysterious crystal power source	A mysterious crystal power source
To save Atlantis, the heroine activates her pendant…	To save Atlantis, the heroine activates her pendant…
…and merges with the power source!	…and merges with the power source!

 
 

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PLOT?

Surely the plot is different, and that’s what counts, right?
 

	Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water	Atlantis: The Lost Empire
The story begins in…	France, 1889	America, 1914
Where our hero, who is…	A sandy-haired boy with round, oversized eyeglasses and a red bow tie	A sandy-haired man with round, oversized eyeglasses and a red bow tie
Runs into…	A beautiful, hot-blooded mercenary named Grandis	A beautiful, cold-blooded mercenary named Helga
They wind up together…	On board a high-tech submarine with an international crew	On board a high-tech submarine with an international crew
Engaged in battle with…	Scary, otherworldly villains	A scary, otherworldly giant lobster
After many adventures 1 they find…	An underwater crevasse	An underwater crevasse
Which leads to…	A chamber filled with strange bones	A chamber filled with strange carvings
From which the crew…	Heads for open space, then holds a memorial for those who died along the way	Holds a memorial for those who died along the way, then heads for open space
They end up in…	Atlantis	Atlantis
Which is…	A dead civilization	A living civilization
At the center of which lies…	A massive crystalline structure	A massive crystalline structure
Which is linked to…	A small blue jewel worn as a pendant	A small blue jewel worn as a pendant
Around the neck of…	The heroine, who doesn’t fully understand what it’s for	The heroine, who doesn’t fully understand what it’s for
Because as a child, she…	Lost her family	Lost her mother
But she discovers that…	These crystals are the power source for Atlantis	These crystals are the power source for Atlantis
Which explains why…	The bad guys are so interested in Atlantis	The bad guys are so interested in Atlantis
So they can…	Capture and use the power source	Capture and sell the power source
While the rest of the world…	Plunges headlong into war with a secret society	Plunges headlong into war with Germany
But the heroine stops them by…	Using her pendant to merge with and control the power source	Using her pendant to merge with and control the power source
And when it’s all over…	They fall in love and live happily ever after	They fall in love and live happily ever after

¹Keep in mind that we’re comparing a 39-episode television series with a 90-minute movie.