This is the third episode of my five-part series detailing the history of the legendary anime studio Gainax. In this episode, we see the studio initially riding high on the success of Gunbuster, before embarking on creating the legendary TV series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, a show that simultaneously introduced Gainax to mainstream audiences in Japan and nearly drove them to the brink of collapse.

Works Cited:

Animag, Volume 2 Issue 1

Animerica, “The Conscience of The Otaking,” https://www.gwern.net/docs/anime/eva/...

Animerica, “The Return of The Otaking,” https://www.evamonkey.com/writings/ho...

Anime News Network, “Hideaki Anno: A Career Retrospective,”    • Hideaki Anno: A Career Retrospective  

Anime World Order, “Master Shake Demanded This Episode Be Three Hours Long,” https://www.awopodcast.com/2007/07/an...

Callum May, “The Indestructible Studio Gainax,” https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feat...

Christopher L Inoa, “How the Chaos of Making Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water Almost Killed an Anime Studio,” https://www.ign.com/articles/how-chao...

Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy, The Anime Encyclopedia

Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Khara, “Hideaki Anno Official Information,” https://www.khara.co.jp/hideakianno/p...

Sam Watches Anime, "Appreciating Nadia,"    • Appreciating Nadia  

Sean O’Mara, “The Secret History of Gainax: 1981-1992,” https://www.zimmerit.moe/secret-histo...

Stephen Hero, “What Could Have Been: Gainax’s Brief Stint as Video Game Consultants,” https://www.zimmerit.moe/gainax-video...

Yasuhiro Takeda, The Notenki Memoirs, https://gwern.net/doc/anime/eva/2002-...

Timecodes:

0:00 - Introduction
2:34 - Gunbuster’s Success
3:59 - Dragon Quest Fantasia
6:31 - Hotei Tomoyasu, Guitarrhythm
6:50 - Sakyo Komatsu Anime Gekijo
7:36 - Beat Shot!!
8:54 - Hiroaki Inoue’s Betrayal
12:57 - Introduction to Nadia
14:36 - Nadia’s Influences
16:53 - Nadia’s Tone
18:33 - Action and Music
19:28 - Nadia and Jean
23:41 - Nemo
25:43 - Gargoyle and Neo Atlantis
26:54 - Marie
28:06 - Gargoyle and Technology
31:33 - Life on the Nautilus
34:19 - Jean Can’t Catch a Break
37:26 - Nautilus vs. Neo-Atlantis
39:11 - The Tragedy of Electra
43:42 - Gainax Loses Money
44:52 - Gainax The Video Game Developer
47:47 - Hideaki Anno Breaks Down
50:42 - The Island Episodes
54:28 - Reprieve
56:00 - Nadia in Africa
58:24 - oh god please don’t unsubscribe
1:01:23 - The Island Episodes (Conclusion)
1:03:38 - The Amazing Ending
1:07:05 - Conclusion and Credits