If you have seen Kiki's Delivery service, this anime is quite similar in its storyline. It's set in 1889, in the French countryside to start with (yet all speaking Japanese, har har), and it revolves around a young inventor named Jean and a mysterious girl he meets named Nadia. She possesses a blue jewel which hangs around her neck, and flashes when the "bad guys" are near.

This is where the plot starts getting a little predictable. These "bad guys" are obviously after Blue Water, and have a spiffy transforming vehicle. However, the young inventor seems to be one step ahead of them when they come for Nadia.

Side note: I've passed this title up more than once in the video store, basically because the cover didn't convey any of the "flash" and cool stuff that modern anime has to offer. However, I finally picked it up, after being intrigued by a preview I saw for the series. I wasn't disappointed, it's lighthearted and fun to watch.

Characters:
Well, the character depth is a bit shallow, but keep in mind: this anime was first produced around 1990. The characters of Nadia and Jean, central to the plot, are obviously the best ones. Nadia is a brooding girl with much loneliness in her past, and is just looking for a way to get to her home, wherever that is. Jean is an upbeat inventor whose father is a missing sailor, and is being cared for by his stiffish aunt and inventing uncle. And like I said, the bad guys are kinda stereotypical, with their "we are the best people around, and we will get you" attitude. They are amusing however, kind of like Jesse and James from Pokemon.

Sub vs Dub:
Okay, for you, the reader, I turned on the English language track for this DVD. The first character to speak is Jean.... and he has a French accent. A very very light French accent. Something about that just completely turned me off. I can't tell if the Japanese dialogue has accents (I'm not that good yet), but I would have preferred that the main characters not have accents. Easier to do that way, since they're the main speakers in EVERY episode! The bottom line is this: I once again recommend the subbed version. Don't even go for the English version, unless you can't stand subtitles.

Music:
The opening and ending themes are pretty nice, nothing super-stellar, but I don't mind listening to it. The incidental music is non-noticable, so not much to say for music really...

Final verdict:
This is a fun anime, one you can watch and enjoy without worrying about twisted plots or heavy drama. I definitely recommend it for people who like to smile :)

Recommended: Yes