Tomorrow’s Nadja (2003) has been on my to-watch list for a long time. It’s main claim to fame is that it was the opening series for Toei’s Sunday morning Super Hero Time, between Ojamajo DoReMi (1999-2003) and Futari wa Precure (2004). As TV Tropes says: “airing right after the end of one Cash-Cow Franchise, and before the beginning of another.” Let’s just say it was not the show for that timeslot. DoReMi’s zany elementary-school witch hi-jinks, and Futari wa’s thrilling battle choreography both meshed well with the over-the-top togusatsu of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. Nadja apparently did not.

My friend Ojou on Mastodon started a watch-and-comment on the Kaleido Star series, a circus/acrobatic show from Gonzo Studio that also began in 2003. Kaleido Star got 51 episodes to Nadja’s 50. With similar themes they make a good pairing. Time to watch Nadja!

A long time ago, about a hundred years ago… This? Why this is the story of a little girl who traveled beyond the Door of Destiny.

From the first frames of the storybook opening this looks like World Masterpiece Theater! – the prestigious Sunday Night shows that started in 1969, and featured series like Anne of Green Gables, Heidi Girl of the Alps, Little Women, and Dog of Flanders. Like many of the World Masterpiece series, Nadja features a young orphan navigating the adult world, though it’s an original story. Did Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata work on Nadja? No, but you’ll probably think they did!

We first see Nadja in a tree-climbing race with Oliver, a boy who’s due to begin his apprenticeship in London the next day. She wins handily- nobody can beat Nadja at tree-climbing!

We get a glimpse of the idyllic Applefield Orphanage. It isn’t from a Dickens novel- the children are treated well, and apparently effort is made to set them on a good path to adulthood instead of being sold to a workhouse.

Nadja’s 13th birthday is approaching, and she’s called to the director’s office. She’s shocked to learn that her mother wasn’t dead; a woman had given the infant Nadja to the director when she was in Paris, saying the father was dead and her mother couldn’t take care of her. A package has arrived with a suitcase containing a ball gown her mother had debuted in, a diary written in French, and a heart-shaped brooch. Nadja goes to bed with a lot to think of.

That night, two goons invade the orphanage. They’re looking for that brooch! As they search through a room with the younger residents, a boy wakes up to use the bathroom. In the resulting confusion a lamp’s knocked over and fire spreads quickly. Thankfully all the children and staff are evacuated safely. A traveling entertainment troupe is nearby, sees the fire, and rushes to help, setting up a bucket brigade. Nadja realizes that she’s left the suitcase behind, rushes into the burning building, and crashes through the window with it just before the roof collapses.

Nadja flees, but is caught by the thieves. At the last moment a mysterious stranger rides in on a white horse, defeats the thieves, and returns the ring and brooch to her. “Never hand this over to anyone.” He wipes away her tears, and she faints from exhaustion. He hands her off to one of the members of the traveling troupe, tells them Nadja is being chased by bad people, and rides off into the night. “I’m afraid, the Door of Destiny has opened, hasn’t it?”

Episode 2

It’s nighttime in London, and we see a figure running across rooftops, and a man handling jewelry: “It’s so easy to take money away from commoners. They borrow money without any knowledge, then they end up losing everything to pay their debt. Geez, they’re all such idiots!” His window opens, curtains blowing. As he closes the window he turns around to see a masked man with his jewels. “What an exquisite gem. In order to get this gem in your hands, how many people have you stepped on?”

“The Noble flower that blooms in the night- People call me the phantom thief, the Black Rose.” He jumps out the window into the street, leaving a thorny rose calling card. What’s this to do with Nadja? I get the feeling that this series will feature an ever-expanding cast of characters that come in and out of Nadja’s life.

Back to Nadja, the members of the troupe are discussing what to do. They can’t just take her from the orphanage, but bad guys are after her. They can’t just throw her out. Maybe they should take her with them? Nadja’s woken by a pair of lion cubs licking her, panics, and bursts from the caravan. She apologizes for being a bother, and runs off down the road back to the partially-burned orphanage. She’s about to call to Miss Appleton, when… there are the goons that caused all the trouble!

She runs off to town and tries to find a job, but all the businesses already have enough young workers. People in the street are discussing the Black Rose, and how he gives the proceeds of his thefts to the poor. Nadja’s getting hungry, and wonders if she’ll have to become a thief. No way!

She hears a familiar tune- it’s the troupe of performers! “Please let me join you!” Not so fast- she ran away without telling them her name or thanking them properly. They can’t afford to take someone in who isn’t going to contribute to the act. So what can she do? Dance! But a performer needs to come up with her own dances, not just copy. Can she improvise?

The Granny character is really on Nadja’s side, and she’s a fortune teller to boot! She already made a dress for Nadja, in her size, and asks the singer to do her hair and makeup. She’s given a baton with a castanet on one side and a bell on the other, they wind up the gramophone and drop the needle. Her dance impresses the group, and what’s more, she draws a crowd that applauds her. That cinches it, she’s in! Now it’s time to introduce the performers of the Dandelion Troupe:

First up, there’s George: Leader of the troupe, he’s the gentle strongman. He’s superstitious and has a weakness for treasure-hunting, always being taken in by obvious fake treasure maps. If there’s a fabulous treasure right down the road, why wouldn’t the map seller dig it up himself?

Next is Anna Petrova- “Granny”, how old is she? Nobody knows! She operates the gramophone during performances, makes and fixes all the costumes. She’s known to aristocratic women as a creator of exquisite hats, and seems to have customers in every city. She also has a crystal ball, and knows how to use it.

Thomas is the melancholy violinist. He hates violence and can come off as cowardly, though he reacts poorly when his self-taught musical skills are insulted. He’s one of the more practical members.

Sylvie the angelic vocalist, and an audience favorite. She’s originally skeptical of Nadja’s abilities, but warms to her after seeing what she can do. She also acts like an older sister to Nadja, giving her advice in matters of the heart. Her unrequited love gives her perspective.

Abel is the Pierrot- he juggles and does other comedy acts. There’s a lot more to him than’s apparent, from a tragic backstory to serious academic skills.

Rita, the World’s Smallest Lion Tamer. An incident in her past caused her to be mute, and she’s another orphan ‘adopted’ by the troupe. She looks up to Nadja as a big sister. Her white and black lion cubs are Creme and Chocolat:

In the next episode, we’ll meet Kennosuke, a Japanese orphan who’s ended up in London. He’s fascinated by mechanical things and is an expert tinkerer. After taking the “Happy Carrier Car” on an unauthorized jaunt through London, narrowly avoiding disaster, he joins the group, adding his Samurai sword skills to the act. He’s one of the many young men with a crush on Nadja.

Last up is the Happy Carrier Car, which is a character all its own. A steampunk version of the Japanese Idol Stage Truck, it acts as a transport, dorm, workshop, kitchen, and stage.

With a pull of a lever, a stage mechanism is set into motion that displays banners and an extended stage. Watch for other features in its bag of tricks! This is another element that might make you think Miyazaki had a hand in this (he didn’t), because in addition you have other gadgets and vehicles including a steampunk pirate ship.

Nadja’s a story with an ever-expanding cast of characters who weave in and out of the story through its 50 episodes. It’s got a lot of charm and heart. Also, like both its predecessor and successor, Ashita no Nadja includes a lot of grown-up themes that would go over the heads of the youngest viewers. A recurring theme is that aristocrats are betrothed by their parents as infants, with an eye to preserving/increasing the family fortunes (which often fails miserably in practice). Fiances often flaunt their girlfriends in front of their intended brides, who feel there’s no way to escape the system. Other grown-up personal tragedies shape the story.

Sadly, Nadja seems to be temporarily “lost media”. Toei released a DVD set in Japanese, and Nadja was shown dubbed in Latin America, but never got an official subtitled or dubbed release in English. I have no idea where you could watch it now. If Toei really goes through with their plan to release all their shows worldwide in the future, hopefully Nadja will be included.