History YMMV / AshitaNoNadja

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Anime/HelloSandybell'' - both anime are about an innocent, cheery blonde haired blue eyed girl travelling all over Europe [[SearchingForTheLostRelative finding their long-lost family]] using nothing but an OrphansPlotTrinket, though ''Sandybell''. The Japanese fandom often compares the two anime and likes to joke that Nadja is Sandybell.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Anime/HelloSandybell'' - both anime are about an innocent, cheery blonde haired blue eyed girl travelling all over Europe [[SearchingForTheLostRelative finding their long-lost family]] using nothing but an OrphansPlotTrinket, though ''Sandybell''. The Japanese fandom often compares the two anime and has a joke that Nadja is Sandybell.

* EvilIsSexy: The reason for [[spoiler:Rosemary]]'s above mentioned DracoInLeatherPants status.

* LesYay: Nadja and Rosemary are a textbook example of RomanticTwoGirlFriendship (what with Rosemary calling herself a princess and Nadja her knight), until the latter snaps and becomes sworn enemy to the former.

* DieForOurShip: The bashing of Marianne in various sites like Website/YouTube.

* [[EvilIsSexy Evil Is Cute]]: The reason for [[spoiler:Rosemary]]'s above mentioned DracoInLeatherPants status.

** Which REALLY [[spoiler: makes it a good thing that Nadja chose to continue being a dancer instead of becoming a noble. She really dodged a bullet there.]]
* JerkassWoobie: Initially played straight with [[spoiler:Rosemary]], though the sympathy could get lost with each act of cruelty [[spoiler:she]] pulls later on. ([[spoiler:Though it might be recovered with her last scene, with her acknowledging how wrong she was and bowing out willingly, as well as telling Nadja to treasure her mother, whom Rosemary herself kinda cared for as well).]]
** Completely averted with [[spoiler:Hermann. Despite his final scene (see AlasPoorVillain / CryForTheDevil on the main page), he's such a bastard that he's never really seen in a sympathetic light by any characters or the audience.]]

* Squick: It's hard to not get creeped out by the various adult male characters of the series crushing on Nadja, such as Christian, Antonio and Thierry, the final being a known womanizer and always calls Nadja with the nickname "My Little Rosebud". This [[http://ashita-no-nadja-brasil.blogspot.com/2011/03/curiosidades.html website]] estimates that the Harcourt twins are 21 years old, as the site runner did the math on the years that Keith left home and disappeared, which makes the show's emphasis on Nadja's romance all the more uncomfortable.

** More than one fan has been shocked to see that Nadja, a very sweet and kind girl who loves animals, approves of and likes [[TorosYFlamenco bullfighting]] ''and'' has no problems working in a circus that has a lion tamer and her two mini-lions as a part of their attractions. This is because the series is set in the first decade of the XX century (and right before UsefulNotes/WorldWarI!), when there was next to none awareness about animal abuse. (Plus, to be fair about Rita and her lions, [[spoiler: she comes from a now gone circus with many animal-based acts ''and'', before dying, her parents asked the Troupe to take care of her, Cream and Chocolate.]])

** See Squick above for how many of the male characters of the show are adults and have feelings for a 13 year old girl.

* [[EvilIsSexy Evil Is Cute]]: The reason for [[spoiler:Rosemary]]'s abovementioned DracoInLeatherPants status.

* InferredHolocaust: Nadja's family is Austrian nobility. The show is set nearly at the door to UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. The show itself has a happy ending, but the Premingers may very well have been decimated in the war as Austria was on the loser side.

** The entirety of the episode "A Lie at the Alpine Flower Festival." Tomboyish girls who hang out among boys and lack femininity like Zabbie are accepted today, but the XX century society of the series treats it as cause for Zabbie being a pariah among her peers and disapproved of by her parents. It doesn't help that [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop Zabbie putting aside her tomboyish ways and embracing femninity was treated as the episode's positive conclusion.]]

** She at least does do ''something'' good in the end though, since [[spoiler: it's largely her [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech last speech to Nadja about how the nobles suck and that it's better to make your own way through life instead of relying on a life of nobility decided through lineage or inheritance]] that leads Nadja to make the decision she makes in the final episode. Which might have saved Nadja a lot of future trouble. See InferredHolocaust.]]

* MagnificentBitch: [[spoiler:[[ForgottenFriendNewFoe Rosemary Applefield]], believing Nadja was stealing the princess life [[PrincessPhase Rosemary had always dreamed of]] away from her and casting her aside, becomes a willing participant in [[BigBad Hermann Preminger's]] schemes and proves herself a deceptive, manipulative, and ruthless schemer in her own right at only age 13. Pretending to be the long lost Nadja Preminger to the Duke and to Nadja's mother, Rosemary charms everyone with her elegance, courtesy, and [[BitchInSheepsClothing seeming innocence]], which proves useful when implicating the real Nadja, [[GentlemanThief the Black Rose]], and even the Applefield orphanage in alleged crimes against her. When Nadja confronts her, Rosemary [[WoundedGazelleGambit feigns being]] an UnwittingPawn before shredding Nadja's most cherished dress right before her eyes. In a later meeting Rosemary emotionally agitates Nadja into nearly assaulting her, which gets the police to go after Nadja. Nadja returns to prove her identity, but Rosemary counters her claims with quick thinking and skillful manipulation of others in the room. After getting what she'd wanted but finding VictoryIsBoring, Rosemary is quick to denounce her alliance with Hermann, who himself has come to fear her, and when proven to be a fraud, she shows herself to be a GracefulLoser and imparts advice to Nadja before leaving the manor of her own accord, receiving no punishment for her actions and even earning Nadja's respect.}}

* MagnificentBitch: [[ForgottenFriendNewFoe Rosemary Applefield]], believing Nadja was stealing the princess life [[PrincessPhase Rosemary had always dreamed of]] away from her and casting her aside, becomes a willing participant in [[BigBad Hermann Preminger's]] schemes and proves herself a deceptive, manipulative, and ruthless schemer in her own right at only age 13. Pretending to be the long lost Nadja Preminger to the Duke and to Nadja's mother, Rosemary charms everyone with her elegance, courtesy, and [[BitchInSheepsClothing seeming innocence]], which proves useful when implicating the real Nadja, [[GentlemanThief the Black Rose]], and even the Applefield orphanage in alleged crimes against her. When Nadja confronts her, Rosemary [[WoundedGazelleGambit feigns being]] an UnwittingPawn before shredding Nadja's most cherished dress right before her eyes. In a later meeting Rosemary emotionally agitates Nadja into nearly assaulting her, which gets the police to go after Nadja. Nadja returns to prove her identity, but Rosemary counters her claims with quick thinking and skillful manipulation of others in the room. After getting what she'd wanted but finding VictoryIsBoring, Rosemary is quick to denounce her alliance with Hermann, who himself has come to fear her, and when proven to be a fraud, she shows herself to be a GracefulLoser and imparts advice to Nadja before leaving the manor of her own accord, receiving no punishment for her actions and even earning Nadja's respect.

** Despite being a BitchInSheepsClothing, a KarmaHoudini and not very likeable at all, [[spoiler:Rosemary]] somehow managed to ''win'' the 2004 Saimoe tournament, beating Nadja herself on the final no less. Really.
** Somewhat HilariousInHindsight that the final round of a popularity contest just happened to be between Nadja and [[spoiler:Rosemary]] and [[spoiler:''Rosemary'']] won over her. Guess she got the last laugh after all.

** She at least does do ''something'' good in the end though, since [[spoiler: it's largely her [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech last speech to Nadja about making your own way through life instead of relying on nobility]] that leads Nadja to make the decision she makes in the final episode.]]

* MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler:Duke Preminger]] and specially [[spoiler:Rosemary.]]

* JerkassWoobie: Initially played straight with [[spoiler:Rosemary]], though the sympathy could get lost with each act of cruelty [[spoiler:she]] pulls. ([[spoiler:Though it might be recovered with her last scene, with her acknowledging how wrong she was and bowing out willingly (As well as telling Nadja to treasure her mother, whom Rosemary herself kinda cared for as well).]]

** Despite being a BitchInSheepsClothing, a KarmaHoudini and not likeable at all, [[spoiler:Rosemary]] somehow managed to ''win'' the 2004 Saimoe tournament, beating Nadja herself on the final no less. Really.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Every single music piece is great, but especially "Jounetsu" (the Flamenco song), "The Angel that can't fly" (Raphael and Sylvie's duet) and "Waltz Number 5".

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Considering how many videos in Spanish, Italian, and French there are on Youtube, it's safe to say that this anime is big in Europe, probably naturally due to its European setting. Spain is somewhat of a subversion, because while the series is known here, it never actually reached the popularity Spanish channel RTVE had in mind when it bought the series's rights (to explain, RTVE promoted the series left and right and tried literally to turn it into the next ''Anime/HeidiGirlOfTheAlps'', an effort that predictably failed due to the legend status of the latter anime).

*** Oh, for cripes' sake! To be even more fair, Rita is a very kind lion tamer, her acts are very innocent (no different than what you'd see in a show with trained dogs,) and Cream and Chocolate are clearly happy living with her and the Troupe.

** Despite being a BitchInSheepsClothing, a KarmaHoudini and not likeable at all, [[spoiler:Rosemary]] somehow managed to ''win'' the 2004 Sai Moe contest, beating Nadja herself on the final no less. Really.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Despite being a BitchInSheepsClothing, a KarmaHoudini and not likeable at all, [[spoiler:Rosemary]] somehow managed to ''win'' the 2004 Sai Moe contest, beating Nadja herself on the final no less. Really.

*** She at least does do ''something'' good in the end though, since [[spoiler: it's largely her [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech last speech to Nadja about making your own way through life instead of relying on nobility]] that leads Nadja to make the decision she makes in the final episode.]]

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Considering how many videos in Spanish, Italian, and French there are on Youtube, it's safe to say that this anime is big in Latin speaking countries.

** Played straighter with Marianne and [[spoiler:Keith]]. The first is kinda self-centered and stuck-up but her love for [[spoiler:Francis]] is genuine, she cries at some point since LoveHurts, doesn't lie to [[spoiler:Nadja]] or try to manipulate her, and the scene where [[spoiler:she acknowledges her love as impossible and quietly leaves]] is rather sad. The second is extremely cool as [[spoiler:Black Rose]], has a decent FreudianExcuse in [[spoiler:his mother's death]] and is humanized by [[spoiler:his conflict with Francis]], but some of his attitudes to [[spoiler:Nadja]] later in the series can come off as
[[EntitledtoHaveYou possessive]] [[CrazyJealousGuy and self-centered]], if not [[{{Hypocrite}} very hypocritical]].
** Adding to Marianne's case, from the perspective of someone NOT friends with Nadia, Nadia really was causing a lot of trouble for Francis.