The third volume of the DVD series does not leave quite the impression that the previous two did. There are few major plot advancements made in these four episodes and they seem to be mainly light-hearted filler. Which is not entirely unwelcome though.

After facing the threat of world annihilation in the previous volume, the whimsical adventures of this volume provide a nice interlude. In nemo's Secret Nadia, Jean and King are stranded on the gratan with the Grandis Gang. Having teamed up in the last volume the truce between them seems to be holding. Because of the state of disrepair the gratan – or Catherine, as Grandis calls it – is in, the Nautilus picks up the group of hitchhikers. Then in A Crowning Performance by the gratan the nefarious Lord Gargoyle makes a cameo appearance and traps the Nautilus in a mine field. As the title suggests, the gratan plays a key role in its escape. New Recruits for the Nautilus and Grandis and Her First Love show the adjustments the group makes to life on the Nautilus and Grandis' new hobby: pursuing the affections of Captain nemo.

Captain nemo plays the biggest role on the ship in the mystery of Blue Water. There is little surprise in learning that – just as Gargoyle – nemo recognizes Nadia and her Blue Water jewel. While this is completely expected, it actually does seem to make nemo appear just that more mysterious. He appears as the man with the single objective: find and destroy Gargoyle and the Neo Atlanteans. As a character he's nothing new in anime or live action. The great accomplishment of the series though is in taking a predictable character like nemo and making him seem new and exciting.

But Nadia does not find him to be as new and exciting as Jean or the audience. She has a strong dislike for the captain and his submarine, which is interesting since they're responsible for saving her life. Nadia begins to become just a tab annoying in this volume as she becomes the pacifist hippie of the crew. The Nautilus – because it is a weapon – is evil. The captain – because he is in charge of a weapon – is evil. The crew – because they serve an evil man – are evil. But protests from Jean and the Grandis Gang force her to deal with it.

Until a great little piece of drama at the end. In a fit of conflicting morals and a complete lack of self-preservation, Nadia runs off from the crew after they dock for shoreleave on an island.

Again, this volume doesn't really offer any major advances in the story. It's mostly plot filler so that the heroes can be integrated into the crew of the Nautilus. But it is fun and we do get to find out why Grandis is the way she is. Jean continues to gawk at the Nautilus and King continues being cute. The only really bad part is that Gargoyle is hardly in this volume. He is a great villain and there is a mutual relationship of hatred between him and nemo, which we will hopefully see more of. It is already obvious and becomes more obvious throughout this volume and the next that nemo and Gargoyle share a history.

While this volume is entertaining and amusing, it needs a bit more plot than is provided here. After the one appearance by Gargoyle the main excitement comes from chasing King around the Nautilus. Add in the annoying French accents of the dub (which actually seem to become less annoying if all three DVDs are watched consecutively dubbed) and equals an activity reserved for relieving boredom and only that. Fans of the series should watch this once to know what happens but after that, there's really no point.