Hideaki Anno took the bloated TV series and cut it down to bone, removing everything that wasn't the Captain Nemo versus Gargoyle showdown. What remains is a director's statement: this is what the story was always supposed to be. Three episodes that move like a knife, with no filler to slow your descent into the deep.

Nautilus Story is a three-episode OVA compilation of the Nadia television series, an action adventure. It trims away most of the filler arc to keep the focus on the conflict between Nemo and Gargoyle, and some scenes from the key episodes are removed as well. Hideaki Anno assembled the recut, and he was reportedly dissatisfied with how the TV series ended up. Its release was limited to Japan, on laserdisc and VHS tape.