Meow and Ran are back and ready for another trio of adventures. The third volume sees Ran and Meow through everything, from cults to creepy foreigners. The third volume brings back the Ran spirit, keeping the brand of humor the series has generated at full steam.

The first episode, "There Was No God in This World" starts off with Meow complaining to Ran about a crick in her neck. It isn't long before they come across a large crowd. Naturally, Meow has to see what it is, so she hurries over, still with her cricked neck. As they approach, the two see a "faith healer" named Rokkan. Apparently, what the people are spectating is the equivalent of a televangelist show, with people being healed by faith alone. Meow, of course, buys the entire situation and begs the master for help. After a slight mishap, Meow finds her "cure" and immediately joins Rokkan's crew. It turns out that Rokkan's cult is really a scam that uses terror and threats of the gods to force people to give money. This becomes even more apparent when one of the wealthier members cannot give enough for the "training", and bad things are promised to befall him. Meanwhile, Ran is at the bar enjoying her usual "sake dinner" when she finds herself low on cash. Enter Meow, a.k.a. National Bank of Meow-san. Meow fronts Ran the money after a bit of commentary on Ran's raging alcoholism. It now becomes apparent that something is amiss. Upon going outside, they see the store of the unfortunate cult member in flames. To make matters worse, his daughter is still inside. Ran takes it upon herself to save the girl. In a fleeting moment, she sees the arsonist, and chases him down. After getting the information she needs, she takes it upon herself to take down the fake priest, ending his exploitation of the stupid.

In the second episode, "I Counted on an Enemy," Ran and Meow enter a town that a very old friend of Meow's calls home. Upon a bit more revelation, we find that the girl's name is Mei and that she and Ran used to train together. However, when Meow left, Mei's father was suffering from failing health. Meow also notes that she loaned Mei a sum of money some time back. However, everything goes out the window when she sees Mei in the street and immediately showers the lass with affection. Meow insists that they go to Mei's house and "talk the night away," but Mei seems to have other plans since her home is also her place of business. After a bit of insistence from Meow, Mei finally relents and allows them to stay. That night, the three sit down to dinner. Ran seems a bit pensive through the meal, however, and does not hold much trust in the woman. Mei, however, only lets out cryptic messages like "You haven't changed a bit. I'm jealous." It isn't long before the meal is interrupted and Mei has to leave for "a moment" that turns into much longer. When she returns, Meow brings up Mei's parents. As fate would have it, both of them passed on some time ago, leaving Mei to fend for herself. Mei tells Meow not to worry about it and offers a sum of fifty gold coins. Meow tries to decline, but Mei adjourns the gathering, telling Meow and Ran that a room has been booked for them. Outside is a struggle. It turns out that a samurai has entered the grounds looking for a so-called "Dream Incense": a drug that drains people of their spirit and makes them into hopeless addicts. Mei dispatches the man quickly in front of the shocked and appalled eyes of Meow. Unfortunately, Mei isn't so willing to let the two leave now that they know her secret. Now Meow and Ran must fight their way out and hopefully gain the misled Mei's trust again.

Unfortunately for Meow, the local pimp needs a new call girl fast.	Ran: female samurai or Boris Yeltsin's lost sister?

The final episode on the disc, "That European Girl was Huge," brings the series back to its jovial roots. This story begins with Ran and Meow at an elephant viewing: an event in which an elephant is shown to the people. Ran seems to be enjoying the event more than most there, though, proving that there is one other thing Ran likes as much as sake. After the show, the two are sitting outside as Ran enjoys a few (of VERY many) treats that she bought at the elephant viewing. Just as Meow begins to have another outburst on Ran's spending habits, a fight breaks out in the street. Ran and Meow go to investigate to find a man arguing with a giant blonde woman. After a bit of prodding, Meow finds that the woman is demanding an apology from the gentleman, since he knocked down an old lady. After all, it is a "samurai's duty," according to the young woman. The crowd bursts into laughter as the man explains that he doesn't know and doesn't care about samurai duties. The woman, in a fit of anger, uproots a building's support beam and assaults the gentleman. Meow steps in to try to help, but ends up being chased along with the man and the many villagers caught in the path of destruction. It isn't until Ran steps in that the woman is incapacitated. After being dragged to an inn, the blonde giant introduces herself as Stephanie, daughter of a European man who is in Japan on business. She also reveals her very limited (and almost fanboyish) knowledge of Japan, in which she explains that there are three types of people in Japan: Ninja, Samurai, and Geisha. She then says she strives to be a samurai and begs Ran to be an apprentice. Ran obviously flat-out refuses. The next day, Stephanie is still following the unlucky duo. Within a few moments, Ran comes up with probably the best plan for the situation: run away and hope she loses the giant woman. Ran manages to lose her quickly and stops to relax at a restaurant. Meow, however, takes a bit longer and catches up with Ran at sunset. It isn't too long before Stephanie catches up, however. When Meow asks how Steph managed to find them, she explained that she followed a trail of manju that was falling out of Meow's sack. After leaving the restaurant, Ran gives Stephanie a "diploma", which is really a letter that explains the girl is a runaway and needs to be taken to the police. The next day, the two are put to work by the Yakuza to stop a warring clan. On the opposing side however, is Stephanie, who owes the clan for a bed and a meal. Now Meow and Ran must stop the opposing clan AND the girl so that they can earn their keep, as well as keep Stephanie from making a grave mistake.

Ran's video still has the same rich quality that the first presented, with vibrant colors and almost no defects. However, this volume brings a new nuisance to the tables: shimmering subtitles. The sound is quite clear, with no distortion or dropouts. There really wasn't much change from the previous two volumes.

On the presentation side, fans can look forward to much of the same that Bandai has delivered with the first volume. The menu setup is identical to the first disc's, only with different sets of animation and backgrounds. Included the extras is another helping of liner notes, along with a second plate of production sketches. Amazingly, the DVDs still have yet to give a creditless opening, which has become commonplace among extras. The packaging features Ran striking a pose with Meow and Mei as the sun sets over the mountains behind them. The back features the same setup the first two discs had, with silhouettes of Ran and Meow in the background as blue text describes the contents of the disc. A few shots of the series are also present. The insert consists of the DVD cover, DVD credits, and a cute little section entitled "Meow's Guide to Traveling."

Tsukikage Ran seems to be keeping up the same pace that it has generated in the first two installments. The twists and turns presented in this volume help to flesh out Ran and Meow a bit more while also managing to keep the series upbeat and fun. I am really hopeful that the fourth and final volume can see the series off without ruining the overall tone or atmosphere.

Video Quality: B
Audio Quality: B+
Presentation: A-
Content: B+
Overall: B