Original video animation
Encyclopedia
, abbreviated as media (and sometimes as OAV by English
-speakers), are animated
films and series made specially for release in home-video
formats. The term originated in relation to Japan
ese animation (anime
). Most producers of OVAs release them direct-to-video
, without prior showings on TV
or in theatres; however, there may be very rare occasions where, for example, the first part of an OVA series is broadcast for promotional purposes. OVA titles were originally made available on VHS, later becoming more popular on LaserDisc
and eventually DVD
. Starting in summer 2008 the term OAD (original animation DVD) began to refer to DVD releases published bundled with their source material manga.
s, or DVDs) usually contain just one episode each. Episode length varies from title to title: each episode may run from a few minutes to two hours or more. An episode length of 30 minutes is quite common, but this is by no means the rule. In some cases, the length of episodes in a specific OVA may vary greatly, for example in GaoGaiGar FINAL
, the first 7 episodes last around 30 minutes, while the last episode lasted 50 minutes; the OVA Key the Metal Idol
consists of 15 separate episodes, ranging in length from 20 minutes to nearly two hours each; the OVA Hellsing
had released 8 episodes, ranging from 42 minutes to 56 minutes (it has yet to finish releasing the remaining episodes). An OVA series can run anywhere from an episode (essentially a direct-to-video movie) to dozens in length. Probably the longest OVA series ever made was Legend of the Galactic Heroes
, which spanned 110 main episodes and 52 gaiden
episodes.
Many popular series first appear animated as an OVA, and later grow to become television series or movies. Tenchi Muyo!
, for example, began as an OVA but went on to spawn several TV series, three movies, and numerous other spin-offs. Producers make other OVA releases as sequels, side stories, music-video collections, or bonus episodes that continue existing television series or films, such as Love Hina Again and Wolf's Rain
.
OVA titles generally have a much higher budget per episode than in a television series; therefore the technical quality of animation can generally surpass that in television series; occasionally it even equals that of animated movies
.
OVA titles have a reputation for the detailed plots and character-development which can result from the greater creative freedom offered to writers and directors in comparison with other formats. This also allows for animated adaptations of manga to reflect their source material more faithfully. Since OVA episode
s and series have no fixed conventional length, OVA directors can use however much time they like to tell the story. Time becomes available for significant background and character/plot development. This contrasts with television episodes (which must begin and conclude in 22 to 26 minutes) and with films (which rarely last more than two hours). In the same way, no pressure exists to produce "filler content" to extend a short plot into a full television series. The producers of OVA titles generally target a specific audience, rather than the more mass-market audience of films and television series, or may feel less constrained by content-restrictions and censorship (such as for violence, nudity, or language) often placed on television series. For example, the Kissxsis OAD series generally contains more sexual themes than its television counterpart.
Much OVA-production aims at an audience of male anime enthusiasts. Bandai Visual
stated in a 2004 news release (for their new OVAs aimed at women) that about 50% of the customers who had bought their anime DVDs in the past fell into the category of 25- to 40-year-old men, with only 13% of purchasers women, even with all ages included.
These statistics cover Bandai Visual anime DVDs in general, not just OVAs, but they show the general tendency at this point. Nikkei Business Publications
also stated in a news-release that mainly 25- to 40-year-old adults bought anime DVDs.
Few OVAs specifically target female audiences, but Earthian
exemplifies the exceptions.
Usually one volume costs between 5800 to 9800 yen
, higher-priced than other anime DVDs, though some sell for less (Mobile Police Patlabor
OVAs (1988) sold at 4800 yen per volume).
Some OVAs based on television series (and especially those based on manga
) may provide closure
to the plot – closure not present in the original series. The Rurouni Kenshin
OVAs, to name one series, exemplified numerous aspects of OVAs; they were slightly based on chapters of the author Nobuhiro Watsuki
's manga that had not been adapted into the TV anime, had higher-quality animation, were much more violent, and were executed in a far more dark and realistic style than the TV episodes or the manga.
Dark realism featured in Masami Kurumada
's famous manga Saint Seiya
. The anime adapted two of the three arc
s in Kurumada's manga - the project
to adapt the third arc to the anime never started. As Kurumada had completed his manga in 1991, its third act was finally adapted to anime, releasing the episodes as OVAs, starting in 2003 and finishing in 2008, at last adapting Kurumada's manga completely to anime.
Most OVA titles run for 4 to 8 episodes. They tend to have a complex and continuous plot, best enjoyed if all episodes are viewed in sequence. This contrasts with television series, which generally have many short "mini-stories" that happen to be related somehow, rather than a unified plot. Many OVA titles can be thought of as "long films" that just so happen to be released in parts. Release schedules vary, as some series may progress as slowly as 1-2 episodes per year. Some OVA titles with a lengthy release-schedule ended up unfinished due to lack of fan support and sales.
Many one-episode OVAs exist as well. Typically, such an OVA provides a side-story to a popular TV series. At an early stage in the history of the OVA (1980s) many one-episode OVAs appeared. Hundreds of manga that were popular but not enough to gain TV series were granted one-shot (or otherwise extremely short) OVA episodes.
use the phrase "direct-to-video
" as a pejorative for works that could not make it onto television or movie screens, in Japan the demand was so great that direct-to-video became a necessity. Many popular and influential series such as Bubblegum Crisis
(1987–1991) and Tenchi Muyo!
(1992–2005) were released directly to video as OVAs.
The earliest known attempt to release an OVA involved Osamu Tezuka
's The Green Cat
(part of the Lion Books
series) in 1983, although it cannot count as the first OVA: there is no evidence that the VHS
tape became available immediately, and the series remained incomplete. Therefore the first official OVA release to be billed as such was 1983's Dallos
, directed by Mamoru Oshii
and released by Bandai
. Other famous early OVAs, premièring shortly thereafter, were Fight!! Iczer One and the original Megazone 23
. Other companies were quick to pick up on the idea, and the mid-to-late 1980s saw the market flooded with OVAs. During this time, most OVA series were new, stand-alone titles.
As the Japanese economy worsened in the 1990s, the flood of new OVA titles diminished to a trickle. Production of OVAs continued, but in smaller numbers. Many anime TV series ran an economical 13 episodes rather than the traditional 26-episodes per season. New titles were often designed to be released to TV if they approached these lengths. In addition, the rising popularity of cable and satellite TV networks (with their typically less strict censorship rules) allowed the public to see direct broadcasts of many new titles - previously that would have been impossible. Therefore many violent, risque, and fanservice series became regular TV series when previously those titles would have been OVAs. During this time period most OVA content was limited to that related to existing and established titles.
However, in 2000 and later, a new OVA trend began. Producers released many TV series without normal broadcasts of all of the episodes – but releasing some episodes on DVD-videos of the series. Examples of this include the DVD-only 25th episode of Love Hina
, while several episodes of the Oh My Goddess TV series are DVD-only. In addition, the final episode of Excel Saga
was offered only as an OVA, mostly due to content issues that would have made TV broadcast impossible. In these cases the series as a whole cannot be called an OVA, though certain episodes are. This trend is becoming quite common, and furthermore, many recent OVA series pre-broadcast the episodes and release the DVD with unedited and better quality, revised animations – thus further blurring the boundary between TV, and video anime.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speakers), are animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
films and series made specially for release in home-video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
formats. The term originated in relation to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese animation (anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
). Most producers of OVAs release them direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
, without prior showings on TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
or in theatres; however, there may be very rare occasions where, for example, the first part of an OVA series is broadcast for promotional purposes. OVA titles were originally made available on VHS, later becoming more popular on LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
and eventually DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. Starting in summer 2008 the term OAD (original animation DVD) began to refer to DVD releases published bundled with their source material manga.
Format
Like anime made for television broadcast, OVAs sub-divide into episodes. OVA media (tapes, laserdiscLaserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
s, or DVDs) usually contain just one episode each. Episode length varies from title to title: each episode may run from a few minutes to two hours or more. An episode length of 30 minutes is quite common, but this is by no means the rule. In some cases, the length of episodes in a specific OVA may vary greatly, for example in GaoGaiGar FINAL
The King of Braves GaoGaiGar Final
is the OVA sequel to the 1997 anime television series The King of Braves GaoGaiGar. The series begun in 2000, created by Sunrise's internal "Studio 7" under the direction of Yoshitomo Yonetani, and the first Yūsha metaseries funded by both Takara and Bandai and produced by Sunrise.-Premise:The...
, the first 7 episodes last around 30 minutes, while the last episode lasted 50 minutes; the OVA Key the Metal Idol
Key the Metal Idol
is an original video animation anime series that was released in Japan from 1994 to 1997. The series consists of fifteen episodes divided into four parts. First Program consists of episodes 1 through 7. Second Program is 8 through 13. Third Program and Final Program are episodes 14 and 15...
consists of 15 separate episodes, ranging in length from 20 minutes to nearly two hours each; the OVA Hellsing
Hellsing
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It first premiered in Young King Ours in 1997 and ended in September 2008. The individual chapters are collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha. As of March 2009 all chapters have been released in 10 volumes in...
had released 8 episodes, ranging from 42 minutes to 56 minutes (it has yet to finish releasing the remaining episodes). An OVA series can run anywhere from an episode (essentially a direct-to-video movie) to dozens in length. Probably the longest OVA series ever made was Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
is a series of science fiction novels by Yoshiki Tanaka. An anime adaptation of the novels by Artland ran from 1988 to 2000 as well as a manga based on the novels, with art by Katsumi Michihara...
, which spanned 110 main episodes and 52 gaiden
Gaiden
is a Japanese-language word meaning "side story" or "tale", used to refer to an anecdote or supplementary biography of a person. This use of gaiden is commonly used in popular Japanese fiction to refer to a spin-off of a previously published work that is neither officially considered a sequel nor...
episodes.
Many popular series first appear animated as an OVA, and later grow to become television series or movies. Tenchi Muyo!
Tenchi Muyo!
, is a Japanese anime, light novel, and manga series created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.The generally accepted translation of the title is No Need for Tenchi or Useless Tenchi, though at the time of its appearance it was also translated variably as No Heaven and Earth and This Way Up...
, for example, began as an OVA but went on to spawn several TV series, three movies, and numerous other spin-offs. Producers make other OVA releases as sequels, side stories, music-video collections, or bonus episodes that continue existing television series or films, such as Love Hina Again and Wolf's Rain
Wolf's Rain
is an anime series created by writer and story editor Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones Studio. The series was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno. It focuses on the journey of four lone wolves...
.
OVA titles generally have a much higher budget per episode than in a television series; therefore the technical quality of animation can generally surpass that in television series; occasionally it even equals that of animated movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
.
OVA titles have a reputation for the detailed plots and character-development which can result from the greater creative freedom offered to writers and directors in comparison with other formats. This also allows for animated adaptations of manga to reflect their source material more faithfully. Since OVA episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s and series have no fixed conventional length, OVA directors can use however much time they like to tell the story. Time becomes available for significant background and character/plot development. This contrasts with television episodes (which must begin and conclude in 22 to 26 minutes) and with films (which rarely last more than two hours). In the same way, no pressure exists to produce "filler content" to extend a short plot into a full television series. The producers of OVA titles generally target a specific audience, rather than the more mass-market audience of films and television series, or may feel less constrained by content-restrictions and censorship (such as for violence, nudity, or language) often placed on television series. For example, the Kissxsis OAD series generally contains more sexual themes than its television counterpart.
Much OVA-production aims at an audience of male anime enthusiasts. Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
stated in a 2004 news release (for their new OVAs aimed at women) that about 50% of the customers who had bought their anime DVDs in the past fell into the category of 25- to 40-year-old men, with only 13% of purchasers women, even with all ages included.
These statistics cover Bandai Visual anime DVDs in general, not just OVAs, but they show the general tendency at this point. Nikkei Business Publications
Nikkei Business Publications
, commonly known as , is a book and magazine publisher based in Tokyo, Japan. The company was established as "Nikkei McGraw-Hill, Inc", a joint venture of Nihon Keizai Shimbun and McGraw-Hill in 1969, and later it became to be a wholly owned subsidiary of Nikkei.Nikkei BP is known well for its...
also stated in a news-release that mainly 25- to 40-year-old adults bought anime DVDs.
Few OVAs specifically target female audiences, but Earthian
Earthian
is a shōnen-ai manga by Yun Kouga about angel watchers of earth which was made into a J.C.Staff-produced anime OVA. The angels' roles are to assess the progress of humans giving them positive and negative scores based on their everyday actions...
exemplifies the exceptions.
Usually one volume costs between 5800 to 9800 yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
, higher-priced than other anime DVDs, though some sell for less (Mobile Police Patlabor
Patlabor
Patlabor also known as , is an anime and manga franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting of director Mamoru Oshii, writer Kazunori Itō, mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, character designer Akemi Takada, and manga artist Masami Yūki.The popular franchise included a manga, a TV series, two OVA...
OVAs (1988) sold at 4800 yen per volume).
Some OVAs based on television series (and especially those based on manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
) may provide closure
Closure (psychology)
Closure or need for closure is a popular psychology term used to describe an individual's desire for a definite cognitive closure as opposed to enduring ambiguity...
to the plot – closure not present in the original series. The Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
OVAs, to name one series, exemplified numerous aspects of OVAs; they were slightly based on chapters of the author Nobuhiro Watsuki
Nobuhiro Watsuki
is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.-Biography:...
's manga that had not been adapted into the TV anime, had higher-quality animation, were much more violent, and were executed in a far more dark and realistic style than the TV episodes or the manga.
Dark realism featured in Masami Kurumada
Masami Kurumada
is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and/or mahō shōnen. He is famous as the creator/author of popular manga, such as Ring ni Kakero, Fūma no Kojirō, Saint Seiya and B't X. His male protagonists are a reflection of the classical and...
's famous manga Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
. The anime adapted two of the three arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
s in Kurumada's manga - the project
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
to adapt the third arc to the anime never started. As Kurumada had completed his manga in 1991, its third act was finally adapted to anime, releasing the episodes as OVAs, starting in 2003 and finishing in 2008, at last adapting Kurumada's manga completely to anime.
Most OVA titles run for 4 to 8 episodes. They tend to have a complex and continuous plot, best enjoyed if all episodes are viewed in sequence. This contrasts with television series, which generally have many short "mini-stories" that happen to be related somehow, rather than a unified plot. Many OVA titles can be thought of as "long films" that just so happen to be released in parts. Release schedules vary, as some series may progress as slowly as 1-2 episodes per year. Some OVA titles with a lengthy release-schedule ended up unfinished due to lack of fan support and sales.
Many one-episode OVAs exist as well. Typically, such an OVA provides a side-story to a popular TV series. At an early stage in the history of the OVA (1980s) many one-episode OVAs appeared. Hundreds of manga that were popular but not enough to gain TV series were granted one-shot (or otherwise extremely short) OVA episodes.
History
OVAs originated during the late 1970s. As the VCR became a widespread fixture in Japanese homes, the Japanese anime industry grew to behemoth proportions. Demand for anime became massive, so much so that consumers would willingly go directly to video stores to buy new animation outright. While people in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
use the phrase "direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
" as a pejorative for works that could not make it onto television or movie screens, in Japan the demand was so great that direct-to-video became a necessity. Many popular and influential series such as Bubblegum Crisis
Bubblegum Crisis
is a Japanese cyberpunk direct-to-video animated series. It displays strong influences from Blade Runner, also making occasional references to it.- Setting :...
(1987–1991) and Tenchi Muyo!
Tenchi Muyo!
, is a Japanese anime, light novel, and manga series created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.The generally accepted translation of the title is No Need for Tenchi or Useless Tenchi, though at the time of its appearance it was also translated variably as No Heaven and Earth and This Way Up...
(1992–2005) were released directly to video as OVAs.
The earliest known attempt to release an OVA involved Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
's The Green Cat
The Green Cat
is the first anime episode in the Lion Books series. It was the anime industry's first attempt at releasing an OVA through famous director Osamu Tezuka.-Concept:...
(part of the Lion Books
Lion Books (manga)
was a 1950s Japanese manga series published by Shueisha into the Omoshiro Book as a supplement. The same company would publish Lion Books II into Weekly Shōnen Jump in the 1970s, which would commonly be referred to as "The New Lion Books"...
series) in 1983, although it cannot count as the first OVA: there is no evidence that the VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tape became available immediately, and the series remained incomplete. Therefore the first official OVA release to be billed as such was 1983's Dallos
Dallos
is a Japanese science fiction OVA released in 1983, directed by Mamoru Oshii and created by Oshii and Hisayuki Toriumi . It is widely considered the first OVA ever released. The storyline focuses on Moon pioneers and the evolution of mankind.- Story :In a near future, mankind has moved from a...
, directed by Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director, and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of popular anime, including Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Ghost in the Shell, and Patlabor 2...
and released by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
. Other famous early OVAs, premièring shortly thereafter, were Fight!! Iczer One and the original Megazone 23
Megazone 23
is a four-part original video animation created by AIC, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama, and directed by Noboru Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai and Shinji Aramaki. The series was originally titled but the title was changed just before release....
. Other companies were quick to pick up on the idea, and the mid-to-late 1980s saw the market flooded with OVAs. During this time, most OVA series were new, stand-alone titles.
As the Japanese economy worsened in the 1990s, the flood of new OVA titles diminished to a trickle. Production of OVAs continued, but in smaller numbers. Many anime TV series ran an economical 13 episodes rather than the traditional 26-episodes per season. New titles were often designed to be released to TV if they approached these lengths. In addition, the rising popularity of cable and satellite TV networks (with their typically less strict censorship rules) allowed the public to see direct broadcasts of many new titles - previously that would have been impossible. Therefore many violent, risque, and fanservice series became regular TV series when previously those titles would have been OVAs. During this time period most OVA content was limited to that related to existing and established titles.
However, in 2000 and later, a new OVA trend began. Producers released many TV series without normal broadcasts of all of the episodes – but releasing some episodes on DVD-videos of the series. Examples of this include the DVD-only 25th episode of Love Hina
Love Hina
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha from October 21, 1998 to October 31, 2001 and was published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series tells the story of Keitaro Urashima and his attempts to...
, while several episodes of the Oh My Goddess TV series are DVD-only. In addition, the final episode of Excel Saga
Excel Saga
is a manga series written and illustrated by Rikdo Koshi. It has been serialized in Young King OURs since 1996, with individual chapters collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shōnen Gahosha. The series follows the attempts of Across, a "secret ideological organization", to conquer the city...
was offered only as an OVA, mostly due to content issues that would have made TV broadcast impossible. In these cases the series as a whole cannot be called an OVA, though certain episodes are. This trend is becoming quite common, and furthermore, many recent OVA series pre-broadcast the episodes and release the DVD with unedited and better quality, revised animations – thus further blurring the boundary between TV, and video anime.