Forum - View topicOAV?
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captainoats
Posts: 4 |
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What does this stand for? I realize this is probably not the most appropriate place to be asking such an uninformed question, but I have not had the time to really get into anime for some 5-7 years until now that I've got some other things settled and am looking to start watching it left and right
 However, I am very OCD about the continuity of things, such as prequels, sequels, etc and some of the shows I have heard great things about have 'OAV' printed next to some of the related titles names and frankly, I'm not sure what to make of this. Examples being Full Metal Alchemist or Rurouni Kenshin. Are these simply different versions, are they different shows, what are they?
Also, is there a way to tell which version is the version that everyone is referring to? I.E. I've heard that One Piece is great, but only if you watch the original japanese version with subs, but if you watch an episode that is a different 'version' then you will be completely confused and it will (essentially) be a different show entirely. I know I am coming off as very uneducated in animes and, frankly, it is because I AM uneducated in animes. Anyways, if this gets deleted I can understand why, but I'm just looking for a bit of guidance on how to know what version/which series to start watching once I pick whichever show I want to watch. |
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egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
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Original Animation Video. It could be anything, really (main story, prequel, sequel, side story, remake, retelling, etc. etc.). For example Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas has what it takes to be a TV series, but because it wasn't aired on Japanese TV it's considered OVA.
OAV and OVA are one and the same. |
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Paploo
Posts: 1875 |
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To clarify a bit more, it's an animated work created for video release. Not aired on TV, or shown in theatres, but debuted on home video, be it vhs, lasersdisc, dvd or bluray.
This was a big thing in the 80's, with VHS making it possible to produce a work for home video, and not bother with TV. It became a great way to make short anime series [from short movies to 3 ep series to lengthier series that keep getting sequels like Legend of the Galatic Heroes], and to produce stuff for smaller audiences like more mature animated works, original works like Gunbuster, or short specials for popular manga series big enough to sell expensive video tapes, if not big enough to have weekly TV series. By the late 90's, the late night anime market took over some of OVA's role in the market by airing more niche programming, acting as an informercial for the vhs/dvd releases of those shows. But OVA's still cotinued where it suited the project, and as a way to make short sequels to TV series. Generally in Japan in the 80's and 90's [and even today to some degree], they were more expensive than TV releases, an it wasn't uncommon for tapes/laserdiscs to cost 60 to 100 bucks even in the 80's, as the idea was to make back your budget with video sales. More episodes would only be produced/completed if it met sales requirements, and you'd see lengthy periods inbetween those episodes. You'd also see series end earlier than intended or abrupyly discontinued if sales weren't good [see the wacky "maybe we'll be cancelled, maybe we'll make THIS!" trailer for the next OVA that never happed on Elf Princess Rane's dvd] A lot of OVA's got licensed domestically throughout the years, as at the time anime started to come out on video here, they were the popular thing in Japan, and they were cheaper to license for home video here as you'd only be dealing with a movielength episode or a short sieres you could release on 2 or 3 tapes. |
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Mai Yukino
 Posts: 217 |
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OVA's are also given higher production values than a TV series, especially if you look at a product from the 80's, the animaton is better looking in an OVA than a TV series, but not always so(I thought the animation looked better in the Dirty Pair TV series than the OVA series that came out a couple of years later, IMO). AIC came out with pretty good OVA's during the 80's like Fight!! Iczer-One, Megazone 23 Part I, Gall Force, and Bubblegum Crisis, the studio would also create the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA series in the 90's. OVA releases would come out in various times, not weekly like a TV series, this allowed the creators to take their time with the next episode, as far as how they wanted to progress the story(if their work wasn't based on a manga or light novel) and the animation process.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Our Lexicon would be a good start. By the way, the plural of "anime" is still "anime;" no "s" is needed. |
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ailblentyn
 Posts: 1688 Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney |
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captainoats
Posts: 4 |
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Thank you all very much for the replies. I had no idea about the lexicon, and the plurality thing just shows how noob i am.
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Tris8
 Posts: 2114 Location: Where the rain is. |
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Lol, don't worry about it. I just got into anime 2 years ago, and It took me forever to figure out what OVA stood for cause I was afraid to ask  . What got you interested in anime? It obviously must have had a lasting impression since you're still interested after 6 years!
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Teriyaki Terrier
 Posts: 5689 |
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I've been watching anime for a decade now I didn't learn what OVA meant until later in the game. Truthfully, some of the technical terms of anime can indeed be perplexing and I know how scary it can be to ask what some terms mean. But then again, there are people that have been watching anime for 25-30 years, so by no means is 10 years that much. I've been a gamer for 17 years, so I guess each industry is different. Although OVA/OAV have the same meaning, if the OVA only contains one and only one episode, you could call it a "One Shot" That term is really meant for manga, but is applicable to both anime and manga. From what I noticed over the decade, it seems like most anime seem to get OVA(s). Not all, but a good amount. I've noticed that OVA's tend to go either 2-3 ways. Hit, miss or both. Each OVA is different though. |
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Eri94
 Posts: 220 |
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Spice and Wolf has a nice simple example of an OVA. View this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Spice_and_Wolf_episodes . As you'll notice, episode 7 is in red and it says OVA. And you can check its airing date as well. When the show first aired, That single episode (OVA) wasn't shown. Months later when they created or added it, it filled in a nice gap in the original show. In this case, you should watch the OVA where it says to, it being considered episode 7 now. Not all OVAs will come in the middle obviously, some come before, some come after the show, and some aren't even considered in the shows timeline, and maybe only partially related. When in doubt or in need of knowledge, see if Wikipedia has the episode list, because it normally list details that are easily read. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I'm more inclined to call those kinds of single episode OVAs like say, Pale Cocoon, "movies" instead and throw them in that category. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18433 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I don't consider something a "movie" unless it tops an hour or was specifically released in theaters as a movie. Anything less than that is an OVA in my book.
Of course, that's not by any means an "official" definition. 
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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It is now. Surely you realize anything posted on the internet becomes a fact.
In this example, perhaps. For anything else, Google is the good start. The Lexicon should only be used when frustration is wanted given the lack of "lexi" it contains. It's so outdated, "tsundere" isn't even listed and this is a term that predates "moe". NSFW WARNING: If using Google, make damn sure you have the filter on Strict. You sure as hell don't want to get fired looking up the definition of "lolicon" once you realize the Lexicon doesn't have it. |
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captainoats
Posts: 4 |
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I've just always loved the style of it. Starting out it was mostly for the action and the fact that they were just plain interesting, but soon I began to really appreciate the artwork on these types of shows. Each one I saw was so distinctive, DBZ vs Samurai Jack for example (both shows I watched constantly at a young age). Every artist had their own style that came off so well in their shows, it was just amazing to me to think that somebody could do that, heck, they are the reason I became so interested in art (I'm an architecture major now). Still, more than just the art – I am really entertained when I watch them and I must say that I have noticed a difference between 'well drawn' OVAs and some lackluster tv series that seem like they could have been done a little bit better.
Also, the community here seems very welcoming, nice change of pace compared to some other forums I've joined. |
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Tris8
Posts: 2114 Location: Where the rain is. |
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I agree. Things like Pale Cocoon or Voices of a Distant Star I classify as 'shorts'. |
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