CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Hi, I'm sorry to bother you all! But I have a question that I am very curious about!!

What Is an O.V.A.? I know it means Original Video Animation, but what is it? Why do they call it that? From what I gather it's not a series on television but something else?

I would like an answer please~

Original Animated Verion or Original Video Animation, basically what I have been able to tell what it is, is that it is the very first of a series or movie before the series . . .

The best analogy I can make for an OAV/OVA is this:

You know how Disney and other big animation companies here have direct release movies? You know, the ones you can buy straight away on VHS/DVD and never see theaters. Like the Lion King 2, Aladdin 2, Aladdin 3, etc. Lots of the hour long sequels type stuff.

Anime has it's own form of that--that's what an OVA is. It's usually like a mini-movie (about an hour or so) and it's released directly to dvd/vhs, not theaters and not played on TV (with some exceptions). Some anime OVA/OAVs I can think of would be Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Iria: Zeiram the Animation, Tenchi Muyo: Daughter of Darkness, Ronin Warriors: Message, Ah! My Goddess: The Movie, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Doors.

yeah, ashley covered it- it's an anime that goes strait to DVD or VHS.

but how come they make series just come out like that? Without playing them on television? Are they resemble to made-for-tv movies?

Probably.

They also try to capitalize on the success of larger TV series by issuing "special" episodes that you can only see by purchasing. For popular shows like Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura, the OAVs really paid off big for the studios that produced them.

One other thing unique to OVA's or OAV's is that they are typically of better quality. This is because they can have a better budget due to the amount of money they will make off the dvds/vhs's. Though this isn't always the case, but the key thing is that they are released directly to Dvd/vhs.

Other examples are Rayeath OVA, Sakura Wars OVA. . . . now that I think about it, there are quite a lot.

Because OVA's often come before (plot-wise) a series that airs on TV, I was equating them to a pilot. Thanks for clearing up the confusion.

heh. i had no idea what ova was either. thanks everyone. ^_^

Because OVA's often come before (plot-wise) a series that airs on TV, I was equating them to a pilot. Thanks for clearing up the confusion.

Actually 90% of the ones I've encountered are sequels.

So, they are just series/movies that come out on video without going to television? ok! Thank you every one! *^-^*

Yep, pretty much. They're usually like a mini-movie with a smaller budget than say a theatrical release, but still close to it. I personally love OVAs.=)