MovieChat Forums > Read or Die (2003) Discussion > A bit of help if anyone can...

A bit of help if anyone can...

posted 19 years ago by shinything
3 replies | jump to latest

I keep seeing the term OAV (or OVA) in reference to this series. Could someone enlighten me as to the meaning of this acronym?

Thank you.

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Edit:

Nevermind. Seems I quit digging just a bit too soon. Found the answer elsewhere.

For anyone else with the same question:

"...a three-episode Original Video Animation (OVA) that was edited into one long segment. OVA is a direct-to-video release... "

- Retrieved from http://readordie.org/

Of course, I could be mistaken and welcome any further clarification.

[–] LittleSwallow 19 years ago

OVA means Original Video Animation. That means, as far as I can tell, a sort of anime series of episodes or single episode that are related to the original anime or manga. They usually have the same characters, but don't have to follow the same story. Also, the animation style is in most cases different. For example, the anime Rurouni Kenshin, apart from the 95 TV episodes, has 2 OVA's. OVA 1 is in 4 episodes, and talks about Kenshin's past. OVA 2 talks about what happens after the TV series ended. The Ah! My Goddess OVA's however, were like 6 eps or something? Or 3? In any case, it was not a continuation or prequel to an anime, it was just a short series of videos based off the manga itself, yet it is still called "OVA." I'm sorry that was long, but I just wanted to get across that there's all different ways certain animes can be considered OVA.

[–] Raver_Rage 19 years ago

There are three forms an animé will usually take. Movie, TV, and OVA.

TV series is the lowest in animation quality but richest in story and USUALLY come in sets of 12 or 26 (though the number can and does vary). The TV series is usually based closely off its manga novelettes, though there are changes for obvious reasons (time, flow, character development)

to be cont....

[–] Raver_Rage 19 years ago

Next is OVA, or Original Video Animation. This is shorter than the TV series, but better quality animation. Some animé come out just as an OVA, such as Armitage III or Macross Plus. Basically, its like having a movie that can't fit into a two hour block.

And last is the movie. Highest quality animation, single story. Highest quality basically because they are going all out on a two hour feature. Both Armitage and Macross Plus had movies made out of their OVAs. With Armitage, they redubbed it w/ big name actors and pared down the story a bit. With Macross Plus, they shortened the story a bit, but also added in new scenes (such as the full Guld/Ghost battle, which is worth buying the movie for, IMHO). Most movies are just single stories, though there are plenty of movies out there based on series because of the popularity of the show. Cowboy Bebop, Rah Xephon, Pokémon, Tenchi Muyo, Escaflowne, Card Captors, are all such examples. Movies often give the creators a chance to address issues or add things for the fans, as well, such as the relationship between Haruka and Ayato in Rah Xephon.

And there you have it.