What Does ‘OVA’ Mean in Anime?
We've heard of many anime designated OVA—but what does it actually mean?
If you’re an anime fan, chances are you’ve heard of certain anime having the acronym “OVA” tacked on at the end of the title. Several different anime over the years have been released in this format. For example, looking at Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, two notable OVAs are the original animated version of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders which was released in 1993, and the more recent spinoff Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, available on Netflix. But what does this acronym actually mean, and why is it only reserved for specific anime? What makes something an OVA vs. a TV series or a movie?
Well, as I said, OVA is an acronym. It stands for Original Video Animation, and this designation is given to anime that are made specifically for release in home video formats, before being released on television or shown in theaters. Any form of home video counts—VHS tapes, CDs, and more recently, Netflix all constitute ways that anime can be referred to as OVAs if they are released in this format first.
Further, many anime OVAs have typically been bundled with manga in the past, meaning that if one purchases manga, they can usually get additional OVA content alongside it. The previously mentioned Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan also counts as an OVA because it was released on Netflix rather than standard television. The Gundam Wing sequel Endless Waltz was also released as a three-part OVA in 1997, before it made its way to movie theaters all rolled into one, with extra content.
For any anime fan looking for an easier way to access anime content, OVAs offer the perfect solution all wrapped up in a tidier package than a sprawling anime TV series. However, they do also come with disadvantages. For one, not every OVA will offer sufficient story and connection to the canon within the anime—and some OVAs aren’t even canon. Additionally, many OVAs are no longer distributed as such, meaning that to watch certain ones, anime fans will continue to return to streaming sites like Crunchyroll to view them. It looks like there will likely be plenty more OVAs in the future thanks to these streaming services, so anime fans will have no shortage of them to watch.
(featured image: A.P.P.P.)
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