The Difference Between OVA And OAV
Rant-ON
The Difference Between OVA And OAV ———————————–
By: Alpha
Upon reading this article I bet you have asked or have heard that OAV has a similar meaning to OVA. Now what if I told you that this belief is completely wrong? Will you buy it? Of course at the end of the day… or article, you will be convinced that OAV means Original Animation Video, whereas OVA does not mean Original Video Animation. So Alpha, if OVA does not mean the same thing as OAV then what does it mean? From my research and I am here to prove people wrong… but first are you guys ready for the truth? Get ready, OVA stands for Over View (overview) Animation, it is just a bunch of important stuff from the series jumbled up together to create either a summary of the story for those who have no time to sit through the entire series in a normal run or it could be created because the crew had a few extra dollars in their bank accounts to waste. Check it out, does not it make sense? I know I would not abbreviate one thing with two kinds of abbreviations, and I am sure people are intelligent enough to not do that also. As for OAV or Original Animation Video, it provides the fans with most of the time a sequel, but sometimes a prequel to the certain series. The story is different, the animation quality is usually juiced up and the production staff usually puts more effort in it, because they have time when it comes to OAV compared to a TV series where they have to meet deadlines.
So you have all these opinions, Alpha, where are the facts? Facts I have indeed. For the Gundam fans out there, does Gundam 08th Mobile Suit Team ring a bell? Or how about Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories? Both of these series had an OVA created after they were completed. The OVA for Gundam 08th Mobile Suit Team was called, Miller’s Report, whereas the OVA for Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories was simply called Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories the Movie (yeah sure, the movie heh heh). Anyways, I believe the Stardust Memories OVA is, much more difficult to find than Miller’s Report. If you have seen any of these, what did you see other than a recap of the whole series. Sure a few new scenes might arise but does it change anything? The only new scenes I can remember from Miller’s Report are the scenes with Miller (Miller is female for those who are pondering by the way) and from Stardust Memories the Movie, everything was basically just a compilation of the series itself in other words, an overview of the series.
Now that I have provided two examples can you name a few OVAs that you have watched? I still have two: Vandread: Taidouhen, and The Candidate For Goddess (Pilot Candidate) OVA, both had my hopes up as I assumed they were sequels to the series, but both were big disappointments and a complete waste of good money. Why did I buy them? Well I believed the same thing as everyone did until now. I thought OVA was the same as OAV and hence making the big mistake. You may say, ‘Dude that’s it? You’ve only got four examples to prove your statement?’ Please keep in mind that I am writing this article up at 5:00 in the morning so I cannot remember every OVA that I have came in contact with over the years, but if I see a title’s name I could tell you if there was an OVA for it.
Before I go, there is also another misconception about the regional use of OAV and OVA. Some claim that OAV is the abbreviation used by the Japanese, whereas OVA is the abbreviation used by Americans. As I have stated above, they do not mean the same thing, and hence when you are using OVA you are talking about an Over View Animation and not an OAV; an Original Animation Video, such as, Rurouni Kenshin: Seisouhen (Reflection), Tenchi Muyo OAV series, or Macross Zero.
Main Idea of this Rant?! - There really is a difference between OVA and OAV. Finally I am here to solve this long existing misconception.
Closing Statement(s) - After reading this article do you still think OVA means the same thing as OAV? Think about it. Would not it be easier if there was just OAV? What is the need for OVA if OAV meant the same thing. There would be less confusion if only one existed, but there is not one, there are two abbreviations with the same letters, just the last two letters switched around. Because of that fact and how they are both used to address Anime, some people came to a conclusion that they both meant the same thing. Could not OAV stand alone? What was the need to create another abbreviation for the same thing? If it meant the same then there’s no logical reason to have two different abbreviations. So before you go saying the two mean the same, think about what I have written here. Heed my words or else feel my wrath hahahaha! (>’;')>+====> (x_x) Umm… just kidding.