In the anime video distribution realm, there is one particular model that has either died out already or is on its last breath, and that is the market for direct-to-video for Japanese animation. If the term "OVA" doesn't ring a bell, or you never really knew what anime is categorized as an OVA, chances are you've seen those titles first hand at some point in your anime collecting hobby.
You can go to any local pawn shop, flea market, or mom and pop video store (if either exist for you in your area) and you can eight times out of ten pick up an anime off the counter that is considered a direct to video release in Japan before that title was licensed in the states… to be direct to video.
The 1980's had a landfill of OVA's that people mostly rented from their local video stores and took home their evening entertainment in the company of themselves or with a group of like minded anime fanatic individuals. All they had to do was press play and the creative force of an animation studios hard (or cheap) works will fill the eyes and ears of its audience for a mere hour worth of enjoyment (or pain depending). Now granted, in America, we have a direct to video market also, but it is no where close to the impact that it had in Japan during the 1980's, because an individual had the use of a VCR to watch their anime, and VCRs over the years became just as standard to households as a toaster and an oven in the kitchen, as well as a TV in the living room.
The term OVA means "Original Video Animation," and some will debate that it could be OAV for "Original Animation Video." Its the same kind of debate as when people talk about how to say caramel, or potato, or tomato, it all serves the same purpose in the end. The OVA titles were the first to be commercially available in the states through American anime publishers like AD Vision, AnimEigo, Streamline Pictures, US Renditions and Manga Entertainment to name a few. Before companies licensed from Japanese companies, tape trading happened in local comic, science fiction and early anime cons that people would find ways to fansub anime on VHS tapes through multiple generations of tape copying and trading, which most of those titles would be OVA's in some form or fashion.
Japanese video stores across the pacific were popping up left and right to meet both the demand of the tape rental business during those years. Sadly the market popped when the Japanese economy did, but there are enough OVA's out
This is a huge topic. That being said, I am unsure what your goal is. Do you just want the author to write about OVA generally, or to explore the impact that OVA has on American culture? – Jemarc Axinto9 years ago
I think I misunderstood what I was supposed to do. I actually wouldn't mind writing about OVA's, but if someone else wants to do it they can. If it helps just erase this suggestion and I an do another one.
– DustinKop9 years ago
If you wanted to write about the subject yourself, then you will have to delete this topic. However, if you wanted someone else to write about the topic then you can leave it up and wait for someone to take it. – Jemarc Axinto9 years ago
The topic I would like to discuss focuses on side characters that could be used for a spin-off series and how it can be done. First off what is a spin-off series? A spin-off can be defined as: Something that is imitative or derivative of an earlier work, product, or establishment; especially: a television show starring a character popular in a secondary role of an earlier show.
In the West, there are plenty of series that get spin-off to try and continue squeezing out of the success of a popular series. In anime, there have been many successful spin-off series such as Scientific Railgun and Fate/kaleid, but also plenty that have not had as much success as their originals such as Rock Lee and His Ninja Pals or Soul Eater Not!
So what exactly are some qualities that make up a good protagonist? The first and most important piece is that they must be able to "Stand Alone" in their own series. How tied to the original protagonist of the series are they? Is it going to be in continuity to the original series?
So who is a character that can have a great spin-off series? An example of which being Klein from Sword Art Online. Personally I loved Klein from the moment I met him, but his character often became forgotten until seen once again. He had that kind of comedic but strong personality and had the potential to be more of a fan favorite but never really got the amount of time he deserved.
Klein is the first person Kirito, the protagonist of the series, is introduced to. In the first episode, an inexperienced Klein is taught by Kirito how to defeat monsters, with Klein thinking that a boar was actually a boss monster. Later on we see Klein actually leading his very own guild, Fuurinkazan (lit. "Wind, Woods, Fire and Mountain") and coming just as far as Kirito has without his wide range of experience and skill.
Instead of this being a lone wolf series, it will be one more about Klein's growth as a player and as a leader of Fuurinkazan and the brotherhood within his guild. It may deal with the death of some of his closest comrades, but the ability to continue on even after their deaths. The series can go more into detail and information about the world of Sword Art Online from the experience of a first-time player compared to Kirito as an experience beta-player.
I think this is a potentially engaging and hilarious idea, but I would say that whoever writes it should probably find a different character or characters to headline, as 'Klein deserves his own show' has become kind of a meme and it would be really hard to determine the tone of the writing by focusing on him seriously in this way. – ChristopherKay9 years ago
The anime and manga series, Fullmetal Alchemist, shows heavy influence from a young German (Some would even say Nazi Germany). Nietzsche is said to have been Hitler's favorite philosopher; however, that is not the focus of this topic. The focus and reason for this topic is to discuss how alchemy, in the universe of Fullmetal Alchemist, makes people the Übermensch (translating in English to Overhuman or Superman). Nietzsche believed that the Übermensch would be the next part of evolution (if I remember correctly), so how does Fullmetal Alchemist handle these humans, that know alchemy, that are clearly more powerful than the average person. Colonel Roy Mustang, one of the series most powerful alchemist, can, with a snap of his fingers, destroy an entire town. Major Armstrong could be seen as an Arian ideal for the Übermensch. He is not only physically strong, but he represents perfection in form and art.
Definitely think the focus should be on Armstrong himself. A compelling argument, and using FMA as the backdrop with Armstrong as primary example would be extremely effective. My six years of University have led me to believe this anyways. – smartstooge9 years ago
Wouldn't the homunculous be the superhumans? I wouldn't say Roy is all that special, any alchemist could produce fire with a snap if they had similar engraved gloves/hands. Edward and his teacher are a more compelling argument because they've evolved past needing circles to perform alchemy by using the circuits in their bodies attained through knowledge. Still, knowledge isn't an evolution (although having the capacity to understand it might be, and even then they don't process all that they see). The homunculous are an actual next step up from average humans; they don't need to age, they have inherent super powers, and regenerative abilities. I think the article should address the homunculous and enlightened humans even if it only serves to continue to promote Armstrong as the anime's intended ideal. – Slaidey9 years ago
I wouldn't consider the Homunculus in this. The reason being is that the Homunculus were not humans in the first place, while Alchemists like Armstrong have made themselves more than a normal Man. Also, one of the points of being a state alchemist was to be made better than humans. Someone should also consider whether the State Alchemists are the Übermensch, or they are all working towards becoming the Übermensch. Edward, Alphonse, and their teacher may be enlightened, but they are only like that because of the path that they took. – garland419 years ago
A side note: while Nietzsche was a favorite philosopher among the Nazi brass, he was staunchly opposed to Nazi ideals. His Nazi relatives, after his death, twisted his message and pushed him toward popularity within the Third Reich. That doesn't really change the übermensch message in Nazi narratives, but it is an important distinction when talking about Nietzsche himself. – Kristian Wilson9 years ago
That's a good point from Slaidey about the fact that the alchemists aren't necessarily evolved but just have certain knowledge and skills that could theoretically be learned by anyone. Even Armstrong is just a man who, through serious discipline, has made himself as strong and smart as he is, yet is not necessarily evolved (although it would be very important to discuss his image as the hulking blonde guy who is spoken of so highly). At the same time, garland41 has really made the important point that the situation could be one of becoming Übermensch, not necessarily already being them. Given that this discussion would dismiss homunculi as being not human, I think the strongest piece of this discussion would be the State Alchemists' work towards becoming something more. After all, the FMA series holds very high aesthetics and themes from late 1800's - early 1900's Europe. – carp0009 years ago
I agree with the comment on Major Armstrong looking like an Arian, but Mustang isn't exactly super powered because of his ability to snap and create big explosions, this only happens because of the gloves he wears that cause sparks and then the fact that he compresses the oxygen around him to cause the explosions. Also, the fact that there is Fuher does support the Nazi statement a little bit, but back to the point of superhumans fit the humunculi a lot better. After all, they are basically evolved humans with skills to manipulate their own bodies. – BrainiacGamer39 years ago
A timeline from the initial manga by ONE with sub par art to the anime adaptation that seems to be going well so far! Start with the original art and story by ONE that was the root of a series many are becoming fans of. Research into how ONE started releasing the manga (publisher, payment, etc.). Then explain how Murata Yuusuke came to be the artist for ONE's story and possibly his monetary compensation for the work. Finally, the animation quality for the anime is impressive, so focus on who the animators are (both company and individuals if possible) and what kind of budget they have. Are the animators compensated well for the beautiful work they are doing? Or are they putting in extra hours out of passion?
I think moepsen3 wants a timeline of its creation since One Punch-Man was originally a poorly drawn web comic that received a manga adaptation due to its surprising popularity. The anime further upgraded its popularity and now taking up three/four spots of the New York Times best sellers in Manga for this month. This will develop more on the three levels of ONE's story. If this isn't the case, then there does need to be more clarification. Otherwise, great topic! – Connor9 years ago
I have heard that the budget for One Punch Man is about the same as any other show airing right now, and that the animators are just extremely dedicated. This could also be a great way to explore how the franchise has become the phenomenon that it is and why so many people are so passionate about it, creators and fans alike. – ChristopherKay9 years ago
Anime vary wildly in length–some have hundreds of episodes (One Piece, Crayon Shin-Chan), whereas some only last 12 or 13 (Tokyo Ghoul, Angel Beats). Each ends of the spectrum have their own problems–watching a long-running shonen is a daunting task that's bound to be plagued with filler episodes and uninteresting arcs. Similarly, short shows might not have enough time to make a lasting impact. But is there a sweet spot in between? Is length irrelevant to the quality of a specific show? Is an anime more likely to be successful if it runs for a particular length?
The shorter the better I say.
Yes, the really long and practically endless series keep die-hard fans coming back again and again, and people apparently never get bored with them. But with series like "Detective Conan/Case Closed," "One Piece," and "Pokemon" seemingly stretching onward with no end in sight, I get irritated after a while because there's no end game, there's no ultimate resolution. Conan/Jimmy Kudo never gets back to his normal body and reveals to everyone what happened to him. Luffy never finds One Piece. And freaking Ash never gets any older and never becomes the greatest Pokemon Master. What a load of bull. Shows that can tell their whole story in a perfect condenced set of 13-26 episodes are the shows I prefer, and sometimes even the ones that last about 50. Each may have it's own tendency for a few "filler" episodes, but they usually provide a much greater amount of satisfaction to me in terms of conflict resolution, and knowing the ultimate fate of characters I've come to love and enjoy watching. "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" was a great older series that lasts about 40 episodes. "Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood" is around 50. "The Woman Called Fujiko Mine" and "Panty & Stocking" last a simple 13. And all three original "Slayers" tv series last 26 in total. Same goes for "Magic Knight Rayearth" and "Hyper Police." I'm getting into older shows. But I guess I would be included to choose between a one season or two season show (13-26). Shows that last longer with an episode count between 40 and 50 should only last that long if they have something meaningful to say within that time, and they need that time to develop their characters to a point where things can really make an impact once the final ultimate climax begins. Something from the West like "The Legend of Korra" can last much longer, because I feel like the West is more used to writing and constructing shows with a flow, where one season has a single contained story, and then the next season is a continuation of that from a slightly different point in time, and they often don't need cliffhangers in order to get you to come back. Japanese shows, on the other hand, seem to have seasons bleed into each other without much regard for starting and stopping. There's no half-way point if a show lasts 26. Sometimes there isn't even a sense of story progression for groups of episodes, because they drag a plot point out for multiple episodes in order to fill a large gap of space, rather than just make a shorter series, or try to expand the story with some actual important elements. But I digress. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
Most shows have that issue where they do too much to quickly and then its the remaining episodes to fill in whatever else there is to make sure an audience exist to sell merchandise to otaku, who are still gonna buy it. – DustinKop9 years ago
I feel as though it is more about timing then it is about the length of the series and how much people are planning on packing into their episodes. Such cases are strongly demonstrated in light novel adaptations. Where there are series like "Black Bullet" and "Date A Live" that do a usual adaptation of 3-4 light novels per 12 episodes. There are even some series like "High School DxD" or "Devil is a Part-Timer" that adapt only two novels and ae still able to cover a good 12 episodes. However, then you have the recently released series "DanMachi" which has a strange means of adapting where the first 2 volumes take up 3 episodes each, the 3rd is only 2 episodes, the 4th being only one, and on the fifth volume we are back to 3 episodes. This makes the style extremely irregular and following an extremely slow pace. – Kmo9 years ago
There is an irritating circlejerk among online anime fans that 13-episode-long series that don't meet the grade would be inherently better off if they were 26 episodes instead. I would love to see this avoided or even exploded. – JekoJeko9 years ago
Sometimes less is more, especially if it leaves the audience wanting a bit more by the end. Some of the best Anime I have ever seen, such as Space Dandy, Fooly Cooly, or Cowboy Bebop, have had pretty short lifespans. Other really good Anime, such as One Piece, have RIDICULOUSLY long lifespans, and are still going. While I do not think that being longer or short really makes any particular Anime "better" or "worse", I think one thing that is often ignored is that, for many people, seeing something that has only a few seasons, and maybe a max of 20 episodes, is much more inviting to watch than something that spans several HUNDRED episodes, all of which you must watch if you want to get the most out of the story. – Heavy929 years ago
Depends on how material is handled.One piece is popular because of its length and still awesome story telling while naruto is infamous because of its rushed ending. – Akash8 years ago
Around the 30 mark? I don't know. Not 21 seasons like Naruto:Shippuden, that's for sure. – OkaNaimo08195 years ago
Kinnikuman is the name most people would be familiar with from the dubbed version of its second anime entitled "Ultimate Muscle", not knowing that it is a sequel to Kinnikuman. One would wonder why it has not been released in North America as it moves like a typical shonen story. However, during the times of Japan's naivety compared to today regarding anime, Kinnikuman presents some questionable imagery that would be baffling and unintentionally insulting to other countries. Should Kinnikuman be allowed to have a proper North American release? Or should Kinnikuman be lost from the public eye except to the internet culture and online fandoms?
I'd look into G Gundum for more examples of anime racism that is mostly harmless – MattHotaling9 years ago
Kickstarter is a company/website that helps people get funding for projects in various areas like arts, technology, crafts, etc. Several Kickstarter projects have been started by fans to pay for creations of extra seasons of their favorite shows. There are a few problems that anime lovers in the states run into:
1. My favorite manga never got turned into an anime even though it should have. 2. My favorite anime is older and is no longer being sold due to licensing. I can't seem to find it anywhere and I'd really like to own it. Or I can find it and it costs a fortune because it is rare. 3. Anime/Manga never got translated to English at all, so fans over here are missing out. Do you think kickstarter can help remedy these issues? How can we make people aware of kickstarter campaigns so that they can donate? Are there any other issues that kickstarter could potentially solve for US fans?
Make this article your own, my intention is to use it to spread awareness so that maybe we can get more content in the US.
This would only work and be true if a particular distributor was willing to take on the risk and the challenge of adding it to their production schedule. Because in the case of anime licensing and distributing, it doesn't matter if it CAN be crowdfunded for those sparse individuals who want a particular release, it matters who's going to put up the campaign, and have the facilities and the know-how to get the title re-published and printed. Not just anyone can set up a Kickstarter for a re-release of a particular anime. So not only would fans have to still get the permission of the rights holders of a show to re-establish a license with a new entity (if the Kickstarter is successful), but you would also have to convince an American publisher to get involved who would want to take on the job of gathering all the assets together: most importantly, seeing if the previous distributor still has their former disk IMGs available in a storage somewhere, and still has their DVD covers, promotional material, original English dub recordings, and so on. Discotek Media has successfully done this quite a few times already, so I've been putting my money on them that if a particular show I used to like is out of print, they'd be the mostly likely to revive it, even without a crowdfunding campaign. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
Yeah, I know and agree. I think what you'd have to do BEFORE throwing it up on kickstarter, is a fan would have to take the lead and contact these companies formally. They'd need to get estimates on how many dollars/etc it would take to complete the project. It's hard work, but it's the necessary first step. I think if people were more aware of it and REALLY loved something, they'd at least ask the question. And if a few successes were had, this could become a more popular way of getting these types of projects done. This topic is "can it help." So you point out a very big hurdle against it. – Tatijana9 years ago
Maybe you could change Kickstarter to crowdfunding. There are other sites that do the same thing such as IndieGoGo. Expanding this to crowdfunding allows whoever writes this the ability to expand the field of works that have succeeded in the past which leads to better resource materials. – Connor9 years ago
Done. I was not aware that this was a term or that other sites like it existed. Thanks. – Tatijana9 years ago
There's an anime crowdfunding site which managed to create a limited release for Creamy Mami. I forget the name but if you Google you should be able to find it. Actually making manga turned into an anime would have to be something in the Japanese market? – Jordan9 years ago
It was called Anime Sols or something – Jordan9 years ago
Compare the Japanese and Western animation industries. In particular, look at some of the major studios in Japan today and in the West, and compare how they function. How is the work load divided? Is the software used to animate the same? How many series will be created at once? Is the pre or post production sequences done differently? Interviews with anime staff on Anime News Network, Youtube documentaries on Animation production, or information from the Hey, Answerman column may be useful to refer to.
This would be fascinating to read about, looking at cultural differences in animation studios, are there any in particular you had in mind when considering this topic? – Camille Brouard9 years ago
Other than Studio Ghibli, there's very little information on how Japanese anime is produced that I've been able to track down in either video or written form. I've always wanted to understand the methodology behind how they draw each frame of movement, and how they choose when to draw that frame. Because while anime is often very limited in its animation, it is decidedly skillful in how it retains a strong sense of expressionistic and stylistic movement, that also incredibly fluid when it needs to be, and subtle and frugal the rest of the time. But no manual exists for this that I know of. There's also no explanation as to how, where, and for how long Japanese animators learn their craft for the stunning animation they produce in the amazingly short time spans that they do. Each studio is different, and has reproduced the art-styles of numerous directors, but in almost all cases, everyone is a brilliant talent, unlike a lot of animation produced in the West, where we're much more simplified in our art-styles, rather than semi-realistic with a unique shape to faces and eyes. The best documentary I've seen on the system is the 45 minute piece created for "Little Witch Academia." And Studio Trigger is definitely one of the strongest examples of Japanese animation today. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
I think how you search for the information (search terms) can make a big difference. I've seen a number of videos on it. There are also books. Some other studios which might have information are Sunrise, Toei, Gonzo, Gainax, Production Ig, Bee train, Bones, Kyoto animation, Madhouse.... – Jordan9 years ago
I believe I saw a video on an American produced Japanese culture Youtube series which toured Madhouse for a special episode. Ghibli just seems to be the main one that gets the most coverage in terms of televised documentaries and other special behind-the-scenes footage. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
The main avenue of investigation seems to be drawing style. Investigating this would likely yield much of what you seek. – JDJankowski9 years ago
