Editing Original video animation (section)

==Format==
Like anime made for television broadcast, OVAs are divided into episodes. OVA media (tapes, [[laserdisc]]s or DVDs) usually contain just one episode each. Episode length varies from title to title: each episode may run from a few minutes to two hours or more. An episode length of 30 minutes is common, but no standard length exists. An OVA series can run anywhere from a single episode to dozens of episodes in length.

Many anime series first appeared as OVAs, and later grow to become television series or movies. Producers sometimes make other OVA releases as sequels, side stories, music-video collections, or bonus episodes that continue existing as television series or films.

Much OVA-production aims at an audience of male anime enthusiasts. [[Bandai Visual]] said in a 2004 news release (for their new OVAs aimed at women) that about 50% of the customers who had bought their anime DVDs in the past fell into the category of 25 to 40-year-old men, with only 13% of purchasers women, even with all ages included.<ref>{{cite news
|title=&#91; 女性向けアニメションDVDを連続発売 &#93; バンダイビジュアル株式会社
|url=http://www.bandaivisual.co.jp/press/2004/press040922.html
|publisher=[[Bandai Visual]]
|date=2004-09-22
|access-date=2007-01-16
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061006045102/http://www.bandaivisual.co.jp/press/2004/press040922.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2006-10-06}}
</ref> (However, these statistics cover Bandai Visual anime DVDs in general.) [[Nikkei Business Publications]] also said in a news-release that mainly 25 to 40-year-old adults bought anime DVDs.<ref>{{cite news
|title=日経BP社｜ニュースリリース
|url=http://corporate.nikkeibp.co.jp/information/newsrelease/newsrelease20030611_2.html
|publisher=[[Nikkei Business Publications]]
|date=2003-06-11
|access-date=2007-01-15
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071120175727/http://corporate.nikkeibp.co.jp/information/newsrelease/newsrelease20030611_2.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-11-20}}
</ref> Few OVAs target female audiences.

Some OVAs based on television series (and especially those based on [[manga]]) may provide [[Closure (psychology)|closure]] to the plot – closure not present in the original series.