Anime 104: Anime formats and Types

This post I will talk about different formats that you will find on Mal and what to expect from all of them, it can be daunting when you look at the Related Anime section and it has all these different thing that you do not know where and what to begin with. The most important one that tell you where to start are: Sequel and prequel. Other than that I will try to explain below but they are extra things, there are the general types like Movies and TV shows but other than that you can find:

OVA

OVAs are extra episode that they give out with the BluRay package of the Anime, so not all the fans watch and that's why they 90% of the time, do not include story things but you will find some that did that. But thankfully Mal will notify its sequel or not. also some may have a Prequel OVAs, they still work the same, you should watch after the show, it's just that the OVA takes place before the Anime's story but that does not mean you should watch it before.

ONA

ONAs are shows that are made for online platforms rather than TV, they are rarer and could not be always found on international streaming platforms but they are just regular shows.

Special

A special is similar to OVAs but usually shorter and even less meaningful some goes to be 30 seconds thing that is just fanservice.

Alternatives and Recaps

Alternatives are when a show gets recreated with something different or maybe just better animation and sequence of events. a Recap is a movie or an episode that just takes the exact story and are made to refresh the viewers memories on certain events that happened previously.

Spinoffs

They are shows that take a character or a storyline and build an anime around it. It is not a sequel and should not be important to watch if you are not interested in the offered premise

5 min shows

There are some shows out there that will have 5 min durations, they are mostly concept shows or just a fan service comedy thing. just if you find a show glance at episode duration just to make sure.

Original

this does not really fit here but I did not know where to talk about it. so an Anime source can be a Manga, Novel or a Game, or it can be an Original, this means it does not have a source material and these shows are mostly really unique and offer interesting stories, their problem is that 99% of the time they will finish the show within one season if if the story couldn't/shouldn't be done in such short period, so mostly you will find them rushed with a questionable ending but this based on the viewer and their perspective of the show and the story, some may love it some may hate ite. Just know when you find the source to be Original, that the show is unique but will be rushed.