OVA as “The Third Media” in Anime Magazines

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Other Title
  • アニメ雑誌における「第三のメディア」としてのＯＶＡ
  • アニメ雑誌における「第三のメディア」としてのOVA : 一九八〇年代のアニメ産業の構造的条件に着目して
  • アニメ ザッシ ニ オケル 「 ダイサン ノ メディア 」 ト シテ ノ OVA : イチキュウハチ〇ネンダイ ノ アニメ サンギョウ ノ コウゾウテキ ジョウケン ニ チャクモク シテ
  • ――Focusing on the Structural Conditions of the Animation Industry in the 1980s――
  • ――一九八〇年代のアニメ産業の構造的条件に着目して――

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<p>To illustrate the importance of sociological analysis on otaku culture when understanding contemporary culture, this paper focuses its attention on practice of the use of OVA (Original Video Animation). Specifically, the fact that OVA has been called “the third media” by anime fans is emphasized in the analysis. In considering the discourse on OVA, two structural conditions surrounding the animation industry are important. The first condition is that with the rapid dissemination of video in the mid-1980s, videos were gradually becoming a cheap and popular form of media for animation fans. The other condition is that the number of content creators did not increase despite increased demand for content and improved quality. The analysis in this paper attempted to take these two conditions into consideration.This paper begins with an examination of discourses on ”the first media (TV animation),” “the second media (theatrical version of animation)” and the transition between them as predecessors of the OVA. Focus of the analysis is placed on assessing whether continuity to “the third media” exists in them or not. The shift of animation fans’ attention from television animation to theatrical animation occurred from the late 1970s to 1980s. When television animation began in 1963, the content was meant for children. From the late 1970s, however, adult fans began to appear. Unlike children, adult fans placed high value on creator’s creativity and demanded that creators to exhibit more of it. However, television animation in those days was a form of media that had major limitations regarding expressing creativity. To overcome this limitation, theatrical versions of animation emerged as an alternative. During this transitional stage, however, a competitive relationship between “demonstrating artistic nature” and “acceptability to all consumer groups”, and the number of creators as a constraint condition had already existed. The latter part of this paper then continues to analyze the discourse on “the third media (OVA)” focusing on the fact that the term was mentioned as an extension of the discussion above. Specifically, focus of the analysis is on how editors, consumers, and creators interpreted the confrontation between “the logic of products” and “the logic of artworks” and how it changed over time. By examining the dynamism in conflict of logic among various actors, this paper contributed to clarifying the function of discourse on the OVA and its relation to surrounding social conditions.</p>

Journal

  • SOSHIOROJI

    SOSHIOROJI 61 (3), 41-58, 2017-02-01

    SHAKAIGAKU KENKYUKAI

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