Quote:
Originally Posted by Zinjo
OVAs never go beyond 5 episodes in Japan as all the studios and distributors believe that the market will not watch / buy an OVA series that is longer. That belief is based on traditional history of video sales. Whether it is real or imagined has yet to be challenged in the Japanese market.
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Actually, there are many exceptions where an OVA would go over 5 episodes.
One perfect example is Legend of the Galactic Heroes, which spans over 100 episodes.
Moreover, the recent Hellsing remake is already at its 5th OVA episode (50 minute each), and its not yet over.
And I am not too sure if I'd agree to the claim that Macross not being a major title for Bandai. Certainly it is the second largest mecha franchise in Japan. I think the issue here is that Bandai doesn't really care about the anime market here in North America. After all, East Asia is where all the money is (for now). Moreover, since Gundam will never suffer from the same legal issues, we can't really use it as a gauge. On a further note, anime merchandise sales in NA pales in comparison when the East Asian market is considered. Therefore, how much emphasis do Japanese companies place on our market begs to be asked.
- Tak