Anime Type

Anime types represent the medium for which an anime was first released.

unknown

Anime that has no type set yet. Generally for anime that hasn't been released yet.

TV Series

Anime that is first released as a series on TV.

OVA

Original Video Animations (OVA) are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats (e.g. VHS, DVD, BluRay).

Original Animation Discs (OAD) are animated films and series made specially for release as an item bundled with something else, such as a manga, light novel, visual novel, etc.

Movie

Anime that is first released as a movie in theatres.

Other

Anime that doesn't fall into any other category.

Web

Anime that is first released as streaming media.

Original Net Animations (ONA) fall into the Web category, rather than the OVA category as the name may otherwise suggest.

TV Special

We classify anime as TV Special when it is first released as a one-off, (generally) non-recurring episode/movie on TV. A TV special can have multiple episodes. A notable differentiation from a normal TV series is that TV specials generally are not serialized. Further, if Japan/China/Korea specifies that it is a TV special, it is probably a TV special. A good resource for Japan is syoboi to check serialization.

Recaps and TV Specials

Recap rebroadcasts may be a TV special, depending on its serialization status. The following are some examples.

Given the often unusual circumstances surrounding such releases, these examples are only provided as general guidance, and moderation discretion should be applied on a case-by-case basis.

These examples are not exhaustive and not prescriptive. Even if some criteria are met or not met, moderator discretion should be exercised on a case-by-case basis.

Example Anime	Outcome
Psycho-Pass: New Edit	The New Edit was a serialized broadcast, following a standard weekly airing pattern, making it not a TV Special. The New Edit broadcast contained minimal, if any, new content, making it not a standalone anime. The New Edit broadcast is effectively the same length as the original series (11 x 50 minute episodes vs 22 x 25 minute episodes), making it not a recap. Therefore, New Edit was added to Psycho-Pass as O episodes with file-episode relations.
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Natagumo Yama Hen and other Kimetsu no Yaiba (KnY) recap specials, other than Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kyoudai no Kizuna	The KnY recap was not a serialized broadcast, as it was a one-off TV airing, making it a TV Special. The distribution rule above takes higher precedence in determining if this is to be a separate anime entry, and the initial determination is a separate TV Special entry. The remaining criteria still should be considered to see if the TV Special standalone entry determination holds. The KnY recap contained minimal, if any, new content, suggesting not a standalone anime. The KnY broadcast is somewhat shorter length than the original series (140 minute TV special vs 7 x 25 minute episodes = 175 mins). However a lot of the time savings came from cutting out OP/ED sequences, suggesting minor if any scene deletions, and likely simply a repackaging rather than a recap. Therefore, KnY was added as a standalone TV Special, as the remaining criteria were deemed in this case via moderation discretion, to not be sufficient to counteract the TV Special determination.
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kyoudai no Kizuna recap movie of episodes 1-5 of Kimetsu no Yaiba (KnY)	The KnY recap was not a serialized broadcast, as it was a movie that premiered in theatres, making it a Movie. The distribution rule above takes higher precedence in determining if this is to be a separate anime entry, and the initial determination is a separate Movie entry. The remaining criteria still should be considered to see if the Movie standalone entry determination holds. The KnY recap contained minimal, if any, new content, suggesting not a standalone anime. The KnY movie is somewhat shorter length than the original series (105 minute TV movie vs 5 x 25 minute episodes = 125 mins). However a lot of the time savings came from cutting out OP/ED sequences, suggesting minor if any scene deletions, and likely simply a repackaging rather than a recap. Therefore, KnY was added as a standalone Movie, as the remaining criteria were deemed in this case via moderator discretion, to not be sufficient to counteract the Movie determination.

Music Video

We classify anime as the Music Video (MV) type in the following situations:

Scenario	Description	Outcome
1	MVs not related to any existing and/or newly announced anime	By default, add to AniDB as an MV type anime unless there's a reason not to do so.
2	MVs related to an existing and/or newly announced anime, and are sold/distributed separately, e.g. with a CD single	By default, add to AniDB as an MV type anime unless there's a reason not to do so.
3	MVs related to an existing and/or newly announced anime, and are not sold/distributed separately	Assess on a case-by-case basis using moderator discretion. Decision criteria could include, but is not limited to, the following considerations. This list is not exhaustive and not prescriptive. Even if some criteria are met or not met, moderator discretion should be exercised on a case-by-case basis. Airing time gap between the MV and the related anime: the longer the gap, the more likely the MV is a standalone anime Whether the MV covers the whole song: if it does not, it more likely is not a standalone anime. Relation between the distribution channel of the MV and the anime: if the MV was first published by any of the below, the MV more likely is a standalone anime. This list is not exhaustive; other non-anime publishing methods should be considered on a case-by-case basis. A record label / recording studio A company credited as doing "music work" in the related anime Directly by the artist (e.g. through the artist's YouTube channel) If the MV does not meet the definition of an MV anime entry, it should be added to the related anime's entry as an S episode instead.