Metaseries

A metaseries [Metaseries is not to be confused with meta fan fiction.] includes stories which reference each other and some overall similar chronology, cast, and/or background, but are not similar enough to be considered direct sequels.

Among some anime fans, the term may be used to describe all the works and adaptations of a single overall story or franchise, especially when each adaptation is not wholly consistent with another. For example, progressive market interest can get a manga made into a short OVA, later made into a television series (animated, live-action, or both), and then a movie. Long-running Japanese anime TV programs are divided into separate series (unlike American television 'seasons'), so the term 'metaseries' may apply to an entire collection of series that make up one program.

The series "Macross", "Transformers", "Cutie Honey", "Dragon Ball" [http://simplicity.planetthesims.gamespy.com/SM411.html "Sailor Moon" and "Dragon Ball" metaseries information] at http://simplicity.com/] , "Sailor Moon" [http://simplicity.planetthesims.gamespy.com/SM411.html "Sailor Moon" and "Dragon Ball" metaseries information] at http://simplicity.com/] , and "Tenchi Muyo!" have been comics, multiple TV series, and movies, but they do not have a rigid, single continuity - though "Tenchi Muyo!" does have continuity within the same form of media.

"Mobile Suit Gundam" is a television anime series that has spawned at least four continuation series and five alternate universe series, including one with its "own" continuation series. In addition countless movies, manga, video games, novels, and various other works have been created based on this anime. They all share the common theme of giant robots used as weapons of war and, for the most part, distinguish themselves by portraying giant robots with a degree of shared aestetic elements. However, there is no single continuity, although one series, "Turn A Gundam", attempted to reconcile the various alternate universes into a single rigid timeline, only for "Gundam SEED" to come along and break-up that continuity some years later.

"Pokémon" is an anime series, a video game series, a manga series and a trading card game, none of them with the same characters. In the anime Ash travels with his friends Brock and Misty (later May, then Dawn and, for a time, alongside May and Max) collecting and battling Pokémon. In the video games, the player controls the silent main character, who collects and battles Pokémon and wins the local Pokémon League. The trading card game can be considered plotless.

In American comic books, the term metaseries is almost never used to refer to all interconnected series in a large shared universe, such as the DC universe or the Marvel Universe (or, even more broadly, the crossovers between such universes)Fact|date=February 2007. More often, the term metaseries (or, in some cases, "megaseries") is used to refer to a small group of interconnected limited series, often by the same creators. Jack Kirby's Fourth World and Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory are two notable examples of thisFact|date=February 2007.

Notes and references

ee also

* Limited series
* Shared universe
* Miniseries