Picture Dramas are a variation of animated shows, with the difference that there is not much animation to behold. They generally consist of a series of still drawings, with voice actors performing the various roles, often having the "camera" move over the picture from character to character. In this, they could be seen as a form between anime and drama CDs. The emphasis is generally on the voice performances, with the pictures functioning as visual aids.
Sometimes picture dramas still contain a slight amount of animation, mostly by supposedly moving the on-screen characters around like puppets. They also tend to be produced in a different style, with Super-Deformed characters being the norm.
Nowadays most popular anime are accompanied by a picture drama and often find their way as omake on DVD releases. They are clearly cheaper to make but still offer the involved artists, writers, and voice actors an outlet for showcasing their talents—and of course generating extra revenue. Whether the stories told are part of the official canon differs from show to show, very much in line with the status of most audio adaptations.
Compare Limited Animation (using mix-and-match parts in animation, rather than having a completely new drawing for every new frame), Motion Comic (voiced, partially animated comics), and Sequential Art (a sequence of pictures without camera panning or dialogue telling a story).
Examples:
Anime & Manga
- Agent Aika: Aika Zero.
- ARIA: There have been picture dramas made of this series in the art style of the anime.
- Code Geass:
- Nine per season on the Japanese DVD volumes, and a couple more were released separately. While some provide ample Fanservice, they all provide plenty of canon character development, as do the drama CDs. Each season then got an extra bonus one with the BD release, bringing up the total to 20.
- In one of them, the characters go to the pool. Cornelia in a bondage-inspired bikini. It also offers a more candid look at Guilford and Darlton.
- Sayoko first meets Suzaku when he comes over for tea with Lelouch and Nunally in another picture drama. Shirley overhears their conversation and comes to the conclusion that they are in love. She then proceeds to have a sexy Imagine Spot.
- Code Geass: Akito the Exiled: One of the dramas has the characters go to a hot spring. Yukiya's Covered with Scars body is very notorious.
- Code Geass: Oz the Reflection: Released on January 10th, 2013 attached to that month's issue of Newtype Ace.
- Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Space: In the first one, Imo-chan is seen riding a model of Thunderbird 2.
- Gundam:
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Rebellion: The "Mayfly from Space".
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: The SEED Character Theater picture dramas.
- K-On!: The DVD specials are of the Super-Deformed "puppet-motion" variety.
- Kakegurui: In 2018, three original shorts under the collective name of Picture Drama Shorts were included with the first season DVD. They are Hyakkaou's Maid Café, Hyakkaou, the School of Cat ears, and The Student Council's Coffee.
- Koe de Oshigoto!
- Loveless
- My-HiME: It has a brief one for each episode.
- My-Otome:
- "Shizuru Viola Memoirs"
- My-Otome 0~S.ifr~
- Night Raid 1931
- Otome Youkai Zakuro: There are a couple on the DVDs.
- Seiyu's Life! does this for its closing credits.
- Sketchbook: A six-part picture drama called Sketchbook Full Colors was bundled with the rest of the episodes on DVD, following Sora, Hazuki, Natsumi, Kurihara, and Kuga all going on a trip together.
- Voltron
- White Album 2: The blue rays provide anime-only sections of still images showing funny situations where Haruki could have seen the heroines half naked before the school's festival concert.
Films — Animation
- Sound! Euphonium: Photo Session e Youkoso is a set of three shorts teaching theater manners that were shown before the May the Melody Reach You movie, which included a segment during which visitors were allowed to take a picture.
Films — Live-Action
- "The Legend of John Henry": A Live-Action Adaptation of the urban legend made in the 1970s (nominated for an Academy Award) with (mostly) still pictures that evoked 19th-century photography.
Video Games
- Endless Frontier: The picture drama recounts the events of Project × Zone and Super Robot Wars: Original Generation under the narration of Haken.
- Rune Factory: The "Another Episode" bonus content in the Special Edition, each of which serves as A Day in the Limelight for the potential bachelors and bachelorettes. This is true in both Rune Factory 3 and Rune Factory 4.
- Street Fighter
- Utawarerumono
Visual Novels
Web Animation
Western Animation
- Clutch Cargo
- The Marvel Superheroes: 1966 series, filmed by shooting pictures of the comic panels.
- Tom Goes to the Mayor
