Ask John: What does “Omake” Mean?

Question:
What is omake? On the Blue Seed DVD box set there is an Omake Theater, and for the Fushigi Yugi OVA there seems to be a similar omake-ish collection in between the episodes. Is Adventures of the Mini-Goddess just omake?

Answer:
The Japanese word “omake” may be translated as “bonus” or “extra.” Because features like non-credit opening and closing are often considered standard supplemental features on most Japanese home video release, the classification “omake” is usually reserved for extra special bonus animation or supplemental original animation supplemental to a longer work such as the examples you’ve mentioned, the SD Welcome to Lodoss Island segments of the Lodoss War TV series, the SD segments added to some episodes of To Heart, the science lessons in Gunbuster, and the parody segments added to the Japanese home video release of the Secret of Blue Water TV series. The SD Ah! Megami-sama anime was part of the longer Anime Complex anthology program, but is not “omake” because it’s not a supplemental bonus added to any other show.