Upskirts, cleavage shots, slow-panning full body shot cameras, clothing being torn off. Welcome to the world of fan service in anime. It's definitely become a huge part of most anime series' out there, and is well known as part of what anime brings to the table. Sometimes its a bit playful, other times it's rather risque, but it's always there to please the fans. The question is, should things be that way?
I won't lie and say that I don't appreciate fan service. I'm also not ashamed to say that some anime girls are gorgeous. With all that out in the open, I admit that fan service gives me a smile from time to time. I always appreciate it more when it's done in a cheeky nature, no pun intended. A quick flash of something for comedic effect always sits much better with me than when fan service is worked into more serious anime.
While I can appreciate fan service for what it is, I often wonder if its for the better of anime in general. Again, I know that fan service is one part of what makes up the whole of anime, but does it need to be there? A lot of that fan service has come to be fodder for those that don't like anime, or look to bash it. As ammunition against anime and its fans, fan service works wonders. As a positive note for anime viewers, it's hard to use fan service as a way of defending anime.
Do you think anime in general would be more widely accepted or better off if fan service was toned down, if not taken away altogether? Should anime let the flashes of those naughty bits come into play when they fit the story, instead of throwing them in at random intervals? It's definitely a tough topic and no one is going to have the right answer, but I think it'll lead to some interesting conversation.
I appreciate and enjoy, as well as loathe the very core of fan service all at the same time. I believe that fan service has become too mainstream and over-rated, ok not so much mainstream as used way too often in shows that would benefit from not using it at all. Some shows are improved greatly by using it, others become a ridiculous joke, and some just try too hard. I like a good dose of fan service but really I think it's all or nothing. Either refrain from using it at all, or go all out with it. A couple of panty shots doesn't make a show necessarily better on it's own, but with the right formula it can be used effectively without turning into a total hentai. That's just how I look at it. Not only in anime, but in fan art as well.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind fan service unless it's panty shots. I don't know what other men see in that, that turns them on, but it turns me off ._.
ReplyDeleteAnd most definitely. Anime would be waaaaay more accepted without the fan service.
The more the merrier. just dont over do it is all i say.
ReplyDeleteA little bit is ok, but... fanservice is a step backward for anime. Anime will never see truly large-scale success if it continues to objectify women. It limits the audience to teenage to early adult males.
ReplyDeleteMiyazaki became the most successful director in JApanese history with the top grossing Japanese film of all time. He didn't need fan service to get there. In fact, he did the opposite. He has powerful female characters that aren't sex symbols.
I always see fan service as a point of defeat. That whoever made the show didn't have the confidence that it would be good enough so they started throwing in T&A. Or maybe its laziness? Whatever it is it's weak writing.
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ReplyDeleteFan service isn't just exclusive to characters in bikinis or something. Like shows that start with and are all about this would just be natural to the series and not fan service at all.
ReplyDeleteThings like character cameos from one series in another is also fan service. It's basically anything that fans would recognize and appreciate, and yes, I like when series incorporate that.