What is Fan Service?
Fan service is the practice of adding something to an anime or manga just to please the fans. It could be anything from a reference to other anime to blatant nudity. One of the most recognized methods of fan service is the panty shot. For any reason, or no reason at all, something happens to reveal a female character’s underwear.
What about all those episodes about going to the beach?
Ever wonder why so many anime programs include scenes in a bathhouse? Yes, bath houses are a part of the culture, but they’re also a good excuse to get the characters naked. What about all those episodes about going to the beach? Well, the characters would look pretty weird wearing bikinis anywhere else. There are lots of ways to strip down the characters. Some of them are creative, others not so much.
There are shows built around that type of fan service. These shows are usually ecchi. Some guy repeatedly has “accidents” that give him glimpses of the female characters in various states of undress. When this happens they poor guy is usually beaten half to death by the scantily clad girls. Throw in some innuendo and comic misunderstandings and you could have a hit.
Showing some skin isn’t the only type of fan service, though it’s the easiest to spot. Some shows include references to other anime or manga. Some references are almost as obvious as the panty shot. Those verge on product placement, a type of advertising. Other references are more subtle, almost hidden. That’s the type of fan service that rewards the knowledgeable fan.
Excel Saga is a good example of this, it’s also one of my favorites. It parodies lots and lots of other anime. They’re not that subtle, but there are so many references to other anime that it would take a hardcore otaku to recognize them all.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Anytime the creators do something for the fans instead of for the story, it’s fan service. Like anything else in an anime, it all depends on how well it’s done. If it’s done well, you might not even recognize it as fan service. If it’s done badly, it can distract you from the show.
anime, manga, fan service, fanservice, panties, bathhouse, bikinis, ecchi
October 1st, 2007 at 4:03 am
[...] much fanservice? by Jason When does fan service go too far? At what point does it start to distract from the anime or manga? I’ve been [...]
December 28th, 2007 at 3:12 am
[...] a bit of harsh language and some occasional nudity. Not “Whoops I can see her panties” fanservice either. I’m talking full on boobs. Naked boobs. In the first episode. There might be more [...]
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:21 am
[...] moments though. The humor is what you’d expect. If you like harem anime with plenty of fanservice, then you’ll probably enjoy this [...]
January 18th, 2008 at 7:13 am
[...] The story in this anime is very sweet. I was kind of surprised to notice that it was published in a shonen manga magazine. I guess I shouldn’t be. The humor is often crude and there is some nudity to go along with a lot of fighting. Just what boys like. [...]