Fan service

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Fan service using the example of Wikipe-tan

Fanservice ( jap. ファンサービス , sābisu fan . From the English fan service ), more rarely Service cut ( サービスカット , sābisu katto ), is a term that in the anime - and manga - Fan created community and designated elements in works which do not contribute to the development of the plot, but should simply please the audience.

It's about offering the fans a “service”, ie giving them “ exactly what they want ” - a concurrent additional incentive. These can be, for example, key sexual stimuli , excessive violence, hidden details or references to other works.

Emergence

Keith Russel sees the origins of the fan service in casual topics, where "children behave like children", which in turn allowed the authors to deal with the actual topics just as relaxed and thereby incorporate elements that are not directly related to the actual work do have.

Since the 1970s, the development of a much more revealing version of the fan service became apparent in Japan, which clearly stood out from the elements that were barely noticeable until then. The trigger for this is called the anime cutie Honey , who integrated a much “riskier” kind of fan service into the series than was the case with Sailor Moon . This almost unrestrained use of sexual innuendos can be found in various other Magical Girl works since then . This trend continued in the 1980s. Full nudity and shower scenes had become the standard. However, this also led to criticism. In the run-up to the production of Neon Genesis Evangelion , Hideaki Anno had promised that “ every episode contains something that will make the fans mouth watering ”. However, as production progressed, he removed these planned scenes from the series. However, they did not completely disappear. Instead, Anno linked them to depicting the characters' emotional trauma, which was a stark contrast. Since then, the representation of nudity has decreased and various terms have emerged. The term Etchi has meanwhile become common for scenes alluding to sexuality , whereby Etchi is also defined as a rampant fan service.

species

Since the fan service has a broad definition, there are also various ways in which it has established itself in a wide variety of works, and basically affects everything that is not relevant to the actual plot and nobody - apart from the fan - would miss. However, there are some works, creatives, and types that caught the eye and still stand out.

Key sexual stimuli

A typical variant of fan service are explosive, embarrassing, sexual or erotic situations. They make use of the character's mostly humorous discomfort at feeling naked. This can be caused by the fact that a figure is really naked or is confronted with the judgmental looks of the environment. Costumes are particularly popular here, into which the affected figure has to force himself against his will. Be it the tight school swimsuit ( Sukumizu ) or a sexy maid costume to work in a cosplay restaurant . This form of fan service is mainly found in works assigned to the Shōnen (for boys) and is often included as a supplement. This can, for example, be a poster of the favorite character in a daring pose (comparable to a pin-up ). The “degree of clothing” varies and an “unintentional exposure as an excuse” is often used for the type of representation. This also includes the representation of a “cursory glance at underwear ( Pantsu )”, from which many character traits can be derived.

“… The random and gratuitous display of a series of anticipated gestures common in Manga and Anime. These gestures include such things as panty shots, leg spreads and glimpses of breast. "

- Keith Russel

The depiction of scenes from everyday life is just as typical, although the key sexual stimuli are used as a basis. These include the shower scenes that were widespread in the 1980s and 1990s, while more modern works usually use a trip to an onsen , a southern bathing beach or a modern leisure pool. The move away from the shower scene is justified, among other things, by the fact that easier fan service for female fans could also be built in. After all, both female and male characters could be shown interacting in such scenes.

Fan service can also be found in a similar way in Shōjo works, which are aimed at a female audience. For example, you can see “men with no upper bodies in tempting poses”. Homosexual implications, such as a casual kiss, are just as common. On the other hand, it is found in an intensified form in works with a homosexual background and also gains in hardness from the rather harmless Shōnen-Ai to the Yaoi . These are “works of art or scenes” in which “typically stylized characters in a homosocial / homoerotic context” are shown. Nevertheless, this type of fan service is described as far less aggressive and would also be more likely to be tolerated by censors than the fan service aimed at a male audience. Here, too, there are repeated efforts to appeal to a wider audience, so that the female characters are also eroticized in a certain way.

Background information

This is a kind of "technical" fan service. This includes detailed explanations and descriptions of scientific processes (so-called technobabble ), although they are often pure fantasy. This service is particularly widespread in science fiction productions such as Star Wars or Star Trek . The design of mechas or a scientific treatise on magic in a fantasy work can also be part of the fan service.

References to other works

Intertextual references are meant to be seen and understood by fans. They are supposed to trigger a feeling of appreciation in the fan who noticed this reference. After all, he perceived an (un) important detail that many others are unable to see.

Initially mainly found in works of Japanese origin, this type of fan service has become widely established and is increasingly being used in works that are aimed at a young audience or the whole family. In Shrek , for example, an upside-down kiss can be seen, which alludes to an almost identical scene in Spider-Man . In the anime television series Seitokai no Ichizon , on the other hand, one series is played on the other almost every second, while at the same time many clichés are picked up and parodied - a parody of the series itself.

Filling program

The fans are not only flattered in literary or cinematic works. Sports events also take advantage of this attraction and also show a filling program during the unattractive interruptions. Well-known are the cheerleaders , singing performances, appearances by the mascot or small competitions in American football or Japanese baseball , which offer the fans an entertainment program that is irrelevant for the game, but still keep them happy.

criticism

Opinions

For Christian McCrea, the Japanese animation studio Gainax is a prime example of an anime producer who knows how to incorporate fan service elements into his works and thus address the otaku . A meta level can be found in the works that contains many references to other works. But violence and supernatural influences are not neglected either. This really means supernatural abilities that allow the characters to survive almost hopeless situations or to increase in the course of the plot, which can sometimes take on absurd proportions. In Gurren Lagann, the opponents literally throw whole galaxies around their ears in the last few episodes , which in itself acts like a parody of their own work.
On the other hand, there is even a term for the deliberately wobbling bust size of female characters - the Gainax Bounce . This was particularly noticeable for the first time in the Gunbuster series from 1988 and 1989 and continued in many other works by the studio. For example, Yōko Rittonā , always scarcely clad , in whose lush bust the series mascot has nested, is no coincidental element in Gurren Lagann (2007).

Robin E. Brenner noted that too much fan service can also have the opposite effect and have a rather repulsive effect on the readership. In particular, this makes it difficult for a reader to make friends with shōnen manga, whereas a male reader experiences a shōjo manga similarly. However, fanservice is mostly criticized when it shows female characters. As an example, she cites Tenjo Tenge , which is a manga series that is bursting with fanservice. Although the plot is almost neglected, there is still an enthusiastic male audience. Carlo Santos describes this similarly and states that some anime have little more to offer than pure fan service as a reason to buy. An editor of Del Rey Manga expressed himself a little more sharply when he jokingly commented on the Manga Magister Negi Magi and said that it should be rated as "for immature readers 16+" rather than for "adult readers 16+".

For Keith Russel, on the other hand, fan service is the “aesthetics of the fleeting glance”, which is in contrast to gazing. This unconsciously leads the mind of the beholder to depict the “pleasurable possibilities” (themselves). Despite its unrealistic nature, he sees the fan service as something calming that is in harmony with the “freedom of desire”.

censorship

While there were almost no limits to fan service in Japan, when it comes to translations into other languages ​​it is still common practice to edit the works afterwards in order to make them suitable for the target audience. According to Mike Tatsugawa, it is common in the United States to make such changes because of cultural differences.

A revision of the youth protection ordinance was passed in Tokyo in 2010, which has been intended to ensure since April 1, 2011 that works showing sexual assault or extreme violence can no longer be exhibited in areas that are also accessible to minors. The vague formulations led to various disputes still taking place with the publishers, who see it as censorship and stayed away from the Tōkyō Kokusai Anime Fair 2011 in protest . In the meantime, a few works had to be taken off the shelves and anime were also briefly censored, but the situation remains rather confusing. Concerned parents reported the very revealing harem manga series To Love-Ru Darkness to the responsible authorities, but ultimately found them not to be harmful. It can still be found prominently on the sellers' stands and can be purchased by customers of all ages. The situation in Yosuga no Sora was similar , where the incestuous relationship was at the center of the allegations. But even here it was found that it was presented appropriately.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gō Nagai : エ ン サ イ ク ロ ペ デ ィ ア ・ キ ュ ー テ ィ ー ハ ニ ー . Keibunsha, Nakano 1999, ISBN 4-7669-3236-6 , pp. 28 (Japanese, although a scene relevant to the action is taking place in the foreground, the main character Honey Kisaragi is lying naked on the beach in the background of the shown panel 25 and is at the same time with the inscription " サ ー ビ ス カ ッ ト! 団 兵衛 が ジ ャ マ ...... " (" Fan service! Danbē [a character from the series] disturbs …… “) provided.).
  2. ↑ Grant Barrett: The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English: A Crunk Omnibus For Thrillionaires and Bampots For the Ecozoic Age . McGraw Hill, New York City 2006, ISBN 0-07-145804-2 , pp. 112 (English).
  3. ^ A b c Valérie-Inés de la Ville, Laurent Durup: Play, Creativity and Digital Cultures . In: Rebekah Willett, Muriel Robinson, Jackie Marsh (Eds.): Routledge Research in Education . tape 17 . Routledge, New York City 2009, ISBN 978-0-415-96311-4 , pp. 45-47 (English).
  4. ↑ Carrie Tucker: I Love Geeks: The Official Handbook . Adams Media, Avon, Mass. 2009, ISBN 978-1-60550-023-2 , pp. 75-76 (English).
  5. ^ Douglas Wolk: Reading comics: and what they mean. Da Capo, Cambridge, Mass. 2007, ISBN 978-0-306-81509-6 , pp. 6 (English, "... exactly what they want").
  6. ^ Ian Martin: Perfume "Fan Service ~ Prima Box". The Japan Times , March 14, 2008, accessed November 16, 2012 .
  7. ↑ a b c Keith Russel: The Glimpse and Fan Service: New Media, New Aesthetics . In: New Directions in the Humanities: A Family of Journals . tape 5 , no. 6 . Common Ground Publishing, June 15, 2009, ISSN  1447-9508 , p. 105-110 (English).
  8. ↑ a b Patrick W. Galbraith: The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan . Kodansha, 2009, ISBN 978-4-7700-3101-3 , pp. 69-70 .
  9. ↑ a b Robin E. Brenner: Understanding Manga and Anime . Libraries Unlimited, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59158-332-5 , pp. 295 .
  10. ↑ Robin E. Brenner: Understanding Manga and Anime . Libraries Unlimited, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59158-332-5 , pp. 88-92 .
  11. ↑ Patrick Drazen: Plastic Little: Not What You Think . In: Anime Explosion! The What, Why & Wow of Japanese Animation . Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, California 2002, ISBN 1-880656-72-8 , pp. 329 .
  12. ↑ Melinda Beasi: Fanservice Friday: A Girl's (G) Fantasy. In: Manga Bookshelf. November 5, 2010, accessed November 18, 2012 .
  13. ↑ Antonia Levi, Mark McHarry: Boys' Love Manga: Essays on the Sexual Ambiguity and Cross-Cultural Fandom of the Genre . Pagliassotti, Dru 2010, ISBN 978-0-7864-4195-2 .
  14. ↑ Chris Beveridge: Agent Aika Vol. # 1: Naked Missions. (No longer available online.) January 24, 2002, archived from the original on October 6, 2012 ; accessed on November 19, 2012 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mania.com
  15. ↑ Thomas Lamarre: Platonic Sex: Perversion and Shôjo Anime (Part One) . In: animation . tape 1 , 2006, p. 45-59 , doi : 10.1177 / 1746847706065841 .
  16. ^ Lois H. Gresh, Robert E. Weinberg: The Science of Superheroes . Wiley, 2002, ISBN 0-471-02460-0 , pp. 25-28 .
  17. ↑ K. Yoshino: Happiness and heart rate response: A case of fan services at japanese professional baseball games . In: Natural Science . tape 3 , p. 255-258 , doi : 10.4236 / ns.2011.33032 .
  18. ^ Christian McCrea: Explosive, Expulsive, Extraordinary: The Dimensional Excess of Animated Bodies . In: Swinburne University of Technology (Ed.): Animation (=  1 ). tape 3 , March 2008, p. 9-24 , doi : 10.1177 / 1746847708088732 .
  19. ^ Dani Cavallaro: The art of Studio Gainax: experimentation, style and innovation at the leading edge of anime . McFarland & Company, 2009, ISBN 978-0-7864-3376-6 .
  20. ↑ Robin E. Brenner: Understanding Manga and Anime . Libraries Unlimited, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59158-332-5 , pp. 89 .
  21. ↑ Carlos Santos: 2004 Year in Review: Anime Highlights. In: Anime News Network. January 26, 2005, accessed November 20, 2012 .
  22. ↑ Margaret O'Connell: San Diego Comic Con: The Manga Tsunami Multiplies. In: Sequential Tart. October 2004, accessed November 20, 2012 .
  23. ↑ Debbi Gardiner: Anime in America. In: J @ pan Inc Magazine. Japan Inc Communications, January 2003, accessed November 20, 2012 .
  24. ↑ Tokyo enacts restrictions on manga, anime. CBC / Radio-Canada , December 15, 2010, accessed November 20, 2012 .
  25. ↑ 第 622 回 東京 都 青少年 健全 育成 審議 会 . (PDF; 303 kB) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 2, 2012 ; Retrieved November 20, 2012 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.seisyounen-chian.metro.tokyo.jp

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