I’m going to take their words of wisdom as a threat; nevertheless, I agree wholeheartedly.
The topic of fanservice in Japanese animation has been a longstanding debate. Despite the somewhat loose definition of the term, Western tourists have been particularly vocal about their view that fanservice in anime is problematic.
You’ll undoubtedly encounter the same individuals engagement farming by creating similar posts on social media, often outright criticizing anime adaptations for having “too much” fanservice.
These individuals often conflate the genre of “ecchi” with fanservice, demonizing the concept as a whole to push the narrative that anime fans are the enemy who must never be catered to.
More often than not, many tourists will be up in arms about an ecchi franchise having “too much fanservice,” which is misguided. Ecchi is a genre/tag that specifically means this kind of content is the selling point and main draw.
Complaining about an ecchi anime for featuring explicit content is like saying a battle shounen, the usual genre of anime such people watch extensively as having fight scenes to be considered fanservice.
High School DxD for example showing Rias Gremory in a bikini isn’t fanservice; it’s simply the anime delivering what it promises because it’s an ecchi series.
The concept of what truly defines fanservice is broader. “Fanservice” specifically refers to when a product goes out of its way to include elements solely to please avid viewers and fans.
Take Metroid, for example. The games are atmospheric, dreary, and deadly serious, with the main character clad in bulky armor. However, if you beat the games under the right conditions, you’re rewarded with a glimpse of what the protagonist looks like beneath all that armor.
Fanservice can be considered “ecchi,” but not all ecchi is inherently fanservice. Most anime adaptations that these critics get riled up about for objectifying women or being overly sexualized are primarily targeting male demographics, whether teenagers or young adult men.
Naturally, series designed to cater to these audiences will feature aspects such as nudity, beach scenes, shower scenes, and other similar content.
It’s not difficult to understand why many anime series feature beach episodes. Since the majority of anime viewers are men, and men enjoy seeing attractive girls having fun, beach episodes serve multiple purposes for the target audience.
The issue I have with these fuckers is that if they respected ecchi as a genre, it would invalidate their arguments. Whenever someone complains about “fanservice,” I feel compelled to point out the prominent “Ecchi” tag of the series they’re whining about.
In an ecchi series, fanservice would typically involve seeing characters who rarely interact share a scene together. Ecchi anime often focus on presenting tits and ass to the viewer, so a quiet moment where two girls have a genuine heart-to-heart and take a break from the ecchi content would be considered fanservice, Senran Kagura comes to mind.
They got exactly what was advertised, so it’s their own fault for not paying attention. They hate having their ignorance exposed, but they hate even more that something they disapprove of is allowed to exist.
Conflating ecchi with fanservice in general to claim that fans are the problem for wanting this content is the tactic they resort to, because they aren’t fans of Japanese anime whatsoever more rather they’re just pampered westerners who like to play the victim.
Imagine my surprise when influential figures associated with Studio Trigger, one of the most respected animation studios, openly declare that fanservice in anime is essential.
Studio Trigger is renowned for producing anime with numerous ecchi scenes, such as Kill la Kill, Panty and Stocking, Darling in the Franxx, and When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace which is an underrated adaptation in my eyes.
Japanese website Febri interviewed Kazuki Nakashima, a writer at Studio Trigger, and director Hiroyuki Imaishi. During the interview, Nakashima jokingly mentioned that a scene where someone spies on another taking a bath would likely be prohibited today unless there’s a compelling reason, such as a character’s life being at risk.
He then shared his perspective on fanservice.
“We’re making a commercial work, so we want the audience to see it. I don’t care if they say, ‘I don’t get it,’ but I don’t want them to feel unnecessarily uncomfortable. On the other hand, if we make the work completely sterile, people’s immunity will be weakened, and they will all die. Therefore, there is a way of thinking that we should dare to take on the stigma and transmit harmful things to the public.”
Laughing, they continued discussing fanservice: ‘We do it with the high aspiration that ‘this is necessary for the immunity of human beings.’ We’ll never be appreciated for it, but we’re willing to go out in disgrace for the sake of humanity. There is a way to do it with that kind of feeling (laughs).’ Imaishi added, ‘Be that as it may, I don’t want to perish if I can help it.’
“Kill la Kill” was the first televised anime series by Studio Trigger and became one of the most popular anime of the last decade. It ranks 55th out of over 20,000 anime on MyAnimeList, with 1.7 million members.
Kill la Kill also marked the start of a series of original works from Trigger, which is now renowned for its consistent aesthetic of loose, dynamic art across all its anime.
Their titles include the popular “Darling in the Franxx,” known for its share of “fanservice” scenes, and “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,” which successfully revitalized CD Projekt’s struggling game.
However, “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners” faced backlash from some Western audiences over the inclusion of Rebecca, a loli character. Despite CD Projekt Red’s initial desire to remove her in line with their western ESG standards, Studio Trigger insisted that “the loli must stay.”
Currently, Studio Trigger is airing “Delicious in Dungeon,” but I can’t help but laugh at their interview where they effectively argue that fanservice is essential for humanity’s survival.
