So far in this series of articles, I have gone over terms that are typically used in conjunction with frustrations aimed at what is perceived as lazy writing in regards to characters as well as other aspects of an anime (any medium really) including story. Typically when someone is irritated and hasn’t the time, energy, or mental capacity to really articulate their feelings, they can fall back on buzzwords to attempt to describe their opinions towards one thing or another. While this is certainly an acceptable form of expression, this can, of course, lead to misunderstandings when those words are used incorrectly or the readers themselves don’t understand the true meaning of the word, and thus the opinion is lost.

This is incredibly true in regards to the topic of this article, fanservice, whose definition has been practically cut in half in an effort to minimalize the complexities of the phenomena that the word refers to. Beyond that, only certain genres of anime tend to be forgiven for “fanservice” while others are not, which is partially based on the lighter tones of these shows though they can still be hampered by it. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s define what fanservice really is.

Fanservice is exactly what the term implies, “an element added to a piece of media to service the fans.”[1] Typically, anime fans use this word to refer exclusively to unneeded sexual elements in a show. Usually these kinds of elements (excessive nudity, panty shots, lewd angles, skimpy outfits, heavy sexual overtones, etc.) are displayed through the females of a show, and it can range from a bathing suit competition[2] to full on sexual sounds and motions without any explicit sexual conduct[3] (NSFW). Although some shows attempt to cater to the straight female audience with series like Free! they are few and far between, and most any fanservice for women is usually in yaoi-bait or pandering to the crowd of girls that like to watch gay boys being fetishized. Other than shows that fit under the harem genre with some typically action-oriented outliers (Highschool of the Dead,) sexual fanservice is almost universally panned. It’s addition into nearly any show that does not focus on comedic romantic elements or sexual jokes almost always detracts from the tone of a show, and at worse can turn a viewer away completely if it becomes distracting enough.

Sexual fanservice is not the only kind of fanservice. Since the definition is so broad, and certainly doesn’t even mention hormonal pandering, it’s really a wonder why anime fans and critics seem to use the term exclusively for bouncing breasts. Fanservice can also mean referential material, like making a nod to another anime that the artists or writers may have been heavily influenced by. Adding an element from a different show usually is meant to be a sign of respect, or an attempt to make the fans feel good for being able to recognize this “insider symbol” because they understand what it means and where it’s from. Too much of something can become a detriment, however, and this counts for referential fanservice as well. A show constantly making nods to outside sources, be they completely different works or even its own works, can make the viewer lose focus (unless that’s the main draw of the show, like Gintama.) It can leave the impression that the show is so busy making references that it loses respect and attention to what it originally set out to do, and in more extreme cases, a sequel may make so many nods to its original that it almost seems like the writers wish their show or movie was as good as the old one. Referential fanservice is a bit more covert, since not every viewer is going to necessarily get an Evangelion reference in a show that features giant fighting girls, or in a show about a shooter-based MMO, but it can still be distracting like it’s titilating counterpart.

All of this feels fairly vague, though. When does the amount of fanservice become too much, sexual or otherwise? Barring the limits garnered by personal taste, as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, the gray area between a show losing focus and a show referencing or using sexualized imagery well is fairly easy to notice. While some fanservice can arguably go either way in terms of distracting or appropriate, those situations seem rare within the community, and typically a large majority will side one way or the other. Let us look at two shows that we can use as having examples of both sexual as well as referential fanservice to see how they are utilized.

Both of the above shows, Sword Art Online II and Bakemonogatari, have referential fanservice (to the same show in some cases) as well as sexual fanservice. Their tones in terms of writing are vastly different, as is the imagery, directing, and general style. You would probably even be hard pressed to find someone that unironically liked both of these shows because of how far away they are in terms of target audience (to a degree.) What these shows have in common, however, is sexual fanservice for girls in the show, as well as references to other shows (and in SAO II’s case, a few to the previous season) with varying degrees of success. Let’s begin with the sexual fanservice:

Here we have two of the girls that are primarily focused on in the season of their respective shows. In the first scene, from Sword Art Online II, Sinon is changing to a different set of armor in-game in front of Kirito thinking, due to his feminine avatar and forced feminine vocal pitch, that he is a girl. He stops her and confesses his true sex and, after a long awkward pause of showing them both embarrassed, she finally smacks him and kicks him out. In the above scene for Bakemonogatari, Senjougahara has showered and his walking about her house naked in order to get her underwear and clothes despite Araragi’s presence. He is embarrassed and avoiding looking at her while she surreptitiously asks him whether her patterned underwear could be considered “emaculate.” During this scene we get expository information about Senjougahara’s character and her living arrangements and the way that she regards both herself and Araragi, at least in these specific terms. She teases Araragi about being subservient and a virgin as she gets dressed.

Aside from obvious personality differences between the girls, and thus their impact on the scene itself, they were both sexualized during these scenes. While it’s arguable that being partially nude served little to no purpose in and of itself for both, the writing and use of the scenes by themselves is stark. In SAO II, the scene is meant to be played for laughs. It serves the purpose of ending Kirito’s charade as a girl to gain Sinon’s trust and serves to negate any trust they established completely (as was bound to occur) as well as giving Sinon a reason to dislike and distrust Kirito, which serves as a new hurdle for them to get over. While the purpose of the scene is favorable in terms of story progression, many critics say the fanservice in the scene was unnecessary and awkward rather than humorous, and it only served to fetishize a character who has had her “assets” focused on too much already. It hurt Sinon as a character in order to cause drama in the show when this kind of development (Kirito’s charade as a girl coming to an end) could have been handled much better and achieved many different ways.

In Bakemonogatari, the fanservice is still a bit unwarranted, but it doesn’t hurt Senjougahara’s character like the previous scene did for Sinon. Senjougahara flaunts her sexuality here as a show of power over Araragi, her dominance being an important part of her character and their relationship. Her nudity here could be a vulnerability, but her aloof regard for Araragi’s eyes as well as her nakedness eradicates any possibility of her seeming weak. Since Bakemonogatari is primarily dialogue driven, the conversation they have over the scene is also more important to what is technically going on on-screen (as is with the majority of scenes in Bakemonogatari) so the viewer’s attention may stray but is typically kept attentive to what the characters are saying versus what they are necessarily doing. While Senjougahara has shown her dominance over Araragi in various ways already, as well as the important dialogue they have in this scene (establishing an agreement to help her with her problem) could have been done without the nudity, it is still technically utilized here to further establish a dynamic between the two characters rather than left as only eye candy, which is commendable.

Sexual fanservice is pretty easy to write off, especially since most writers don’t typically utilize it to help the narrative. It’s normally there as a distraction or a cheap way to get the attention of straight male viewers, which is hardly clever writing or directing. As is the case in Bakemonogatari, it can still be utilized effectively in order to progress a story or a relationship between characters (despite the sequel seasons getting worse in terms of useless fanservice.) Sexualization usually isn’t felt to be necessary in most genres, which is understandable, given that it is associated with harem shows where up-skirt shots and clever censorship is both expected and desired. While usually more subtle and respected, referential fanservice can be a bit more distracting, if blatant and random or frequent enough.

The above are examples of referential fanservice from the same shows, though not presented the same way. It’s fairly difficult to find a visual reference in Bakemonogatari since it’s so simplistic and consists of a lot of quick shots, the bulk of its references is in its dialogue. Whereas with Sword Art Online II, the visuals are much more important, so if any references are made it is more than likely going to be placement of characters or objects in a scene.

Between these two examples, SAO II is much more subtle in its reference, though it’s incredibly clear for anyone who has seen Evangelion. Barring my personal feelings about either show, the reference is fine. The pair are on their way to the Bullet of Bullets tournament and this quick scene follows their expositional discussion about that tournament with slight foreshadowing on Sinon’s part to a personal trauma. The two characters are distant and distrusting, now on both fronts, and the placement could be considered appropriate in this regard, since Asuka greatly distrusts Rei and lashes out at her in the elevator scene. In SAO II, however, the elevator scene only exists to make the reference, since it does little to further the plot or the relationship between the two characters. It’s the purest form of fan service, needless and just to make the fans happy.

Bakemonogatari doesn’t fair much better, though just by a sliver. Referencing “Equivalent Exchange” and then listing a few of ingredients is calling back to Fullmetal Alchemist and the principals behind alchemy in that universe, as well as ingredients for the human body (initially) which also deals with the main characters’ backstory. Of course, Senjougahara changes the ingredients half way through to make a joke to make fun of Araragi. This is significantly less worked in as the sexual fanservice from earlier, and just about as needless as the reference in SAO II, but in a way it could be looked at as another example of the dynamic between Araragi and Senjougahara. Either way, ascribing too much meaning to either reference would be felating the writer too much, as they could easily be left out and nothing would happen to the story.

While I personally was incredibly distracted by SAO II‘s elevator shot, and even irritated, I’m incredibly biased towards both of those shows. I hold almost polar opinions, and my reaction likely stemmed from SAO‘s history through the two seasons of making references to Evangelion, almost with an air of both humility and ideas of equality.

Before I continue on that line of thinking, let’s briefly talk about the difference between an homage or reference and a rip-off. While referential scenes or homage elements in a work are positive examples of influence, a rip-off is an attempt to take something desirable from a scene, element, or property and recreate it for the purposes of passing it off as your own, or the feeling it invokes as being original. I have heard many fans proclaiming that certain references are rip-offs, and this is even more true when it comes to a something you don’t like referencing something you do like. One huge example among anime fans is the bathtub scene from Perfect Blue recreated shot for shot in Requiem for a Dream.

The amount of people that call this a rip-off is astounding.* Both movies are dark and psychological, and the care that it took to recreate this scene is nothing to snuff at. The overall timing for the scene within the film as well as the specific composition and framing of the shots took considerable study and care. This is a reference at its best, one that not only would make fans of both feel good that the director acknowledged a work that was important to them, but framed it in the film so that the scene also worked narratively and for character development.

Returning to SAO, in the Alfheim arc of the first season of Sword Art Online, Kirito’s losing fight against an army of enemy NPCs and his being stabbed and reaching upwards[4] was a blatant reference to The End of Evangelion at the end of Asuka’s epic fight scene[5] (major spoilers). But it felt less like an homage of sorts and more of a parallel, possibly putting the two scenes and circumstances side by side and saying that they were close to the same. That idea, to me, is both hilarious and almost offensive, not only in terms of distance between the two shows in regards to narrative intention and depth, but also due to the stakes of both scenes (rescuing someone in a game where you are not in mortal danger versus the threat of not only being killed, but the entirety of humanity being wiped out.) The elevator scene in SAO II felt random and useless, sure, but it was nice regardless of my initial reaction. It was a quick nod to a show that the director (or whomever decided to put it in) clearly felt influenced by and wanted to show it. The scene from Alfheim, on the other hand, nearly felt like pulling the idea straight from the movie in an attempt to harness the drama, anguish, and desperation of Asuka, but resulting only in failure. I would, personally, consider that a rip-off, but given the other much more tasteful reference later on, I’m not so sure anymore. Regardless, the scene from Requiem for a Dream has been called out as a rip-off (even the elevator scene in SAO II has been called as such) which is wholly untrue and, more than likely, just a knee-jerk reaction from fans that didn’t find any positive representation in the call back.

Fanservice is a large aspect of appeal in terms of anime, and its pervasiveness within the industry has made it a topic of major discussion among fans and critics, both in good terms as well as negative ones. While the utilization of sexual fanservice has helped to propel the popularity of shows that tend to focus on harems or comedy to the point of it spawning other tropes (the hotspring/beach episode that is expected in most anime, etc.) referential fanservice is still the most positively regarded type of fanservice, despite it not usually being described as “fanservice.” For those that understand the meaning of the word, it can be frustrating talking to fans that only know the shortened, or halved, definition. Regardless of your own ideas or opinions regarding this controversial subject, it’s certainly true that fanservice of all kinds will remain firmly rooted in the anime industry and will continue to leave a lasting impression on the fan community as well.

This is a multi-part series of posts that has had two installations already. Thank you so much to everyone that has given me feedback, and I will endeavor to continue to utilize the advise that you recommend to me.

Sources:

Cover image came from Reddit

[1] – Fan Service – Wikipedia

[2] – Tenchi Universe Bathing Suit Competition – Youtube

[3] – To Love Ru Popsicle Scene (NSFW) – Youtube

[4] – The Grand Quest – Youtube

[5] – Asuka’s Final Fight – Youtube

*It has come to my attention, thanks to redditor Doom46 that Darren Aronofsky (the director of Requiem for a Dream) purchased the rights to Perfect Blue in order to recreate the bath tub scene that I mentioned. Due to their being no official credit to Satoshi Kon nor Perfect Blue in the credits for Requiem for a Dream, though he technically doesn’t need to refer to anyone for the credit because he owns the rights, it still would have been respectful to do so. Therefore, this example can go either way or be weirdly counted as both an homage and rip-off, depending on your opinion.