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Fan service (ファンサービス,fan sābisu),fanservice orservice cut (サービスカット,sābisu katto)[1][2] is material in a work of fiction or in a fictional series that is intentionally added to please the audience,[3] often sexual in nature, such as nudity.[4][5] The termoriginated in Japanese[6][7] in theanime and manga fandom, but has been used in other languages and media. It is about "servicing" the fan[8]—giving the fans "exactly what they want".[9] Fan service can also refer (by means oftext, symbol, image, sound) to other stories[3][10] that contain visual elements.
When anime and manga were translated into English byU.S. companies, the original work was often edited to remove some of the fan service, making it more appropriate for U.S. audiences.Mike Tatsugawa explained this change as a result of a difference between thecultural values of Japan and the U.S.[11][better source needed]
Today, especially outside anime and manga, the term has expanded to hold a wider meaning. This includes any elements, be it visual nods, referencing older or forgotten media related to material, plot detours or otherwise, that are not needed by the actual plot or character development, but are included as nods to, or pandering to the long-term fans of the material, especially in context of sequels or prequels, or laterseasons of series.[12]Taylor Swift has been referred to as a "ringmaster of fan service" for her use of cryptic clues in her lyrics and accompanying media.[13]
Keith Russell regards the beginning of modern fan service as taking place in a permissive context, when "kids were just doing kids' stuff", which he believes allowed authors some latitude in regards to their subject matter.[14] Beginning in the 1970s withCutie Honey and continuing later with othermagical girl shows, fan service in manga became morerisqué. By the 1980s, full frontal nudity andshower scenes became standard content for anime and manga fan service.[5][15] Inthe West, obscenity laws and rating systems (such as theComics Code Authority in the United States or theMPAA rating system, which replaced the Hays Code for film ratings) prevent or limit unnecessary displays of nudity in films and comic books. Bikini shots andtopless scenes were still popular forms of audience arousal. In the 1983 filmReturn of the Jedi,Carrie Fisher portrayed the character ofPrincess Leia wearing ametal bikini and chains while enslaved to the gangsterJabba the Hutt. This was an attempt to feminize the character and appeal to boys' fantasies.[16][17] Some critics say that by portraying Leia as the object of desire to a crude monster, the film is reflecting the crude fantasies of its audience.[18]
Long shots of robots inmecha shows, sexual elements, violent episode-longfight scenes and emphasis onshipping can all be considered fan service as they are specifically aimed at pleasing the fans of any given show.[5][self-published source?][4][self-published source?] Christian McCrea feels thatGainax is particularly good at addressingotaku through fan service by adding many "meta-references" and by showing "violence andhyperphysical activity".[19] Baseball teams provide events that are described inJapan as fan service, such as dance shows, singing theteam song or a performance by the team mascot.[20]
The typical, but not only, variety of fan service in anime or manga is racy,sexual orerotic content, which may or may not includenudity or fetish content[5][4][better source needed] (for example,maid costumes). Fan service is especially common inshonen manga (aimed at boys). In shounen manga,pin-up girl style images are common "in varying states of undress", often using an "accidental exposure" excuse to show a favourite female character[21] or anupskirt "glimpse of a character's panties".[22] Series aimed at an older audience include more explicit fan service.[21] Jiggling breasts, known as the "Gainax bounce", are an example of fan service,[23] originating[citation needed] from the opening scene ofDaicon IV. The "bounce" was taken up by other animators, including the creators of thehentai seriesCream Lemon.[24] Shower scenes[4] are very common inmovies and in anime of the 1980s and 1990s,[example needed] whereas many more recentTV series use trips toonsen (Japanesehot springs) or trips totropical locales (or in some cases a swimming pool) in order to showcase the characters inbathing suits. Series aimed at males can also include fan service for women, as an attempt to court a wider audience.[25]
Keith Russell defines fan service as "the random and gratuitous display of a series of anticipated gestures common in Manga and Anime. These gestures include such things aspanty shots, leg spreads and glimpses of breast". Russell regards fan service as being anaesthetic of the transient "glimpse", which he contrasts with thegaze, as it takes the mind unaware and open to "libidinous possibility" without mediation. He considers the fan serviceobject to be reassuring in its unrealistic nature and to be confirming the "freedom of desire".[14]
Shoujo manga, aimed at female readers, also includes fan service, such as showing male characters "half-naked and in enticing poses". Robin Brenner notes that in the US comics culture, fan service aimed at women is rare, and also that in Japan, series can be famous for their fan service content.[21] Chris Beveridge explains this mindset withAgent Aika: "There's some sort of plot in there, but that's not the reason you're watching it. ... we're watching this for the sheer amount of fanservice."[26]Male homoeroticism, such as accidental kisses, is a common feature of fan service for women and has been described as "easier to get away with" in terms of censorship than fan service for males.[27] In theBoys' Love genre, fan service is "artwork or scenes" in products that "depict canonical characters in ahomosocial /homoerotic context".[28] Shoujo manga series may eroticise its female leads as well for crossover appeal, as fan service aimed at a potential male audience.[29]
Brenner notes that fan service can be offputting to some teen readers, as in a male reading shoujo manga or a female reading shounen manga and that in general fan service is more criticised by some when it features a female character. She citesTenjo Tenge as an example of a fan service–laden series. When the series waslocalised, a large amount of this fan service was removed, leading to outcry from fans.[21]
fan service.
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