Ask John: Why Do Americans Resent Fan Service?
Question:
Why does the anime community show such contempt and/or resentment for anime aimed at guys?(I’m not just referring to ero anime, either.) I can’t help but notice that every male oriented anime release comes under heavy attack.
Answer:
I’m going to presume that the description “anime aimed at guys” refers to fan service heavy or possibly moé anime targeted at young adult male otaku, not shonen anime targeted at 10 year old boys. In the English speaking fan community, shonen anime like Naruto and Dragon Ball are sometimes criticized for being formulaic, overexposed, or entry level anime. However, there’s too much adoration for shonen anime for them to fit the description provided by the question. Exploitive, fan service heavy shows like Queen’s Blade, Akikan, Kanokon, Strike Witches, Koihime Muso, Princess Lover, and Sora no Otoshimono are typically the type of “guy” anime that’s most vehemently opposed by segments of the English speaking fan community. And, in fact, while not obvious, the reasons for this resentment are actually quite similar to the reasons why shonen anime is sometimes castigated. Objectively, the existence of exploitive anime isn’t the problem. The problem is the fact that exploitive anime contradicts the idealized image of anime that countless American fans cherish.
A major contributing reason for the popularity of anime among American viewers is its distinction from traditional American animation. The anime tendency to deal with character psychology, linear narratives, evolving character relationships, and real world circumstances and situations is typically quite different from mainstream American animation that avoids depicting complex psychology, abstract concepts, and adult concerns. Furthermore, anime typically utilizes an artistic visual design that appears more detailed, refined, and realistic than the visual design of typical American animation. As a result, American anime fans have an unconscious tendency to elevate anime – not to the status of legitimate art, but at least to a level equivalent to mainstream American live action programming. American anime fans want to respect anime and want to be respected for liking anime. The existence of exploitive, sexist anime compromises the perceived respectability of anime as a legitimate, adult medium. American anime fans can’t feel secure about praising the dignity, respectability, and artistic value of anime when mainstream shows like Queen’s Blade and Strike Witches are filled with giant naked breasts, gratuitous sexuality, and adolescent girls flashing their panties.
If all anime was like Death Note, Ristorante Paradiso, Aoi Hana, Paprika, and Studio Ghibli works, American anime fans could proudly exclaim their affection for and affiliation to the genre. There’d be no reason to be embarrassed about watching cartoons if all of the cartoons were mature, artistic, and dignified. But that’s not what anime really is. The aforementioned examples demonstrate that some anime is very dignified and respectable. But the purpose of anime is to be entertaining, thus there’s an equal amount of anime that’s shallow, lowbrow, gratuitous, and exploitive. And there are shows like Strike Witches and Kanamemo which manage to be intelligent and dramatic while still including plenty of fan service.
The American fan community’s resentment of fan service heavy anime is inevitable because exploitive anime contradict the ingrained American sensibility of what animation should and should not depict, and undermine the American fan community’s cherished, self-preservationist idealization of what anime should be rather than what anime is. Japan’s otaku community understands and accepts the diverse nature of anime, thus there’s little opposition to the prevalence of exploitive anime from Japan’s fan community. America’s fan community opposes exploitive – particularly sexually gratuitous – anime because this type of anime undermines the American fans’ self respect. American fans don’t like to admit to watching cartoons. Casually watching a few is acceptable and normal, but being obsessed with cartoons is weird and childish. If all anime was intellectual and artistic, American fans could cite justified reason for their fascination. It’s not weird or childish to watch intelligent, artistic animation. But the existence of philistine anime pokes holes in the veil of respectability.
I’m sure that some of the American resentment of vulgar anime is rooted in genuine moral objection. I think that more of it, however, is rooted in a pervasive subconscious American misperception of anime. Americans want anime to be respectable and praiseworthy in accordance with American moral and social standards. But anime isn’t American and doesn’t care about consistently living up to inflated, idealized American standards. So American anime fans express their frustration over that discrepancy by attacking the most obvious offenders – the anime that are impertinently indecorous. The American fans that like these shows accept them as they are and don’t feel no personal embarrassment over enjoying gratuitously ignoble cartoons. The American fans that typically resent and criticize these shows are the fans offended by the fact that profane, uncouth productions corrupt the purity of their idealization of anime, and compromise their personal self-image as people that don’t watch “cartoons” but do watch mature animation.
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…and then there are fanservice-heavy anime that are just plain bad…
This concept definitely decides the true fans from the fad fans. I’m not embarrassed about watching anime. I’ve never regarded it as a form of “cartoons” outside of sarcastic reference and correct people who use the wrong term. Having been a fan for twelve years, I can vouch for John’s obvious assessment: not all anime is artistic and mature. There’s some downright bad anime. Yet even the medicore offerings are better than some of the most popular American animation, and most anime can be considered at least good, not something that can be said about other forms of media. It’s one of the things I like about anime: there seems to be more thought put into it.
It’s really annoying to think those teens running around in conventions in full Naruto garb screeching half-remembered Japanese words and talking obsessively about which character they think it “hawt” will one day shun anime, but that’s just how it goes I guess. Then again, this is coming from a guy whose goal is to be one of those graying, fat old nerds with the faded Bubblegum Crisis t-shirt you see trolling around cons every now and again, so what do I know?
It kind of seems like a condradiction to shoot down anime aimed at adults (well, in American anyway) with a heavy fan service element while carrying on about how mature anime is. You never see animation like this in mainstream America (the likes of Family Guy and the like don’t really count since sex is used as purely a comedic effect and the women aren’t designed to be desirable), so you’d think this would be enough for these fans to take home. Personally, I think the sexual and occasional gross-out parts of anime are handled with more respect and maturity than the latest American Pie movie these naysayers will no doubt run off to see and hype up to their friends, but I’m not going to start going into a rant about the artistic merits of Ping Pong Club.
While I can agree with most of John’s reply, I think the original question is a bit too broad to answer under the definition of “fan service”.
Big breasts in anime? Scanitly clad ladies? Come on, this stuff has been around for decades. Certainly it can’t be an issue today.
I believe there’s an element under “fan service” which puts people on the spot to defend themselves on why they like anime: the underage panty shot.
Face it, most people can accept nudity in a form not truly meant for prime time airing. Most of these “fan service” shows air late night in Japan, so there’s obviously some level of separating out the audience.
But throw in what looks like a little girl, and the rules change. Quite a bit of anime is under fire today for also being nothing but “moe”, and putting both “fan service” and “moe” together makes it damn near impossible to justify a reason for liking its story alone.
This explosion of recent “moe” series is causing problems for fans. I’m sure most wouldn’t have an issue if such deliberate panty shots/nudity of young looking girls was removed and would give them a much better defense using the story.
Because no one’s going to stop long enough to understand the story when they’re fixated on seeing a young looking girl placed in a position to which the sole purpose is sexual in nature.
Anyone here who thinks they can defend the need for Shana (Shakugan no Shana) to undress given her appeared age is a better person than I am. Sure, young girls change their clothes, but do we really need to see it?
I feel the original questioner’s position, because if I were to ever re-watch Popotan, I’ll be damn sure I’m the only one in the house. No way in hell could I ever, ever explain why Mii, who looks to be 10, is dancing around showing her panties and barely developed chest.
I’ve a feeling the story won’t matter, given it took a back seat to the blatant bath scenes. What story is there to defend?
Once the “moe” series quits hitting our shores, much of this “fan service” issue goes away.
Because Cutey Honey was around long before this became an issue for today’s fans.
1) Bluntly, much of the fan service in anime would be illegal if our laws were actually enforced — which see the moe discussion above by Petrified Jello. I am _shocked_ that, by now, some legislator hasn’t tried to get certain (if not all) anime banned.
2) In almost all cases, it shows laziness on the part of the creators. I mean, of what need is a story in what is, materially, porn?
I for one have no problem with fanservice series cause i’m a major junkie for over the top fanservice,even those so called bad ones are actually good if you ask me.
Unfortunately what starcade said was true.There was a real mess when series like mad bull 34 and movies like ninja scroll that gave anime such a rep and some lawmakers wanted to ban those type of anime if not all anime to prevent it from ‘harming our kids”, and those directors cut and original uncut version of Kite and Mezzo Forte didn’t help either.thouhg i loved those series,the bad rep however wasnt welcomed. Some said that it’s these these of anime that caused the birth of anime killer compaines like 4kids and nelvana to aim them to younger audience. good for lawmakers and parents,but bad for the us otaku.
in short, there’s a real double edge sword for over the top fanservice series. However fanservice harem series like ken akamastu’s negima hasn’t recieved any of that heat for both it’s manga and it’s ova version. so there might be some hope for ecchi series and fanservice series if those fools at congress dont try to butt in of course.
Since this discussion is moving into darker waters, before I throw two more of my cents in, I have to put up a disclaimer that exploitation of real children is wrong and people who cross that line should deserve any legal action that comes down on them.
In this case, there’s nothing to prosecute because there’s really nothing illegal going on. That said, sadly there has been prosecution; see the Christopher Handley case. This is a case really about overzealous blowhards inflicting their morals on people and how “laws” can be made up if you get enough righteously indignant people to back you up.
What people seem to keep forgetting is these depictions of underage fan service are completely fictitious. They’re drawings. It never happened in real life. No child was exploited in the creation of these bits of fan service. It’s all fantasy, and when you start telling people what they’re allowed to think about, it’s basically all over from there.
Since moe anime are drawings, they theoretically fall under the First Amendment. I say theoretically while hinting at Handley’s plight. If you start outlawing this type of anime and manga, you have to outlaw any artwork that depicts children in possibility-exploitive ways, including those you find in museums that are considered respected pieces of art.
The next argument is what if moe encourage someone to act out the content they display on a real child? This is just stupid. Remember when the mass media was trying to link DOOM to school shootings back in 1999? If there was a point-for-point relation to violent games to real-life massacre, most of the millions of DOOM players would have acted it out, and the country would be a wasteland by now. If a fictitious work forces someone to commit a heinous act, that person needs psychological care, because if it wasn’t one trigger, it’s another.
Moe aside, titles like Mad Bull 34 (great show, by the way) and Ninja Scroll are safe from a ban because they’re certainly not illegal. Showing them to children might be possibly (check out the story of the recent Dragon Ball manga constroversy), but the anime itself is fine, and it’s up to the parents to do their jobs and make sure their kids don’t get a hold of these titles (what are the chances?). If Hollywood producers can produce Saw movies, we can have our anime. If you ban these titles because of content, you must ban all movies with similar content.
Therefore, moe should be clear because a real child wasn’t exploited in the process. If you find this distasteful, don’t watch it, but you have to allow it, or else you have to ban everything similar to it.
Starcade: I take offense on the behalf of manga and anime creators with the second statement. They’re simply producing the kinds of material they want. There are other ways of being lazy, and while exploitation certainly could generate the most success to one audience, it will alienate another. All anime doesn’t have to be deep, and sometimes mass amounts of fan service is entertaining in its own right. However, not all nudity/sexuality is porn, a discussion I’m not getting into any deeper.
Shortly: too many U.S. people are narrow-minded religious fundamentalists, or are brainwashed to share their values not understanding why. Some try to look cool, but are stupid losers, not knowing how to think for themselves.
“starcade” is one of those. All moralists should do something to protect children or women in real world, not in fiction where no human has been harmed.
Why don`t those sex hysterical moralists never worry about violence?
Answer: they LOVE violence.