Fan Service – What I think…

I accept it whole-heartedly.

OK, if that’s all you’re willing to read, then that’s fine, too. But for those who are interested in knowing my view, well –

Oddly, before Ninja Scroll and for few years after Ninja Scroll, I knew nothing about fan service…WHAT? I’M SERIOUS! DON’T WALK AWAY IN DISGUST!

Number of jack offs due to fan service in shows: at that time, 0.

Look, when I was a child I watched Doraemon TV series and manga. If you consider Shizuka’s panties (sometimes appear in the Doraemon manga…don’t ask) are fan service, then obvious I was bullshitting in the previous sentence. But for me, I really didn’t think about fan service at all. In fact, I did not know that term until someone you couldn’t have guessed alerted me to that term.

But back up a little bit. I saw Doraemon the TV series and the manga, plus Fist of the North Star and Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z manga, as well as a couple of short series that weren’t famous at all, when I was a kid. Even in the ’80s, there were fan service in these manga, as Bulma’s panties and even her bare ass was shown in the Dragon Ball manga and well, there were some other stuff. But once again, I didn’t think about fan service and I didn’t jack off or thinking anything sexually as I would now for porn. Honestly, after all, I was just a six-grade elementary school brat. I even got censored porno manga, but I remember I didn’t quite know what that meant for me. I took that to school and I was told not to bring them again, but that was it. This was in ’80s Taiwan.

Again, I was an elementary school kid. I didn’t know much.

Number of jack offs due to fan service in shows: 0, of course. Because my body didn’t produce the good stuff yet!

I saw Ninja Scroll in University in the US – that was many years after and I was fully American then. The memories of elementary school days faded or were deeply hidden in the back of my mind as I worried about things that average American college dudes would worry about. You know, dating, school work (really?), and others. That was in 1995. I got baptized on a summer day in 1994, and from that day on, my thoughts on sex was never the same.

Of course Ninja Scroll was quite exotic and attractive. Did I jack off to that? No. The molesting part was not sexy; it was grotesque and I felt really awful for Kuniochi (the Ninja woman).

Number of jack offs due to fan service in shows: surprisingly, 0.

After that, my first full and completed series was Sailor Moon. Again, I knew nothing about fan service and again, if you consider the transformation process of Sailor Moon and her friends fan service, then I obviously am bullshitting you. But the truth is, I watched Sailor Moon without hentai thoughts. It was an anime aimed toward girls after all.

Some years later I did look for Sailor Moon hentai drawings (blasphemous! I am a heretic! Burn me at the stake!).

Next, I watched Gundam Wing. Again, that wasn’t a fan service show, I guess except for yaoi/BL obsessed girls. But I’m a guy, and Gundam Wing was a pure mecha action show for me.

I think though I’m not sure, but around that time, I think I saw my first “Fan service” show. Or maybe it was some years later, when I learned about internet fan subs and torrents.

Thanks, Agent Aika, for introducing me to real fan service.

Number of jack offs due to fan service in shows: still 0. Yes, stunning, isn’t it?

But the man who explained the term “fan service” to me, and in an odd way, helped to introduce me to the power of the dark side, though he doesn’t like fan service much and really don’t appreciate it, is our very own Mike.

Number of jack offs due to fan service in shows: ask me at this point and I’ll kill you.

I watched Eva. I heard Misato (Kotono)’s episode preview, but I didn’t understand that. Until that one fated day…

Mike:”…Eva yada yada yada…symbolism yada yada yada…intense emotions yada yada yada…fan service…”

Me: “What is fan service?”

Mike: “Do you know about the ‘Gainax Bounce?'”

Me: “What is the Gainax Bounce?’ I know about the bouncing breasts in Dead or Alive, but…”

And there I was, at the gate to Mordor, brought about by someone who did not even appreciate the powers of the ring. From that day forth, that one ring had a name, and its name was “fan service”. Or as Misato so fondly puts it: “Saabisu saabisuu!”

Remember to raise your intonation at the end of the second word if you’re fond of imitating Misato. I know you guys are out there.

I have not purposedly avoided fan service shows since then, in fact, I have welcomed them. After all, for a lonely, single Otaku since the age of 12 (I actually went to my prom with a decent looking girl), seeing cute girls being all nice and embarrassed is not something I want to pass. But I didn’t know at what point I became Otaku.

Number of jack offs due to fan service in shows: hmm…does hentai count?

I skipped some important details of why I become not as prude and slowly stop caring that watching these things are tempting, but that’s personal and confidential.

I don’t have an appetite for these things now…COME ON! AT LEAST BELIEVE ME FOR ONCE! I mean, if I see an anime with title that suggests fan service content, or something that I saw fan service in the preview, or something I sense fan service in, such as Rosario to Vampire, I don’t go out of my way to avoid them.

Yes, I’ll go watch it to escape my reality as “yuuta” (if you read Video Girl AI manga you know what that means), yes, I sometimes even seek them out because they’re interesting to me, to say the least. Some are more stimulating, some aren’t. I really don’t care to get into an argument about what I said before in comments and articles and what I’m saying now or if they’re contrasting views or whatever the hell you think. I’m tired as it is and I careth not for my mistakes made with the ring on.

Number of jack offs due to fan service in shows: in a pure fan service show pretty much in the territory of soft core porn? 1.

The bottom line?

It ain’t never bothered me as much as it probably does for some people; I appreciate its existence but it isn’t integral to my life or my anime watching experience.

What, tl;dr? Well, if that’s your response, Mr. ADD, don’t tell us that. We don’t give a shit about your disorder here. Go see a professional and don’t let the cyber door hit you on your way out.

What, I could’ve just told my bottom line up front? Then this article would be such a bore to write! It would bore me to death! And that would be bad! I need to be entertained!

So that’s that. Have a nice night or a nice day or a good night’s sleep, wherever you are.

Author: Ray

I'm a hardcore Anime Fan and I'm proud of it. I know so many things and I've acquired so much knowledge you wouldn't believe. But my love is anime. I've been drifting in this world for so long that I don't even know what an anchor means. I've seen so many shows that I've lost count. The only thing I'm sure of myself is that I care for the lowly and disenfranchised. I hate the rich and powerful and I love what I do, or what I can do. I like anime and I don't mind watching different types of shows. I have experience in different types of Japanese animation. I would be called an "expert" in a bizzaro world. One day, I'd like to start a revolution. I love the US, pizza, beer, sashimi, Chinese food, and steak. But I love freshly baked bread more than a well-aged steak. In reality, if I were born Japanese I'd be a real, hardcore Otaku. I love to love and I can hate strongly. I'm passionate in nature and I don't mind shedding tears. I can be reached at rayyhum777 at animediet. My Twitter is rayyhum777 at twitter.

6 thoughts on “Fan Service – What I think…

  1. I completely forgot about that! I think Eva must have popularized the term “service” in relation to that sort of thing, just like it popularized the kind of endings we see in all the purportedly “smart” anime.

    Glad to be of…service? 🙂

  2. I was wondering what girls think about fan service, specially Japanese girls. what do you think they think about it, have you ever talked to a female friend who likes anime, I have many friends that do like it but have never asked them what they think, what can you say about that?

    1. Different women like different kinds of service. A lot of them like BL or at least checking out bishonen and other good looking guys in anime. Other than that, I’ve checked out a couple of sites that have women readers who loves shows like Strawberry Panic and Marimite – these women are lesbians and they like girl on girl action just as much as I do. So it actually depends on the person or the group.

  3. I’m not Japanese, but say, if my boyfriend could get off of fanservice, which is pretty damned mild, he’d better be able to do the same with me. -wry- Otherwise I’d be pretty 🙁

    M/M fanservice always made me titter but considering I’m not really a softcore kinda person, that’s about all it made me do. 😛 Female fanservice..no appreciation until recently, when I started thinking of it as amusing. Like Queens Blade. XD

  4. Hmm.. reading this makes me think that with age/puberty is the whole weight of fan service aspects, crushing the intentions of something innocent per se. God.. I feel like a hypocrite.. >_<

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