Is fanservice bad?

[RepresentingCaution]

I tossed in a little Mai Valentine and Dark Magician Girl for the purpose of fanservice. I have no regrets.

 

[Discount_Blade]

It can frequently be exploitative, misogynistic, objectifying and from the male gaze thus actively perpetuating and holding up patriarchal power structures. Which of course can be extremely damaging to the women who are being taught that their bodies are objects used to service fans with and that they have little value outside that.

Wow. I bet your fun at parties. And extremely damaging XDDD

Yet another one of you people. I bet you go and rant and rave and complain on twitter every time a game comes out with a character showing too much skin huh?

Pathetic

 

[minacia]

Hm.



Not sure that is the definition. Personally, I go the extra mile of 1) drawing fanart of my characters, and 2) scrupulously creating worldbuilding for every last thing with tons of research:

Because 1 enriches my story and shows in an easier way how characters relate to each other. My story is long and complicated. I need that stuff to streamline it. And 2 is crucial to the plot and themes. There is no story without it.

Fanservice definition should be cleared up if that's what we're talking about. Neither of the things I do is fanservice because I would have (and frequently do) the same things for the stories I do not publish anywhere -- so there are no fans to talk about. So what should I call that? My weird OCD?

What does it have to do with fanservice then?

As another example, I do not think that Tolkien had created his languages and history for decades before ever publishing it as part of fanservicing anyone either... .

So first -- define fanservice in a way that correlates with the official definitions on Wiki, Google, etc first -- because so far, I feel like you are saying that anything that has the potential to please anybody = fanservice. And I'm not sure I agree with that.

That is just saying "anything" = fanservice and that would be nonsense. Fanservice has to mean something beyond that, some specification in its definition.



Then entire books and franchises can be fanservice. So it is very odd to discuss entire genres built to be nothing but serving... Like airport novels or mom porn. .Because if it exists --> someone needs it and creates demand for it. So there's no need to ask if it's good or bad, unless you want to ask if entire genres are good or bad.

Makes me wonder how it is correlating with art in general, but then again, the first art that began was also a kind of a literal fanservice (or better to say zealot-service? Believer-service?).

This discussion then depends entirely on the hierarchy of art in question. Which art are we talking about? Is it paid art? Museum art? Referential art? Po-mo art? Naive art? Popular art? Academic art?

Because we can only determine whether fanservice is bad or good if you offer us an actual spectrum to choose from, I think... . For some of these art movements, nude fanservice is bad while for others -- its bread and butter. Likewise, a reference to Kantian philosophy in a Pokemon is a very bad example of fanservice for the philosophy nerds, you know. Then again, I have never actually seen good philosophy fanservice in my life anywhere... it's always just Name-Dropping and never an actual thing.

So based on what I have seen from fanservice in all areas... meh. Rather not. My preferences for what I consider "fan" usually need to go deeper than surface-level references, and the majority of fanservice NEVER go deeper than the surface. .

I hate that.

=> I hate all fanservice.

That makes sense!

I mean, for me "fanservice" typically involves a "pandering" component, so in my head it's sort of like a cheap/easy method (low-hanging fruit?) that content creators employ to gain favor with fans.

An example, you could have an extremely deep, philosophical, and profound adventure story... and then make the protagonist a loli...

To me, that's automatically fanservice in a sense, because it's it's broadly apparent that the main reason the protagonist is a loli is to appeal to fans rather than serve any deeper purpose. The loli doesn't even have to be a sexualized loli. The fact that the prtagonist is a loli is fanservice! (at least, that's what I think)

 

[OneRanter]

Fanservice definition should be cleared up if that's what we're talking about. Neither of the things I do is fanservice because I would have (and frequently do) the same things for the stories I do not publish anywhere -- so there are no fans to talk about. So what should I call that? My weird OCD?

"As awkward as it is my azure feathered fellow," Said A Sighing Ranter, "It seems your standards are just ridiculously high."
,┌─┐
,┴─┴
( u_u)\╭ರ

 

[minacia]

Wow. I bet your fun at parties. And extremely damaging XDDD

Yet another one of you people. I bet you go and rant and rave and complain on twitter every time a game comes out with a character showing too much skin huh?

Pathetic

I'm one of "those people" too, you know?

It's only ever damaging when you stick a bunch of positive matter and anti-matter together, and then it goes boom!

Otherwise, it's usually perfectly fine until someone decides to make it a problem!

 

[Discount_Blade]

I'm one of "those people" too, you know?

It's only ever damaging when you stick a bunch of positive matter and anti-matter together, and then it goes boom!

Otherwise, it's usually perfectly fine until someone decides to make it a problem!

Bleh. I made and stand by my statement. I dislike those types of people and I find them whiners just to be whiners. If you dislike my stance on it, then it's a personal problem. I'm not retracting my words.

 

[minacia]

Bleh. I made and stand by my statement. I dislike those types of people and I find them whiners just to be whiners. If you dislike my stance on it, then it's a personal problem.

Oh, I don't have any problem with stances! Stances are stances!

I just like it better when people are nice even when opinions differ!

 

[Discount_Blade]

Oh, I don't have any problem with stances! Stances are stances!

I just like it better when people are nice even when opinions differ!

Fair enough.

 

[EternalSunset0]

I like it if we're going with the definition almost everyone seems to be working with. It's part of the backbone of some of my favorite anime and webnovels out there so I relish in it. I guess the same apllies for me when reading novels. There's a reason character art attracts me so much.

I personally would not rather have over-the-top fanservice like boobs or butts plastered onto your screen. The same goes for pervy moments like accidental boob grabs that result in some "oh that's anime" antics and such.

However, I very much love beach episodes, some minor sexual jokes, and sexy attires if we're going with that definition of fanservice.

I mean, there's a reason I am not too fond of hentai but love stuff like SAO, Saekano, or Strike the Blood. I kinda draw a line but as long as the line hasn't been crossed, I gobble fanservice up.

 

[minacia]

Saekano

Oh, I liked saekano!

Or well... I liked how self-aware that anime was. Like knowing that it's fanservice and playing into it as a theme and other stuff.

 

[EternalSunset0]

Oh, I liked saekano!

Or well... I liked how self-aware that anime was. Like knowing that it's fanservice and playing into it as a theme and other stuff.

Yeah, I won't say that it's a perfect show or anything, but I just love it so much. It's got a very relatable protagonist (for me) and five cute girls that check all the fanservice points that anyone would like. Until now I can't even decide who between Kato or Utaha is my favorite

 

[NotYourTypicalMan]

Glory to the fanservice thigh.

 

[Discount_Blade]

Yeah, I won't say that it's a perfect show or anything, but I just love it so much. It's got a very relatable protagonist (for me) and five cute girls that check all the fanservice points that anyone would like. Until now I can't even decide who between Kato or Utaha is my favorite

never seen it. Had to look up what was. Pretty sure i'm a Utaha fan though even without having watched it.