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Fan service

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Fan service (Japanese simply "saabisu", "service"), sometimes written as a single word, fanservice, is a vaguely defined term used in visual media — particularly in anime fandom — to refer to elements in a story that are unnecessary to a storyline, but designed to amuse or excite the audience.

The term is sometimes derogatory when used in criticism of clumsy, pandering use of visual fashions, or if the stories lack substance, such that fashions are the only thing notable about a series. Many fanservice treatments can be creative and unique, and hence an audience unfamilar with the fandom of a story may not understand these treatments ("easter eggs") or their meaning. This term is, however, occasionally used in the video gaming community, notably by players of MMORPGs. The meaning remains mostly the same—content added for the sake of fans and not for any actual gaming value—and is almost always derogatory.

Sexual

The typically understood definition is inclusion of racy or sexual content (usually female, but also male) to titillate the viewer, such as nudity, and other forms of eye candy. Shower scenes are very common in movies, and in anime of the 1980s and 1990s, while many more recent TV series use trips to onsen (Japanese hot springs) or "obligatory" holiday episodes. These latter are often to tropical locales, in order to showcase the characters in bathing suits; all aim to depict characters in states of relative undress when it would otherwise be out of place with the tone of a series. In anime, two common types of fanservice are the panty shot and jiggling breasts. An example is the OVA series Eiken, as well as the series Tenjo Tenge and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Similarly, Studio Fantasia's Agent Aika and Najica Blitz Tactics are known as the epitome of the panty-shot anime. A third type is the nude transformation sequence, first introduced in Go Nagai's Cutey Honey (1974–1975).

Cosplay

Characters drawn wearing swimsuits are a common form of fan service.

In anime and manga, another type of fan service is having one or more of the characters cosplay, usually female, particularly in a costume that is part of a Japanese clothing fetish. Popular costumes include:

Cameo

Often, movies will attempt to include cameo appearances by prominent figures who are or were associated with the work on which it is based. This either takes the form of actual appearances or character names. Ken Akamatsu appeared in an episode of the Love Hina anime. Akamatsu, being the creator of the original manga, has his studio featured and has a small speaking role at the end of the episode. Stan Lee makes regular cameo appearances in movies based on Marvel Comics characters that he created: The crowd scene in Spider-Man and as a security guard alongside Lou Ferrigno in Hulk. The Aliens vs. Predator movie included a character named Mark Verheiden – the writer of the early Aliens comic book series as well as the comic book on which the movie is based.

In-jokes

Some series make jokes or comments that are only amusing to those "in the know", such as fans who receive club newsletters, or perusers of Internet forums. Filmmaker Kevin Smith is well known for including a large variety of in jokes throughout his movies. The Simpsons, due to its very lengthy history, is similarly well-known for inserting many subtle in-jokes in each episode, often referencing characters, objects, or events that were seen in seasons years prior. Shows like The Simpsons have also become known for occasionally engaging in self-mockery, in which continuity errors and other "mistakes" are pointed out in a self-aware fashion that can be seen as breaking the fourth wall.

Technicals

Heavily used in much of science fiction, these are technical details sometimes bordering on arcane knowledge that hardcore fans are versed in, to show an author (often an admitted fanboy/fangirl themselves) pays attention to detail. For example, Lagrange Points in Gundam, the CZ-75 in Gunsmith Cats, or the use of an SSH exploit in The Matrix Reloaded. Sometimes fictional technology invented by another author is used in this way, for instance the ansible in Ender's Game is a reference to Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Cycle. Similarly references in Doctor Who to "reversing the polarity of the neutron flow".

Homage

Often, a movie or television show will make pastiche reference to another work that the creators are particularly fans of. Examples can be found in movies by Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith who are admitted fanboys. Star Trek, Star Wars, and the Matrix trilogy are perpetual choices for homage. The Weyland-Yutani logo from Aliens appears several times on weapons in Joss Whedon's Firefly. Other homages exist that refer to works that have receded into fan nostalgia.

Also, many remakes of movies employ throwaway lines that serve nothing more than to "tip the hat" to the original classic:

  • A well-known example is the uncredited cameo appearance of Charlton Heston as Thade's father in the Tim Burton remake of Planet of the Apes. The character's deathbed speech makes clear references to his "Damn you all to hell!" line that closed the original classic.
  • In the 2003 Hulk movie, the last line spoken (in Spanish) in the movie is "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry", a clear homage to the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno The Incredible Hulk TV series of the 1970s.
  • In the 1990s remake of Disney's The Parent Trap, one of the twins quietly sings a few bars from the trademark song of the 1960s original, "Let's Get Together."
  • In the film Batman Forever, Robin makes a reference to his previous characterization on the Batman 1960s TV series by saying "Holey rusted metal, Batman!", speaking of fake rocks hiding a grated floor.
  • In the Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries) the theme from the original show was used as the Colonial Anthem.

Current issues

Recently in anime there has been an explosion of shows that are criticized for simply being vehicles for fanservice. In contrast, there has also been a rise in shows of the progressive anime category—shows which do not care so much about pleasing the audience as providing a full artistic vision. This has polarized anime to some degree, making recent series either heavily fanservice-oriented (Green Green) or heavily experimental (Texhnolyze) with little in between. Some series, on the other hand, tread the fine line between fanservice and art, such that their artistic legitimacy is often debated as such. A notable example of this is the classic and controversial anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, which has over the years received almost as many accusations of fanservice as there are merchandising articles that clearly capitalize on this potential. Though the series is renowned for its attractive female characters, director Hideaki Anno maintained a strong sense of artistic vision throughout, and has distinctly expressed his displeasure with the (generic, at least) "fan community". While the earlier episodes of the show do contain some clear fanservice (which is jokingly self-referenced in several of the "Next Episode" previews,) many scenes of nudity in later episodes as well as the films could be heavily debated to tread the line between fanservice and art. (Naturally, those who are not fond of the series tend to dismiss such imagery as fanservice, while those who think otherwise posit it as artistic nudity in a classical sense.)

See also

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