By Floor Provoost, Lowie Van Beurden, Merel De Graeve, Nelle Theuwis and Pilar Festiens

FANSERVICE

Have you ever heard of someone who paid tons of money to shake an idol’s hand or watched an anime and thought to yourself, “Is this even even PG13?”? Well, this research will enlighten you on what fanservice is in contemporary society. Although fanservice is often associated with anime and manga, it also appears in the broader entertainment industry. This research will focus on anime and the idol industry. Fanservice can take on many forms, but the target of this research will zero in on the visual aspects (anime) and the physical, as well as the emotional aspects (idol industry). In the following pages, we will first discuss the origin of the concept of fanservice. Afterwards, a qualitative and quantitative research of fanservice in anime will follow. The qualitative research will include a deeper insight into what fanservice is in anime, an explanation of designated fanservice characters and the different forms of it. The quantitative part will take a look at the ecchi genre, most commonly referred to as anime with an overabundance of fanservice. After this, we will move forward with a qualitative research on fanservice in the Japanese idol industry, beginning with introducing the idol. Continuing with how fanservice is conveyed in the idol industry, and seeing what impact Covid-19 had. After a look at the psychological consequences of fanservice, we will end with an analysis of the economic aspects. We will finish with a short discussion and conclusion to our research.

Where it all began

Although the concept of fanservice has no specific starting point, it probably began around the 1950’s. This concept presumably originated from multiple factors, but the most common theory states that it started with the French movie ‘Manina, the girl without sails.’ In this movie, a supporting actress is seen wearing a revealing bathing suit, which inspired the American movie title ‘Manina, the girl in the bikini.’ This was used as a marketing strategy to promote the movie and attract more viewership. This tactic, which proved to be rather effective, started being used more frequently in the entertainment industry. Japan, seeing an opportunity with this strategy, implemented it into manga and anime around the 1970’s with great success. People often refer to the anime ‘Cutie Honey’, which aired in 1973, as the origin of fanservice in anime. Namely, because the famous term panchira (パンチラ), or in English known as pantyshot, is said to have first appeared in this anime. Japan’s broader entertainment industry adopted the concept next, though in a different format. Instead of the more visual format of anime and manga, fanservice was mostly done through fan events and interactions.