Beginning in the 1970s with Cutey Honey and continuing later with other magical girl shows, fan service in manga became more risqué. Keith Russell regards the beginning of modern fan service as taking place in a permissive context, when "kids were just doing kids' stuff", which he believes allowed authors some latitude in regards to their subject matter. In the US, the film was renamed "Manina, the Girl in the Bikini" to highlight the appeal of the star and her revealing outfit (then a matter of controversy), despite her not appearing in the first 40 minutes of the 76 minute film. The 1952 French film Manina, la fille sans voiles (Manina, the Girl Without Sails) was not imported into the United States until 1958 after the success of the film's star, Brigitte Bardot, in that country. This includes any elements, be it visual nods, plot detours or otherwise, that are not needed by the actual plot or character development, but are included as nods to, or pondering to the long-term fans of the material, especially in context of sequels or prequels, or later seasons of series. Today, especially outside anime and manga, the term has expanded to hold a wider meaning. In fact, some import licences have little more than fan service as their selling point. Mike Tatsugawa explained this change as a result of a difference between cultural values of Japan and the U.S, though this has become rare and scrutinized in the modern age. companies, the original work was often edited to remove some of the fan service, making it more appropriate for U.S. When anime and manga were translated into English by U.S. It is about "servicing" the fan – giving the fans "exactly what they want." Fan service can also refer (by means of text, symbol, image, sound) to other stories that contain visual elements. The term originated in Japanese in the anime and manga fandom, but has been used in other languages and media.
What emerges from the sweep of Interpreting Anime is Bolton’s original, articulate case for what makes anime unique as a medium: how it at once engages profound social and political realities while also drawing attention to the very challenges of representing reality in animation’s imaginative and compelling visual forms.Wikipe-tan, a personification of Wikipedia, wearing a swimsuit, an example of typical "fan service".įan service ( ファンサービス, fan sābisu), fanservice or service cut ( サービスカット, sābisu katto), is material in a work of fiction or in a fictional series that is intentionally added to please the audience, often sexual in nature, such as nudity. Throughout, Interpreting Anime applies multiple frames, such as queer theory, psychoanalysis, and theories of postmodernism, giving readers a thorough understanding of both the cultural underpinnings and critical significance of each film. This analysis is abetted by a suite of questions provoked by each film, along with Bolton’s incisive responses. Each chapter centers on a different feature-length anime film, juxtaposing it with a particular medium-like literary fiction, classical Japanese theater, and contemporary stage drama-to reveal what is unique about anime’s way of representing the world. Interpreting Anime is easily accessible and structured around individual films and a broad array of critical approaches. Christopher Bolton’s Interpreting Anime is a thoughtful, carefully organized introduction to Japanese animation for anyone eager to see why this genre has remained a vital, adaptable art form for decades. Well-known through hit movies like Spirited Away, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell, anime has a long history spanning a wide range of directors, genres, and styles. For students, fans, and scholars alike, this wide-ranging primer on anime employs a panoply of critical approaches