This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: The term "fan service" is now widely used to describe media beyond anime and manga. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2022)
Wikipe-tan, a personification of Wikipedia, wearing a swimsuit, an example of typical "fan service"
Fan service (ファンサービス, fan sābisu), fanservice or service cut (サービスカット, sābisu katto)[1][2] is material in a work of fiction or in a fictional series that is intentionally added to please the audience,[3] often sexual in nature, such as nudity.[4][5] The term originated in Japanese[6] in the anime and manga fandom, but has been used in other languages and media. It is about "servicing" the fan[7]—giving the fans "exactly what they want".[8] Fan service can also refer (by means of text, symbol, image, sound) to other stories[3][9] that contain visual elements.
When anime and manga were translated into English by US companies, the original work was often edited to remove some of the fan service, making it more appropriate for U.S. audiences. Mike Tatsugawa explained this change as a result of a difference between the cultural values of Japan and the US. [10]
Today, especially outside anime and manga, the term has expanded to hold a wider meaning. This includes any elements, be it visual nods, referencing older or forgotten media related to material, plot detours or otherwise, that are not needed by the actual plot or character development, but are included as nods to, or pandering to the long-term fans of the material, especially in context of sequels or prequels, or later seasons of series.[11]Taylor Swift has been referred to as a "ringmaster of fan service" for her use of cryptic clues in her lyrics and accompanying media.[12]
^Example: 吉田陽一, ed. (25 June 1999). Encyclopedia Cutie Honey: Go Nagai World (エンサイクロペディアキューティーハニー : 永井豪ワールド). Nakano, Tokyo: Keibunsha. p. 028. ISBN978-4-7669-3236-2. A frame (numbered "25") from the English opening sequence of New Cutie Honey, in which character Danbei Hayami fires a Rocket Punch as main character Honey Kisaragi lies topless and prone in the background, is shown and captioned "サービスカット! 団兵衛がジャマ……"
^ abde la Ville, Valérie-Inés; Durup, Laurent (2009). "Achieving a Global Reach on Children's Cultural Markets: Managing the Stakes of Inter-Textuality in Digital Cultures". In Willett, Rebekah; Robinson, Muriel; Marsh, Jackie (eds.). Play, creativity and digital cultures. Routledge. pp. 45–47. ISBN978-0-415-96311-4.
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