Ecchi Fanservice: Does it really add anything to a show?

[Kyuu]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Strike Witches is one of the easier kittens to shoot in terms of "crotch shots made it tough to want to follow the story".

To be fair, I didn't jump on that series right away. However, it took some fanservice for me to even bother watching it.

And I believe it was this:
http://flashyloops.eastofosaka.net/breathtaking/

For a while, I thought of Strike Witches as this stupid series which puts airplane parts to girls legs; and they fly with them. I even watched the OVA and still thought it was stupid.

Of course, it took that flashyloop to make me think: "WTF is going on here?" So, I checked it out and was amused, not just because of the fanservice. But it took some fanservice to even draw me to watching the series in the first place.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by warita

Oh I wish it was this simple...... in the recent years it has become mainly ecchi, harem, moe.

It is hard to find something, that doesnt contain any of my NO-GOs.

I searched AniDB for TV series beginning on 1/1/2012 and excluded sex, nudity, ecchi, visual novels, erotic games, and 18+ content from the list. I still got nearly ninety titles after hiding "synonyms." I checked a few at random, and from the descriptions they didn't sound like they had much, if any, ecchi fanservice.

Over the past year i've watched part or all of Level E, Moshidora, Yondemasu yo Azazel-san, Madoka, Hyouge Mono, [C], Showa Monogatari, Ikoku Meiro no Croisee, Usagi Drop and Thermae Romae, just to name ones I can recall. Azazel is a bit raunchy, but its humor tends more to jokes about feces. The others had no ecchi content at all.

[warita]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Over the past year i've watched part or all of Level E, Moshidora, Yondemasu yo Azazel-san, Madoka, Hyouge Mono, [C], Showa Monogatari, Ikoku Meiro no Croisee, Usagi Drop and Thermae Romae, just to name ones I can recall. Azazel is a bit raunchy, but its humor tends more to jokes about feces. The others had no ecchi content at all.

Sure, I watched some of those titles myself and its not like it is impossible to find anythingm otherwise I would have stopped watching anime long time ago and wouldnt be here. It is just getting really hard.

I think I watched pretty much everything from the old shows that was of interest to me and with the new ones, I watch aproximately 4 shows per season.... and thats that.

Btw, I hated Azazel :P

[speedyexpress48]

Depending on my mood, sometimes it takes fanservice to make me watch a show. Sometimes it takes plot, and sometimes it takes comedy. So I don't really know.

And maybe it's just me, but sometimes the quality of the fanservice drawn does kinda help me make my decision on whether I should watch it or not (only a tiny bit, but...) Because sometimes fanservice scenes do say something about animation quality...and I'm way less likely to pick up a series with bad animation quality.

[Chiibi]

Originally Posted by Vexx

An opposite example - Kodomo ni Jikan ... one that I would skip the anime entirely (its a piece of junk as well as missing much of the gist of the manga in favor of pedo-pandering) and perhaps they read the manga in their late teens much like they might read the novel Lolita by Nabokov.

I thought Kojika's anime followed the manga pretty well in terms of what there was to animate at the time. And the fanservice was toned down, compared to the manga. I would not allow anyone under 18 to read or watch the series though, if I had kids...

[mecharobot]

Originally Posted by warita

Oh I wish it was this simple...... in the recent years it has become mainly ecchi, harem, moe.

It is hard to find something, that doesnt contain any of my NO-GOs.

Strange. I don't even remember the last time I saw a panty shot in anime (oh wait, the Gunbuster movie had one and boobs, but I didn't feel it detracting). You either aren't even trying, or you're subconsicously sporting an interest towards that kind of anime. And yeah, I know that it gets harder to find anime the more you watch, but unless you've seen around 30k episodes, there should always be something.

[NoemiChan]

Yes, for the intention as being an ecchi anime. What's an ecchi anime without ecchi stuffs. But...... too much of it isn't worth it unless you go for hentai.

and

No, if the plot is the main concern (NOTE: in some animes!). That's the problem I often bump into.

An anime is still ecchi whether it has a good plot or not. The concern of most ecchi animes is keeping the viewers satisfied of the ecchi stuff.

[Chiibi]

Oh I wish it was this simple...... in the recent years it has become mainly ecchi, harem, moe.

It is hard to find something, that doesnt contain any of my NO-GOs.

Why would "moe" even be a "no-go"? Moe shows don't necessarily have ecchi fanservice, last time I checked. Isn't BOTTLE FAIRY considered a moe show?

[speedyexpress48]

I'm guessing that he saw moe as another type of filler, which is actually pretty understandable.

[warita]

Originally Posted by mecharobot

Strange. I don't even remember the last time I saw a panty shot in anime (oh wait, the Gunbuster movie had one and boobs, but I didn't feel it detracting). You either aren't even trying, or you're subconsicously sporting an interest towards that kind of anime. And yeah, I know that it gets harder to find anime the more you watch, but unless you've seen around 30k episodes, there should always be something.

There is so much ecchi out there that you are probably disentisized towards it, in other words, it has become normal for you and you dont even perceive it.

I am a girl, and I couldnt care less for panty shots, bouncing boobies and ridiculous situations, where the male MC always ends up face first in the girls tits, or sees her naked by accident.
Now, the examples I mentioned are a bit extrem I realize and mostly found in animes aimed at people, who look for this kind of stuff..... however, ecchi trend spreads its roots into other genres as well. It doesn always have to be this explicit, yet it is there. Now, I wouldnt mind if it happened now and then, but I just hate it, when it happens in practically every anime in weaker or stronger form.

I really liked Madoka Magica series and I dont know if it was just the imagination of some guys or not, they started claiming there are clear Yuri undertones in this anime. At first I wasnt taking it seriously, because I though there is no such a thing. But you know how it is, somebody plants a seed in your head and suddenly you start seeing it too. It partially spoiled the fun of the anime for me. I still think MM is a great anime, one of the best ever in fact, but the yuri annoys me. If I want to watch yuri, I will watch an anime that is labeled yuri ..........or ecchi, harem, moe..... you get the idea.

But sadly, most animes cater to male audience, because there are not so many girls watching anime and this is what you get. Take it or leave it.

What really surprises me is, that the anime fans dont get tired of it. There are so many ecchi/harem series and it is the same thig over and over again. So the name of the characters change, the haircolo changes too, but the plot is always the same, and if you are lucky, they will add a little twist here and there so that you know you arent watching the same thing as last season. Doesnt that get repetetive and boring?

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Chiibi

Why would "moe" even be a "no-go"? Moe shows don't necessarily have ecchi fanservice, last time I checked. Isn't BOTTLE FAIRY considered a moe show?

Many modern shows use the moe style regardless of the subject matter. The most moe character I've seen recently is Yune from Ikoku Meiro no Croisée, a show with absolutely no ecchi component whatsoever. Even boys can be drawn in the moe style like Ghost Hound's Tarou. No ecchi in that show either.

[Vexx]

There's no automatic connection between moe and ecchi. I'm assuming warita simply doesn't like the art stylings that some people associate moe with (though moe isn't actually an art style at all).

[MisaoFan]

@warita : The only differences today's ecchi animes do are : the characters' appearances and the kind of plot (and its subject matters), everything else are generic and overused. Some are incest romcom, some are gender bender romcom, some are action-packed harem and others are normal romcom filled with school-life moments.

[warita]

Originally Posted by Vexx

There's no automatic connection between moe and ecchi. I'm assuming warita simply doesn't like the art stylings that some people associate moe with (though moe isn't actually an art style at all).

While I do asociate moe with ecchi, I dont put it in direct relation either.

There are shows that are moe and not ecchi, Higurashi or lucky star just to name an example.

I just dont like the chara design with the oversized eyes and what I hate even more are the squeeky voices and infantil behaviour of the loli characters. Ah yes, you could say I am strongly against lolis, especially when they are supposed to be adults, but behave like a spoiled 5 years old brat.

To sum it up, moe =/= ecchi, but moe = NO GO (with a few exceptions here and there. I mean, I liked Nyan Koi for example, which is a harem and ecchi show, but I liked it nevertheless. I also watched B Gata H Kei and loved it. I guess it depends on the plot and execution a lot)

[Vexx]

That's what I figured... I usually call that a "bug" style because the characters look like cute bugs. I'm not sure if there's a specific japanese term for it but that would be useful to know if someone (waves at the audience) knows.

[MisaoFan]

I slightly agree with warita's latest post. Adults that have loli appearance rarely exists in the real life. There's some ecchi shows that does not have moe in it, like stuff involving female fighters with torn clothes filled with some yuriness (Ikki Tousen, Queen's Blade...).

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by MisaoFan

I slightly agree with warita's latest post. Adults that have loli appearance rarely exists in the real life.

That depends greatly on where you're standing on planet Earth. I can stand in the middle of a US West Coast asian market (e.g. Little Tokyo in LA, Chinatown in San Francisco, etc) and see hundreds of adult women that many Westerners would deem "loli". They're really small and petite with slim figures.

[warita]

Originally Posted by Vexx

That depends greatly on where you're standing on planet Earth. I can stand in the middle of a US West Coast asian market (e.g. Little Tokyo in LA, Chinatown in San Francisco, etc) and see hundreds of adult women that many Westerners would deem "loli". They're really small and petite with slim figures.

I am small and petite. I am 162cm tall , 48kg and size XS. And while I have my cute moments, I dont squeek and I dont behave like a retard. Or at least I try my best.

Small frame doesnt equal loli in my humble opinion. There is more to it.

Do you watch that series "working"? There is this sempai girl, that looks like a kiddo..... sadly, she also behaves like it and then she gets all upset that people think she is a child. I say: girl, if you want to be treated like an adult, start behaving like it!

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by MisaoFan

I slightly agree with warita's latest post. Adults that have loli appearance rarely exists in the real life.

I had a female classmate back on highschool and whenever I meet her she reminds me of the girls Yui Horie always portraits... the loli tsundere I mean. She didn't change a bit... still small and petite and cute... she's around 5 feet... yet cute

[warita]

Originally Posted by GenjiChan

I had a female classmate back on highschool and whenever I meet her she reminds me of the girls Yui Horie always portraits... the loli tsundere I mean. She didn't change a bit... still small and petite and cute... she's around 5 feet... yet cute

I heard that small girls (I mean really small) tend to have a bite, probably because they are compensating for their size. So they make themselves noticeble by being loud and strong willed.

As for me, I am a bit tomboyish and my range of interest leans more towards what guys like to do.... well, I am not really girly. But I am often told I am cute.... I cant phantom why, but I guess it isnt a bad thing to be considered playful, sweet and a bit crazy.