Some media conventions are universally loved and appreciated, and fanservice is one of them, but fanservice means something very different to every industry. In the Western industry, it’s cross-universe cameos, and in the K-Pop industry, it’s idol friendship with homoerotic undertones.
However, the abundance of mostly R-rated and definitely not PG-13 fanservice catered to the audience is very distinct to the anime and manga industry.
Including fanservice in anime can either make it or break it, depending on your target audience. People love fanservice just as much as they find it distasteful. So, it’s really about how well you execute and integrate it, so it does not feel forced.
What does fanservice actually mean?
Fanservice is catered to please the audience by adding scenes with little to no relevance to the story or character development. Some anime try to integrate fanservice as part of the plot, but that is usually hit-or-miss, depending on the type of fanservice included.
Fanservice usually includes partial-to-full nudity, suggestive positions and actions, and over-the-top conventionally attractive characters with their “beefcake” and “cheesecake” representation, who keep getting into embarrassing situations.
Fanservice isn’t inherently sexual but is the most abundant in the anime industry. Its normalization has increased so much that it is now a staple in most. Here is a list of ten anime with conventional fanservice, catered directly to please their audience.
10Baka & Test
Baka and Test has fanservice disguised as humor, which makes your conventional fanservice seem charming and funny. It’s a trope-heavy anime featuring every character stereotype, but their dynamics are well-played and meant to be a parody.
From the girls in various stages of undress to the androgynous boy forced to cross-dress, Baka and Test has all the mainstream fanservice. The fanservice in Baka and Test is intended to add to the plot’s absurdity, making it a big joke.
9Darling in the FranXX
Another typical fanservice anime, with one too many suggestive shots in the earlier episodes, Darling in the FranXX has chosen the conventional way to include fanservice.
The provocative and sexualized portrayal of the female characters, featuring them in suggestive positions and angled shots, are all meant to cater to the male audience.
7My Dress Up Darling
Speaking of fanservice being catered to the male audience, My Dress-Up Darling is the epitome of it. What else can you expect from an anime literally made about a high school girl being into hardcore cosplay?
Ranging from scantily dressed characters to monster-girl cosplay, Marin does it all. My Dress-Up Darling has built its plot around the fanservice, so it does not seem superfluous. It does have wholesome moments while featuring every possible scene they could have incorporated fanservice in.
7Free!
Now, for something catered to the female audience, Free! is known for its extensive fan service. Despite being a slice-of-life sports-oriented anime, the typical shonen moments get overshadowed by constant half-naked shots of boys swimming or just showing off their physiques.
Not just the constant partial nudity but the dynamic between the stereotypical character types has a homoerotic subtext, which appeals to the female audience.
6KonoSuba
KonoSuba is one of the rare isekai anime that used the abundance of cliche to its advantage. However, that doesn’t mean that it lacks the superfluous fanservice; in fact, there is one too many scenes.
However, KonoSuba also features the fanservice under the guise of humor or a gag at the expense of our protagonist, making it seem funny and not out of place.
5Food Wars!
Self-aware and very much intended, Food Wars! uses fanservice as both a message and a gag. With over-the-top and nonsensical reactions to tasting food being the center of the plot, Food Wars! offer an absurd take on how good food affects you.
The portrayal of “foodgasm” is a first, but it is so overdone in this anime that you kind of just accept it, and your focus turns to the plot. The characters are surprisingly well-written, with interesting dynamics, making Food Wars! worth watching.
4Prison School
Another perfect blend of fanservice and comedy, Prison School offers much more than superficial ecchi with little to no plot. The characters and their dynamics are the heart of the show, and little to no effort is made to entice a laugh.
The plot centers around guys who get sent to prison for trying to peek into the girls’ bathroom. The story revolves around their treatment, featuring some hilarious moments that go hand-in-hand with fanservice.
3Shimoneta
The wildest take on the dystopian genre, Shimoneta is set in a world where the government has banned everything lewd to the extent that every word and hand movement is analyzed.
The center plot of the anime revolves around characters trying to get their freedom to experience and learn more about their needs and desires, which gives rise to hilarious scenes. What also sets it apart is that the girls are much cruder and blunter, making it funnier.
2DanMachi – Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In The Dungeon?
DanMachi’s title is enough to give you a gist of the anime, but if that doesn’t make the fanservice apparent, the design of every female character will. However, there is enough world-building and characterization to convince you to watch it.
Danmachi’s fanservice gets the audience hooked before the series delves into much darker themes. This is another instance of fanservice being so tied to the plot that you cannot have the series without it.
1Highschool of the Dead
Is anyone surprised that High School of the Dead took the top spot? Practically synonymous with the word, the anime’s winning point is its fanservice. Ranging from suggestive to straight-up sexual content, the anime has a lot of fanservice but not too much of it.
High School of the Dead features a zombie apocalypse, and the plot does little to defend the fanservice. However, sometimes the fanservice is there just for the sake of it, which was the entire point of adding it initially for the audience’s pleasure.
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