It can be a trying task being a fan of something at times. And by “fan” I don’t mean “rabid, frothing fanboy/fanmadam” (thanks NISA); I mean simply someone who has a particular preference for something, and who will, in many cases, indulge in that thing to the exclusion of other, perhaps more “mainstream” things.
Since pretty much “coming out” as a fan of visual novels, anime and associated goodness around the time Katawa Shoujo was released, I’ve run into this issue a number of times. In the case of Japanese entertainment, the cultural rift between East and West means that some people are less than understanding about certain aspects of what our friends in the East produce.
And perhaps that’s understandable in some cases; even as a fan of a broad spectrum of Japanese entertainment, I’ll happily admit that there’s plenty of content — primarily around the area where sex and violence cross over — that makes me uncomfortable, and so I deliberately choose not to expose myself to that sort of thing. (“Discovering” Urotsukidoji in my teens was quite enough, thanks.) It exists, though, and I can deal with that; it’s simply something I choose not to engage with. (I also don’t believe for a second that it’s actually harmful — to believe as such is to show an alarming lack of faith in humanity’s ability to distinguish between fact and fiction, and a similarly alarming willingness to believe that everyone is stupid enough to just want to emulate everything they see. Sometimes fantasy is just fantasy.)
The trouble comes when people start to assume the worst about an entire culture’s output based on some of its more questionable or discomfort-provoking aspects, or even, in some cases, based on things they just think they know — the “lol Japan” approach.
Let’s take the recently released Senran Kagura as an example. Here we have a game that explores and respects its characters in great detail — going so far as to give each and every one of them their moment in the spotlight in lengthy, well-written visual novel sequences — that also happens to feature characters with big jiggly boobs who occasionally flash their pantsu. Are the jiggly boobs and pantsu necessary? Of course they’re not, but they don’t detract from all the other good stuff that the game is doing — and frankly, what is there to be ashamed of there, anyway? Senran Kagura’s cast is depicted to be a bunch of strong, independent young women who are more than capable of taking care of themselves and who are, above all, confident and comfortable in who they are and what they look like. (Those who have played it will know that the possible exception to this rule is Hibari, but her own character arc revolves around her coming to terms with her own inferiority complex; the end result is her accepting herself, flaws and all, and recognising that she doesn’t have to go it alone.)
Admirable traits, I’m sure you’ll agree, and so what does commentary about the game focus on? You guessed it; the jiggly boobs and the pantsu. And the aggression with which these criticisms are delivered is astonishing — take this outstandingly vitriolic takedown of the game that appeared not on someone’s personal blog, but on the official Nintendo magazine’s website. Or take the comments that habitually appear on any article about the game, which usually involve accusations of those who enjoy the game being “perverts” or, in more extreme cases “paedophiles”. It’s gross and disgusting, and it makes my heart sink any time I see it. And there’s no point trying to argue your case against these people; they’re people who have made their minds up about something, and have no interest in changing it.
For what it’s worth, I’m firmly of the belief that there’s not actually anything wrong with enjoying the fanservicey aspects of titles like Senran Kagura and its ilk; acknowledging your own sexuality is a healthy thing to do, and finding something that isn’t real attractive does not necessarily say anything about your attitudes towards a real-world equivalent. Indeed, I’ll happily admit to having been attracted to some Japanese titles purely by the fanservice aspect, whether it’s video games or anime; in pretty much every single case, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover that beneath the often in-your-face sexuality of some works, there beats a heart of gold; in many cases, I’ve even discovered that the fanservice aspect is a lot “tamer” than a lot of people tend to make out, and the whole point of it is actually to tell an interesting story with some loveable and, yes, attractive characters. (There’s also some stuff that purely exists to be sexy, and that, too, is both fine and can be enjoyable.)
Here’s the thing: I, like, I’d wager, pretty much anyone else who enjoys anime and other Japanese forms of entertainment, am capable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality — and anime-themed entertainment is so obviously fantasy that I find it very difficult to take the more vitriolic criticisms of it seriously, particularly when they’re delivered with such furious anger that it often becomes clear that the one raging has very little actual experience with the work in question beyond the most superficial knowledge — see that Official Nintendo Magazine piece.
I often find myself wondering if fans of other niche interests find themselves subject to similar scorn. Is one of my dearest friends, who is such a fan of heavy machinery (whether military or agricultural) that he describes his reaction to various hulking metal beasts in terms of how “tumescent” they make him, likewise a “pervert” for talking about things in this way? Of course not. Whether or not they really do make him tumescent is neither here nor there, and is nothing but his own business; his own personal interest in such things is something that is important to him, something that I respect and something that, on several occasions, has in fact led me to checking out things that I otherwise never would have explored for myself at all. An ultimately positive experience, in other words.
It’s a pity that not everyone feels they can be open-minded about things not immediately familiar to them, and instead jump to conclusions without bothering to investigate them for themselves. It happens in all aspects of society, not just the ultimately not-all-that-important really fandoms of various forms of entertainment, and it sucks every time it comes up, particularly when I see it upsetting people I know and like. (Or when it upsets me which, I won’t lie, it has done on a number of occasions.)
Live and let live. And perhaps, just once, ask your friend what it is about [x] that they like so much. Be willing to take a look for yourself and reconsider your opinion.
And if you still don’t like it? Don’t be an ass to people who do.
Discover more from I'm Not Doctor Who
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
An excellent piece on a subject very dear to my heart. You’re a good man Pete.
What I really don’t understand about all the hate, particularly surrounding Senran Kagura these days, is this bizarre notion that such titles existing is somehow damaging to the game industry as a whole. I cannot, for the life of me, grasp the strings of logic that need to be woven to reach that conclusion. It’s irrelevant if the fanservice is in there “merely to titillate.” As long as there has been such a thing as entertainment media there has been all kinds of content. Content that exists to appeal to our baser desires has existed side-by-side with content with loftier goals. I always use film as an example, because that’s where my education is. B-movies, with all of their overt sexuality and wanton violence, have ever been a part of the cinephile’s world right along with avante guard pieces and big budget Hollywood blockbusters. Sharknado came out in the same year as Gravity and 12 Years a Slave. Sharknado was fun and goofy, and it certainly didn’t prevent Gravity from existing or being any less of cinematic accomplishment. Likewise Senran Kagura with it’s boobies and panties and anime sexy times didn’t prevent The Last of Us from coming out to deliver a impacting narrative filled with palpable dread, and a balanced, realistic (and completely non-sexualized) female protagonist. I’m a bit of a horror movie buff – but I hate the “torture porn” subgenre. I don’t watch those movies. I chose which content I wish to consume based on my tastes and sensibilities – but I don’t go as far as to say that the thing I abstain from somehow taints the things that I do enjoy by merely existing. It’s folly.
What really gets my hackles up about all of this business, even above and beyond how unpleasant it makes me feel getting shame constantly thrust on me by these crusading fools, is the damage that these people will do to the game industry that they desperately seek to “save”. They think the existence of fanservicey overtly sexual games is harmful, but what’s really harmful is creating a vanilla landscape with no variety, and that’s the direction these folks want to push things in.
/end rant
Well said, sir, and I’m sure it was apparent I wrote this at least partly with our conversations in mind.
I agree with what you say, with an additional few points: Senran Kagura, like many other “perverted” anime-type titles, is actually a whole lot smarter than people assume. Its story is interesting, its character explorations are far deeper than you get in the visually impressive but ultimately narratively shallow triple-A space and it takes great pains to ensure that the player engages with its cast and thinks of them as people rather than objects.
This isn’t just a narrative thing; it’s also in all the little things about the game, such as the girls commenting on different costumes when you customise their appearance, or the fact that when you come back from a successful mission, all the girls you weren’t playing as all cheerfully cry “Okaeri!” (“welcome home!”) at the one you’re playing as. (Obviously it helps to have a bit of an understanding of basic Japanese here, but the sort of person likely to play Senran Kagura will have probably picked up such words and phrases from anime.)
The “morality police” approach that a lot of game critics are taking right now is something I find thoroughly objectionable. I don’t mind acknowledging that Senran Kagura is riddled with arguably unnecessary fanservice… so long as the people criticising it for it acknowledge that fanservice is not all there is to the game. It goes both ways.
Anyway. This is turning into a whole new post in its own right so I’ll stop there but, yeah. You get the idea.
Good post. As a lady gamer who enjoys genres considered vulgar by the masses (including Senran Kagura, along with other fanservicey games and visual novels), those articles actually get on my nerves by implying that I can’t distinguish between virtual worlds and reality, can never enjoy huge tits and ass, and am so easily offended that a tit or two will turn me off video games.
I like Senran Kagura for its characters, and seeing the girls for only their physical assets but never their character development, skills, and motivations comes off to me to be sexist as well. Of course, disliking the fanservice and male gaze is a legitimate reason to not like the game, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to prevent other people from liking it and shaming them as well. I find the idea that fanservice/pornography and quality (in other areas) being unable to co-exist to be too deeply ingrained in most people’s minds for things like this to stop, though.
Hello! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I think we will get along just fine from what you’ve written here. 🙂
It’s the shaming aspect that bugs me the most, I think. I’ve long since stopped feeling ashamed of the things I enjoy — many of which are fanservicey to varying degrees — but you’re right; there are a lot of ingrained attitudes out there that are difficult or even impossible to shift, however passionately fans might argue their cases. I try and do my bit to raise awareness of the positive aspects of titles like Senran Kagura and its ilk, but it often falls of deaf ears despite my best efforts. Still, I can but try.
It is always nice to come across like-minded people, though; it helps restore a bit of faith that the world isn’t one near-homogenous lump of opinions that I’m sitting well and truly outside of.
As usual your voice of reason rings out truely, resoundingly, across the background white noise of the disgruntled angry intolerants! Well done you!