Anime is a growing trend in pop culture and has rapidly changed from a hidden hobby to a socially accepted form of media in the U.S.
I’ve watched anime for nearly 10 years now and I’ve observed the normalization of anime in American society first hand.
Despite the rise of anime in Western markets, the industry still designs women with bugged-out eyes and exaggerated body proportions.
Some anime rely on characters depicted with large breasts to attract male viewers, the genre’s main demographic in Japan. This style choice is referred to as “fan service,” a trope riddled throughout the industry, according to a 2017 Manga Tokyo article.
Fan service usually entails shots of female underwear, beach episodes to show female characters in bikinis, gratuitous nudity and sexual innuendos.
An example of fan service can be seen in one of Japan’s most popular anime “One Piece,” a comic and animated series in which the main character wants to become Pirate King.
The series marketed toward kids and teens ages 9-15 has sold nearly 500 million copies, according to comicbook.com, almost surpassing sales of Dr. Seuss and J.K. Rowling literature.
In a March 22, 2016 Kotaku article, “One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda was asked how he drew women in his comic.
“The women’s proportions are three circles and one X,” Oda said. “Please think and draw this way.”
In the same interview, Oda said when drawing in such a style, aspiring manga artists should be ready to receive criticism.
While some argue the proportions of women in “One Piece” are warranted because of the show’s wacky characters, I completely disagree.
Male characters in the anime have diverse designs and proportions while the majority of women look pretty much the same with tiny waists and large breasts.
There are exceptions such as Big Mom, one of the main antagonists, but the trend still persists.
Female characters in “One Piece” often find themselves with suggestively placed rips in their clothing after a big fight.
In a story mostly marketed toward children, I don’t see the need for such obvious fan service.
The objectification of female characters in anime not only makes women feel uncomfortable but can also lead men and women to set extremely high standards for their partners.
On the forum cosplay.com, user Keiichi-san replied to a post that asked if anime gave them high standards in regards to the opposite sex.
“I’ve noticed this more and more as I get older and get further into the whole dating/relationships area of my life,” Keiichi-san said. “It seems like watching anime for the past 11 years has put my standards somewhat out of whack both in regards to what I expect in appearance and in personality/mannerisms.”
As more people, especially children, delve into the world of anime, the effects that Keiichi-san described would spread only making the objectification of women worse as expectations on female bodies climb to ungodly heights.
Fan service in anime should be a concern for the American public if we want to stop objectifying women.
