Randomness #2

Top 10 common fetishes in anime

Undoubtedly, the world of anime plays host to a huge variety of fetishes suited to every type of otaku’s taste. Be it a show completely based around harems and beautiful girls, like Rosario to Vampire, or (as is mostly the case) a show where fanservice is used to raise the appeal of the anime generally, such as Code Geass, you could say that anime fanservice pops up in at least 90% of anime series in some way, shape or form. But what traits about some of the anime characters stand out as deliciously attractive, to the extent that they manage to create as many fanboys as they already pander to? What makes otakus scream in delight whenever their idolised character shows up on screen?

And so we kick things off with:

#10 “Bishounens”

Bet you didn’t see that coming.

No-one said anything about this list being solely focused on the female gender (though this, unfortunately, will be the only ranking with males in it. Weep with me. Weep bitter tears). There are increasing numbers of bishies showing up in anime these days (especially shoujo, though that’s to be expected) and they seem to be a hit with the ladies (and me for some reason, though in a more FABULOUS way). It seems like a logical enough conclusion from this equation: Girls like Pretty Things. Girls like Boys. Therefore Pretty Things + Boys = KYAAAAAAAAAH!!! Most of the time, they’re cute (bordering on, if not already, moe) and emotionally sensitive so perhaps it’s their personality and character traits which make them so loveable. Or it’s just the fact that they’re hawt bishies, regardless of how they act. Hell, “a middle-school girl would fall in love with a trash can if it looked at her the right way” so would they, or even the more mature girls, have any resistance to the beauty of the bishonen? I think not.

#9 “Dojikko”

Cooking and cleaning. Two things that are the bane of a dojikko’s existence. The appeal of a “clumsy girl” stems from the fact that they are normally cute, ditzy characters who can’t really do anything beyond the basic necessities neded for human survival, and when they try to, simply fail. That helplessness and ability to do nothing but be attractive is both pitiable and laughable; most men want to take care of their ladies and the characteristic of a dojikko makes them feel both wanted and needed. Watching the dojikko in her natural environment is a fascinating experience. Beginning with a typical “I’ll do my best!” before beginning the activity, starting out with admirable confidence. But then things go wrong and seem to spiral out of control as food burns/washing machine liquid overflows. However, it is truly the end of this process which stirs a fan boy’s heart; the sight of her blushing, with the hint of tears in her eyes amid all the chaos and destruction…

…*sigh*

What?

Could any of you claim to not to swoon (yes, I said swoon) with affection with such a scene in front you? If you could, I hold the utmost pity for you, my dear friend.

#8 “Meganekko”

What an amazing pair of glasses.

Let’s be honest. Whenever you see a girl wearing glasses in anime, they’re most likely not going to be as stereotypically intelligent as you might think. But perhaps it is the illusion of intelligence that the fanboy craves; glasses suggest intelligence, and intelligence suggests independence and a strong will. The opposite of a dojikko, really. Maybe there’s some part of a fan boy’s mind that likes the idea of an easily attained (and just as easily discarded) facade of intelligence; kind of like having your cake and eating it too, you can have your smart gal and her “moe mode” as well. Unless they’re granny glasses. If you find that appealing, seek help. Seek help now.

#7 “Kyonyuu”

What an amazing pair of eyes.

Not much to say. Unless you want me to get into the “symbol of fertility” explanation. Which I’m pretty sure most you know by now, and if not, you most likely shouldn’t be reading this post in the first place. Large breasts are large and there’s no difference between a fanboy liking them in anime and a fanboy perfectly normal male liking them in real life. BOOBS FTW.

#6 “Nekomimi”

Not yet dangerously furry.

Though animal ears in general are popular for some anime fans, the most prevalant of the genre seems to be cat ears. Their animalistic nature is emphasised by small character quirks, be it the pleasant utterance of “nya” at the end of every sentence, or the casual twitch of the ear and/or tail depending on their emotions. I don’t think I’ve seen a show where there was an outright evil nekomimi (though, most likely due to cats’ mischievous nature, there were cunning and deceptive ones. Fufufu~.) so there is a feeling that what you see with a nekomimi is what you get. They are simple creatures with simple needs and a simple lifestyle, so perhaps it’s this simplicity that draws in fanboys. Then you could also say that the pet-master dynamic is an attraction; why have a normal girl when you could have one which dotes on you continuously?

#5 “Zettai Ryouiki”

I’ll take the two for one special, thank you.

Thigh high knee socks seem to leave more to the imagination than is capable of lower leggings or a shorter skirt, and anime watchers definitely have an active imagination. Hell, the amount of times Kyou’s thighs have been mentioned in posts concerning Clannad is more than enough to justify this being on the list. There are many examples of Zettai Ryouiki (and apparently there’s even maths involved in regards to the perfect ratio of sock to leg), but even now I can’t think of why it sets fan boy’s hearts racing to see around 25cm of exposed thigh. The “absolute territory” may seem like a forbidden zone to the fan boy, an object of suggestion and temptation. Or perhaps it’s just a step below what they truly want to see, #4 on this list…

#4 “Pantsu”

I personally think that this is less of an anime fan boy’s fetish and more of an animator’s fetish. I don’t know many (if any) otakus who are fans of panties in particular, but with the number of panty shots and/or panties in some fan service shows (like Rosario+Vampire CAPU2 of 1 EVERY 18 SECONDS fame) then there must be a moderately large fan base for this type of thing. Maybe the fact that panties act as the gate-keeper to a mysterious world, unknown to both the male lead and the viewer. Or, barring that, consider the link between sex and panties (or rather, their removal). Either way, the day that anime shows stop having panty shots in them is the day that all hell breaks loose and Zeus descends from his mighty throne on Mount Olympus to hurl thunderbolts down upon the foolish mortals. Even the King of Gods needs to see some pantsu every now and then…..well not like I care….proceeding to our no.3…

#3 “Tsunderes”

Yes, this post is full of Kyou love.

Is that a problem?

Tsunderes are literally everywhere in anime these days and are (unsurprisingly) particularly rife within romantic comedies. What makes them so entertaining and endearing is the fact that all fan boys are sadists, to quote 53RG10, “they are the ones who show the most emotions”. The most common version of the tsundere is the angry, violent girl who keeps her feelings hidden except for occasional blushing/examples of kindness and caring that demonstrate her feelings to the boy in question that she likes. That shyness and reluctance could be what compels fanboys to fawn over the tsundere. The various numbers of emotions that a tsundere shows while being flustered with her emotions is cute to watch as well.

#2 “Meido”

“We live to serve”.

And again we enter into the zone of the pet servant-master dynamic. Rabid fans of meido are never hard to find and never will be, that is simply fact. Men like power and men like women. As such, meido are a symbol of wealth and status and if you can hire hawt meido then you are most likely a man to be praised and admired by your compatriots. Especially if you make them call you “Master”. Imagine that…

Anyway, unsurprisingly, meido in anime aren’t truly needed for their primary type of “service” (though being an amazing one wouldn’t hurt. Kukuku~). They must simply keep up appearances while displaying varying personality traits, be it a shy and reserved maid, the regretful maid, the incompetent maid, or the ultimate combination of the shy, clumsy, nekomimi, megane meido (I could go on, but the grouping of too much moe into one sentence would rip apart the fabric of the univers as we know it). In fact, many of the attributes on this list can be used in conjunction with the “meido” category (as they frequently are). The variety of the meido fetish in both character and clothing is amazing: they can be confident, strong and supportive or useless, spineless and incompetent; they can wear bunny suits, cat suits or heck, even kimonos. What’s important is that they exist to serve and fanboys are all too willing to have such amazing tools at their disposal. (I apologise to any girl still reading this post at this point for the preceeding statement).

#1 “Loli”

The main reason I many watch the series.

Could you really envision the top spot going to any other category? Anime has, for as long as I’ve been watching, been jam-packed with lolis. No matter the personality or characterisation or genre, fanboys have, nost recently in the last decade, been inexorably attracted to young DFC’s. Especially Shin ^^. The seperation of the 2D and 3D world has definitely made being a so-called “lolicon” more acceptable, even comedic. Perhaps it was the explosion of impossible-to-dislike-and-therefore-not-fall-in-love with loli characters such as Shana, Louise, Taiga (all voiced by the same seiyuu ftw) and more than half the cast of Lucky Star that brought this about. Their popularity in Japan and other eastern countries can possibly be attributed more to the physical nature of that country’s women, but in the west the phenomenon isn’t as easy to explain. You could probably write an editorial, or even a thesis (as I’m sure many have done – the editorials, not the theses) on the many reasons behind some fanboys attraction to lolis but let’s just suffice to say that they are, and most likely will continue to be, the most popular anime fetish I can think of.