Otherwise known as fanservice, ecchi is something of a standard and a thorn in the side of modern anime today. Of course, it has its place in the industry--particularly as a lure for young, pubescent boys and girls alike. The prevalence of this tactic in the industry has caused me no small amount of worry over the years though. That might simply be a sign of my age and prudish nature but I don't think it can really be denied that there are some issues with ecchi in the common sense. For example, as any long-time anime fan will tell you, ecchi is something of an embarrassment for both the viewer and the industry as a whole. If you've had a friend or parent lean over your shoulder or perk up their ears at "the worst possible moment" you know exactly what I mean. Due to the prudishness of many family units, ecchi can create something of a black mark in the eyes of those on the outside--parents crying how anime is "corrupting their children" or some such concern.
That, of course, then leads to the larger issue with the industry as a whole in that anime is still widely viewed as a "childish pastime" and something that isn't worthy of any serious consideration. And considering the prevalence of this "black mark" within the industry as a whole, I can't say I really fault people for that misconception. More notably, though, it certainly doesn't help that anime is also being generally considered as being outright sexist in nature. While I think the jury is still out on that blanket conclusion, I can see the points that are being brought to bear on this issue. Namely, anime has a tendency to fetishize and thus objectify its female characters--the bombshell, the loli, the tsundere, the undere--with all these stereotypical and constrictive roles for female characters to fill for the sake of pleasing the male audience, it makes sense why a large portion of the industry, and thus anime as a whole, might be seen as anti-woman. Add that on top of all the poisonous anime forums, the feelings of ostracization, and the victimization boiling beneath the surface of the community and you can see why there might be a problem here. Now, sure, a large part of the fault there lies with the society that frequently shuns "otherness" but the chances of that really changing are basically nil.
So, at this point, I'd normally claim that such a questionable and/or vile practice should be rooted out entirely but I've actually come to something of a realization regarding ecchi and sexual content. Going through the list of shows I've watched in the past, though, I'm not sure it's entirely true that I actually hate ecchi on principle. While the kind of ecchi or outright sexual shows I legitimately like are few and far between, I noticed a common thread between these titles. They tended to use sexual and ecchi content for more than just titillation. Sure, the effects of the "male gaze" were still rampant in these titles but it felt like the use of sex, sexual tension, and the sexualization of characters was just the show's way of conveying some idea or development, rather than being the end goal in and of itself. So, that little revelation got me thinking about whether or not ecchi can ever really be "done right." To examine this conundrum, and give some credit where it's due, I thought I'd take a glance at a few of the shows I've thought have elevated nudity and sexual content from simple fanservice into something commendable, or at least worthy of discussion.
Power Through Exposure: Keijo!!!!!!!!
While I will always argue that the whole chain mail bikini concept is idiotic, the deconstruction of that concept does lend some strength to the world of ecchi. More often than not, we see shounen battle anime highlight the power of men, either through possessing a higher intellect and thus a mind for strategy or through the sheer masculine power. In these kinds of shows, female characters are understood to be weaker than men and are then relegated to the main character's harem. With shows like Keijo, however, that kind of concept is flipped on its head. Rather than seeing men in power, we see a subculture where women reign supreme. Sure, watching scantily clad women fight using nothing but tits and ass amounts to little more than fanservice with a gladiatorial overtone (and we all know how much people love some good old bloodsport), yet there is an undeniable power present in these girls that could match the standard battle anime protagonist blow for blow. In fact, I'm pretty sure that was the whole point of Keijo. It drew people in with simple fanservice and, instead, gave them a compelling battle story that encouraged people to be proud of who they are, what they got, and what they can do with it. By exposing the idea that women can be strong (strong enough to knock aside hundreds of pounds of lumber with just their ass), this show turned sexual and ecchi content into something akin to an armorless martial art. Granted, it's still not the perfect expression of this idea, since a good part of my acceptance might just be simple acclimation this show's schtick, but it is a good first step.
Sexual Content and Character Discovery: Hahoutsukai no Yome
"Sexual content isn't always sexy." This is a concept I've struggled to really understand for the longest time, content with the simple, if not wholly accurate, categorization that only detestable acts--rape, cheating, abuse, and the like--fall into this undesirable category. I don't think it was until I saw one particular scene in Mahoutsukai no Yome that the concept really clicked for me. While, yes, those detestable acts do represent that idea, there are so many other, less extreme, ways in which this idea can be acknowledged. What's more, these less extreme examples of unsexy sexual content can actually offer a lot to a scene and show at large. Specifically, they can offer insight into a character and their personality that would never be seen otherwise, since moments like these are often full to bursting with complicated emotions.
For example, in the scene that I mentioned previously, we are initially and immediately jarred by a scene of Elias, the monstrous mage of the series, fall upon Chise as if to attack her in either sense of the word. Unable to control his form in this moment, Elias overpowers Chise with a form that is large and muscular from the torso up but resembles something more like a large snake from there on down. In every sense, he seems to be the monster that he always feared. Rather than trying to fight or resist his overbearing power and unsettling form, Chise instead just lets Elias loom over her and calmly accepts the situation they're both in. Even when he coils himself around her can carries her to his bed, she offers no complaint. As if to solidify the sexual tension in this unsettling scene, though, we see glimpses of Elias quite literally salivating while the woman he has claimed as his wife sits helpless before him. Still, all Chise does is slowly and calmly find the physical similarities between them, in spite of his monstrous appearance. While this calm can certainly be seen as her wholeheartedly accepting Elias for what he is, because she does clearly have some feelings for him at this point, that isn't the whole of the truth. Then, once things have calmed down to simple unease, the scene ends with yet another jarring transition. As Chise sleeps, we see Elias looming over her, salivating as if he was going to devour her. When Chise's eyes snap open though she doesn't see Elias. Instead, the from looming over her has suddenly changed to that of her mother, the woman who cursed Chise's birth and nearly killed Chise before she took her own life. Then, just like that, the scene ends with Chise waking up the next morning.
It doesn't take a lot to see where the implied sexual content exists in this scene. While it is far from titillating, it possesses a kind of sexual tension that is hard to ignore. The imagery is all there. It is understood that the two of them do have feelings for each other. Had the show taken a darker turn in that moment, it would have made total sense but couldn't have been seen as anything other than an undesirable outcome, since Elias is, very much, not himself in this moment. Put simply, any sexual content that does exist or might have been in that scene wouldn't be seen as sexy. What makes this scene so impactful, though, isn't the hyper-domineering nature and overwhelming hunger seen Bone Daddy Elias. Rather, it's Chise's blase reaction to the whole situation. While we have heard Chise claim she is cursed before, that fact isn't made any more clear than in this scene because she is legitimately not afraid of Elias. She does not see him as a monster or cringe at sight of him because she already has something that dominates her nightmares--something that is infinitely more terrifying than Elias--the memory of the mother who nearly killed her. Had the show/manga not gone this direction, we might have never gotten this glimpse into Chise's character. We would have never solidly understood why she isn't terrified by all the horrors she sees while living with the Fae. Yet, because this show took a shot with a scene rife with sexual overtones, we got a lot of information to digest in a scene that only lasts a little over a minute.
Nudity as Fact and Fear: Net-Juu no Susume
Typically used for comedy or simple titillation, the presence of nudity is probably one of the simplest and more blatant forms of ecchi accessible to the average anime viewer. Yet it can also be the simplest way to express that "not all sexual content is sexy" idea I mentioned previously. Over the course of Net-juu no Susume, it is generally understood that the main character, Morioka Moriko, isn't really happy with the way she looks. While I and multiple members of the cast would call her beautiful, she is just generally insecure about her body. Because of this insecurity, she grows to be afraid of what other people think of her. More than that, she automatically categorizes herself as undesirable, insisting that one would be romantically or sexually interested in a woman like her. It is, perhaps, because of that categorization that we get a few scenes where Morimori is nude but just goes through the motions of taking a show or undressing anyway as if it were nothing.
In these scenes, Morioka isn't presented in any kind of sexual manner. If anything, they convey a certain amount of distress because of the juxtaposition between her calm expression and her near-audible internal screaming. Sure, she still looks good for the viewer, but it's not perceived as anything more than Morioka being Morioka, an adorably awkward spaz who never really knows what to do with herself. Yet, at the same time, it seems clear that she is conflicted by her fear. After all, if she's as unattractive as she believes, how is it possible that she ended up in Sakurai's shower if he wasn't interested in her? This conflict then begs the question of why he cares and if she cares, and so her fears and anxieties build while she's still just being herself...in the buff. While awkward for the character on multiple levels, this kind of expression of sexual content and nudity comes across as far more mature and reasonable than most other shows. Rather than being a thing to be ogled, Morioka is presented as a person with a wide range of hang-ups and feelings that need to be addressed over the course of the show but not necessarily "solved." She is who she is, and that likely won't change too much, but gaining respect for who she is and what looks like would be a massive plus for Morioka's character development.
I certainly won't go so far as to say that ecchi, as it usually exists, should be done away with. What I will say though is that I wish it was no longer the standard. Imagine how much growth and respect the anime community would receive if it moved away from the idea that characters need to titillate. Why can't they just be characters? Unfortunately, money speaks though. Trends of use likely aren't going to change anytime soon, so long as we have shows like Asterisk Wars and Shokugeki no Soma (which I do like) sleezing about. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop supporting the shows that use ecchi "right" though. Whenever I find a show that blows my expectations out of the waters, and this is a solid way to do so, I always want to talk about it. So, sure, things might not change anytime soon but I'll keep looking for ways in which ecchi and sexual content might be more appropriately and for a greater purpose.