fan service
noun
1
: material included (as in a book, movie, game, or performance) specifically to please fans: such as
a
: entertainingly familiar elements (such as inside jokes or callbacks) aimed at fans of a series, franchise, etc.
… there are lots of Easter Eggs and … characters included purely as fan service for devotees to the original two movies …—
Aaron Potter
Aaron PotterOne way to look at this book is as several hundred pages of fan service. [Stephen] King offers a lot of callbacks to these earlier works that are undoubtedly a treat for his most loyal devotees.—Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus ReviewsSome games will include a character, location or a reference from other games or forms of entertainment as fan service …—US Official News
US Official News
b
in anime and manga
: sexually suggestive or explicit scenes (such as views of nude or scantily clad characters) that are included primarily to titillate the audience
An undeniable characteristic of both manga and anime is the concept of fan service—added material with the sole purpose of exciting the reader or viewer in a sexual way that does little to nothing to aid the plot.—Grace Schutte
Grace SchutteThe anime industry's brand of fan service is much more R-rated. Some fans love it, others find it distasteful, and all agree that fan service is highly gratuitous, either for good or for ill.—Louis Kemne
Louis KemneGiven the mission of sending up anime cliches, one should not be surprised at the "fan service" panty flashes, breast gropes, gratuitous nudity, and gay-lesbian tropes trotted out.—C. Cassady
C. Cassady2
: the act, practice, or approach of including fan service in something (such as a book, movie, game, or performance)
The entire third season of this … series felt like one long exercise in fan service …—Brian Lowry
Brian LowryMetallica ripped through five tracks from their most recent album …, but outside of that, their setlist felt carefully constructed for fan service.—Patrick Lyons
Patrick LyonsThe most obvious rationale for bringing [William] Shatner back into the fold is plain old fan service. I know some of the Star Trek fanbase is really tired of seeing the new films … present updated riffs on classic Star Trek.—Mike Bracken
Mike BrackenExamples of fan service in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump’s convention speech was 35 minutes of persuasion and 60 minutes of fan service.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Nov. 2024
There is a whiff of an unspoken playbook in 143’s mistakes, a struggle to square fan service to Perry’s third album, Teenage Dream, with current pop-star conventions.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2024
There was no concerted effort to adhere to the tone of more recent Venom comics, to push for an R-rating, or to make films in the effort of fan service and comic book accuracy.
—Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024
Bang has launched a new quest to dominate charts around the globe, but, as Alex Barasch reports in this week’s issue, the producer is using a formula that relies on a radical kind of fan service from his artists, and his enthusiasm seems increasingly disconnected from the sound.
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024
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Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Nov. 2024
There is a whiff of an unspoken playbook in 143’s mistakes, a struggle to square fan service to Perry’s third album, Teenage Dream, with current pop-star conventions.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2024
There was no concerted effort to adhere to the tone of more recent Venom comics, to push for an R-rating, or to make films in the effort of fan service and comic book accuracy.
—Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Oct. 2024
Bang has launched a new quest to dominate charts around the globe, but, as Alex Barasch reports in this week’s issue, the producer is using a formula that relies on a radical kind of fan service from his artists, and his enthusiasm seems increasingly disconnected from the sound.
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near fan service
Cite this Entry
“Fan service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fan%20service. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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