The trouble with "fan service" (ファンサービス)

If you’ve spent any time around anime, trading cards, or even video games while living here in Japan, it's likely that you’ve come across the concept of ファンサービス or "fan service." It’s often described as content included solely to please fans, like action scenes, cameos, or yes, even sexualized character designs. But in media aimed at younger audiences, fan service can sometimes feel like it’s gone way over the line. We've been dealing with this recently as our son has gotten into One Piece trading cards, some of which have pretty graphic imagery on them.

Fan service isn’t always about sex appeal, but when it is, I've noticed it's very overt. Characters with exaggerated bodies, skimpy outfits, and suggestive poses are prevalent. Part of the problem is that this content doesn’t always come with an age-appropriate filter. 

Not really the cutesy Pikachu-esque cards of the Pokemon era. Some One Piece characters are benign (Monkey D. Luffy, Chopper) but the female characters are often like this. Don't get me started on the animal-human hybrid, either...

I've personally found it jarring. What's often shrugged off as normal or expected in some Japanese media circles can feel uncomfortable, especially when it’s used on products that are typically marketed to kids. Parents from other cultures (including my own) probably don't expect to be vetting Pokémon-adjacent card games for sexual imagery.

There’s also the question of the message it sends to people about what bodies are supposed to look like, or how characters (especially female ones!) are valued.

Have you encountered this overtly sexual concept of fan service here?