Ecchi, as a genre, isn’t the most:
- Frequent.
- Consistent.
- Doesn’t have the highest number of shows.
- Is sometimes disliked or criticised.
- Doesn’t make the most money compared to other genres.
And yet, Ecchi manages to have and maintain an:
- Appeal.
- Interest.
- Curiosity.
- Desire.
- Audience.
And enough fans to sustain the genre with more and more content. Not to mention fanservice, which someone like Hayao Miyazaki absolutely despises I’m sure.
Let’s talk about why the ecchi genre has stood the test of time despite these obstacles.
Here’s a list.
1. Sex sells, and so does fanservice
People won’t admit it out loud, but everyone, on some level, loves fanservice. By love I mean everyone doesn’t mind seeing some skin from men or women.
After all, we are all attracted to certain:
- Looks.
- Body types.
- Shapes.
- Sizes.
- Shades.
And everything in between.
There is a reason a character like Rias Gremorry is loved so much. It’s not just her red hair; it’s her “bits” that make her attractive to a certain audience.
The same can be said for male characters in both ecchi and non ecchi series. Muscles, in shape, and whatever else can be the perfect fanservice for women.
Just like men who are groomed or have a certain physique can be that way for female fans.
2. It’s a genre that’s full of brainless entertainment
Sometimes brainless entertainment, depending on what it is and who you are, can be just enough to get away from life for a moment.
A sort of escapism without being toxic.
Personally I like to learn from entertainment, but there’s no rule for this and is in fact harder to do by nature.
An example of brainless entertainment that has kept the ecchi genre going (or hated by extension) is an anime like High School Of The Dead.
That anime is ecchi and horror, with action, guns, zombies, and hysterical camera angles.
Sometimes that’s all an anime needs to succeed.
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3. Sometimes ecchi shows can be surprisingly rewarding
The anime series How To Raise A Boring Girlfriend is one of those surprising shows. It doesn’t make sense that it should be entertaining, but it ends up being exactly that.
The main character is an Otaku who wears glasses and also wants to make his own dating sim game.
He’s joined by Megumi Kato, the “boring girlfriend”, plus others like Kasumigaoka, a best selling author and a separate doujin writer.
Then there are ecchi anime shows like Shimoneta, a series about fighting against social justice warriors (literally) who are attempting to censor anything lewd, including lewd jokes and porn.
The main character Ayame Kajou dresses up as what she calls “Blue Snow”, spreads the word to un-brainwash people and is branded a terrorist in the process.
She and others are also part of a group called SOX, which is an acronym for something hilarious in itself.
Shimoneta is legendary for predicting, pointing out, and making a mockery of Western society as far as the political incorrectness we have seen since the mid 2010s.
4. Creativity is rife if done right
A good example of this done right is the anime series Food Wars. The anime focuses on Soma Yujihira, a regular guy who was raised in a smaller restaurant with his father.
His mother has already passed.
He wants to compete with chefs at a high level, and so makes his way to do so. But the anime becomes more than just this with action mixed in with ecchi, fanservice, and ridiculous episodes.
When food tasting is done, it shows off how each character feels in that moment and makes it somewhat sexual with clothes seemingly flying off.
It’s both hilarious and relatable. It’s what joy would look like when eating food if it were visualized.
5. Ecchi anime sells a dream, a lifestyle
It’s true. Ecchi anime by definition is a lifestyle, a dream, and the ones being sold to are the viewers and those who tune in.
Now, of course, this is one aspect of it that can even be argued or debated. It depends on the viewer and what they’re in it for.
But at its core, it can’t be denied that Ecchi, usually mixed with HAREM, is selling a dream where eve the most mundane guy with no skills or talents can attractive the most desirable of women.
And not just attract them, but attract them in droves, hordes, like honey to bees, or a moth to a flame.
In this sense, it’s unrealistic, which means it gives people something they want but can’t have. But it’s also entertaining and comical because of how ridiculous it is.
6. Eye candy everywhere
Eye candy is always a good way to draw an audience. I’m not talking about showing skin necessarily, it can be good visuals, art, backgrounds, scenes, and so on.
But in this case of course we’re talking about all of that, especially the “skin” and “flesh” kind.
Contrary to popular criticism, Ecchi also has eye candy for female fans or gay fans for that matter.
It doesn’t discriminate exclusively. Kill La Kill is one of many examples, as is the anime Food Wars which equally shows the body and gives viewers plenty to look at.
7. It has some of the best comedy at times
Ecchi anime has some of the greatest comedy when it’s done right of course. It’s one of those volatile genres that has to be done the correct way in order for it to work.
Otherwise, it falls apart very easily and becomes a laughing stock of a series that ends up with awful ratings and sales.
Kill La Kill can be considered one of the many anime with comedy, which hits the right notes and hits them hard as well.
Though a better comparison would be a series like Panty And Stocking With Garterbelt. An anime like this is not just ecchi, it’s outright raunchy, ghetto, full of more F bombs than a boat with sailors, and yet it’s entertaining.
That much can’t be denied about it.
It stands out among ecchi anime series for different reasons than most.
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