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Ambiguous Name: Foreign Fanservice

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NothingUnusualHere from Canadia Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
#1: Jan 28th 2019 at 9:12:17 PM

This trope is supposed to be about the portrayal of Westerners in Japanese/Japan-adjacent media as tall, curvy, and generally more sexually forward than the native cast. However, the title gives the impression that it’s the supertrope for tropes such as Sensual Slav, Spicy Latina, etc. Almost every non-Japanese example reflects this misinterpretation.

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    Anime and Manga 
  • Tina Foster of Ai Yori Aoshi exemplifies this, although Taeko is bigger. Helped by being an interesting character.
    • Little context other than the character’s Western name and a reference to her being busty, but I’m assuming she fits the trope. Probably fine.
  • AIKI:
    • Chamoni, the French exchange student in the manga.
    • Metara probably also applies, given how many allusions to her being a foreigner are made and her whole 'Western' look as a gunslinger.
      • This was commented out but the two examples probably still fit. Not much information about the characters’ personalities though, and Chamoni may be a case of Everyone Looks Sexier if French instead. Two probable examples.
  • Axis Powers Hetalia parodies this with their Anthropomorphic Personification of America. His Phenotype Stereotype looks would have you think that this was how his character was meant to be, but he's actually a much better candidate for Adorkable than this trope.
    • Parodies the trope by making the character adorkable rather than sexy. Probably fine.
  • Darker than Black:
    • November 11. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, and British, and was seen lounging around naked in one episode, and again in a manga omake.
    • Brita, having the same Phenotype Stereotype and probably being American, and like November 11, lacks a concern for nudity, although in both cases, it's not culture that causes this behavior, it's sociopathy.
    • The presumably American (she works for the CIA) Madame Oreille in the second season. She seems to spend an inordinate amount of time in swimsuits that show off her cleavage or getting a massage while covered in oil. Again, blond and blue-eyed.
      • Three examples. Fine.
  • Detective Conan
    • Jodie Starling, american teacher and FBI agent. Aside from suggestive outfit, she's quite flirty.
    • Sharon Vineyard.
      • First example is good, second has no context and was commented out. One good example and one ZCE.
  • In the Di Gi Charat specials, the cast travels to the US and meets up with a full-blown 10-year-old Dejiko-fanboy, complete with blonde hair, Japanese with a weird accent ("De'jeeko'-chan!") and stars & stripes-colored Dejiko-cosplay.
    • The character is a stereotypical anime American, but he’s probably not an example because he’s an annoying little kid. Not fanservice.
  • Wallace/Willis from the Digimon Adventure 02 movie, being American, naturally is blond with blue eyes (though they change to green during the course of the movie). Lampshaded in the dubbed version where Daisuke/Davis comments, "Yeah, yeah, back off there, blondie", after Wallace/Willis complements Miyako/Yolei.
    • Again, the character is a little boy. Not fanservice.
  • Suzy and Angela in Genshiken are Americans, but only Angela fits this trope.
    • The example was commented out, and had no context other than saying the character was American and fit the trope, unlike another American character. Probably fine.
  • The definitive example has got to be Hevn from Getbackers. When the artist felt that Hevn alone wasn't busty enough to combat the dark nature of the Divine Design storyline, he created Maria Noches, who is even more well-endowed.
    • Two examples with little context. Apparently busty and the “definitive example.” Probably two examples.
  • Everyone in Grenadier assumes that Rushuna is foreigner based on her three most noticeable assets: her golden hair, her gun, and her massive pair of boobs. The hair actually winds up getting her into trouble on one occasion.
    • A character is assumed to be foreign due to fitting this trope. Fine.
  • Weda in Haré+Guu is an Ambiguously Brown youthful mother who wears a Fur Bikini. In the school episode, the class Haré goes to (in "The City", where she was born) hangs a American flag (although it's also possible, that it's the room of the English class) and everyone has names common in Anglophone countries. The Jungle village she lives in also seems to be outside of Japan, since they called some Japanese dude Guu swallowed into one of her "stomachs" foreign.
    • fine.
  • High School DXD:
    • Discussed with Rias. Her tall height, large chest, and brilliant scarlet hair lead people to assume she's Scandinavian. Her homeland is actually in her last name, Gremory. She's from Hell.
    • Played completely straight, on the other hand, with Asia and Xenovia. They're both Italian.
      • People assume a character is this due to fitting the physical description of the trope, and two other characters are said to be Italian and fit this trope. Probably three examples.
  • Japan, Inc. has a stripper in a cowgirl costume.
    • The example was commented out and was just a single line mentioning that a stripper in a cowgirl costume appears in the manga. Probably counts as invoking the trope. Probably fine.
  • Rachel "Castor" Stanley from Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple. On top of being scantily clad and mightily endowed, she's also proven to be a gigantic Attention Whore who would do practically anything (especially strip) for a glance in her direction.
    • Fine.
  • Shared between Emma and Hugh from Kimi wa Petto: Emma has the bust, but is red-haired instead of blonde and is the same height as her Japanese co-workers; meanwhile, Hugh is blond, extremely tall, and a Chick Magnet.
    • Two examples.
  • Kuroko no Basuke features Taiga's mentor Alex Garcia. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, busty, and with a propensity for hanging out naked while at home, as well as kissing other girls and kids. She's also a former WNBA player, and taught Taiga while he was growing up in the US.
    • fine.
  • The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service has the character Reina Gorn show up in one arc. She's a Hot Scientist American entomologist who is blonde, has an enormous bust, and wanders round Tokyo wearing a cowboy hat, bikini top, and tiny denim shorts.
    • Fine.
  • Played with in Love Hina. Unlucky Everydude Keitaro returns from an academic trip abroad; Naru (after spending much of his trip worried about all the trope-fitting girls that he was bound to encounter) finds a blond hair on his clothes and takes him to task for philandering. Turns out, it was a hair from a mysteriously blonde gorilla.
    • Trope is discussed and used as a plot device when a character goes abroad. Fine.
  • Patricia "Patty" Martin from Lucky Star. She's an American and has the second largest breast size of the entire cast.
    • Another example that’s just “this character is American and has really big boobs.” Probably fine.
  • One of Lupin III movies, The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure: Diana is and drawn with striking pale blue eyes, a tall, nubile figure, and has a pronounced British accent. So naturally, Lupin can't help himself when he sees her and spends almost as much of the film trying to win her affections as he does searching for the fabled treasure.
    • British variant. Fine.
  • Based on this trope, it's not a surprise that Lyrical Nanoha's resident American, Alisa, officially got the second largest bust size amongst Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, Suzuka, and her after the Time Skip.
    • “American has second-largest boobs after time skip.” Probably fine.
  • Episode 23 of Maicchingu Machiko-sensei has Judy, a friend of Machiko and a beautiful blonde (the only in all the show) american girl. She even perform a cheerleader show.
    • Fine.
  • Midori Days has Lucy Winradd, who Seiji bumps into and immediately recognizes as an American because of her blonde hair and Stars and Stripes patterned panties. She also happens to be an expy of Tiffany Lords, who's also an example of the trope.
    • Fine.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion:
    • Asuka is a German version — predictably for that show, things go very bad very fast. The artbooks, on the other hand, had a field day with this.
    • Mari from Rebuild 2.0. And she's not above shaming Asuka in the chest department either.
      • Asuka is commented out but probably an example, Mari is fine too. One example and one probable example.
  • Lizlet L. Chelsie from Omamori Himari. England and with the biggest bust of the main cast. This frequently gets lampshaded by the other girls of Yuuto's harem.
    • Fine.
  • Cathy McMahon in Rah Xephon: Tall, blonde, busty, freckled face, wears a cowboy hat with her uniform, boisterous personality. Wears a very skimpy bikini in the Beach Episode.
    • Fine.
  • Kaere Kimura from Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei. This was subverted in the Onsen Episode: she may be Ms. Fanservice reliably, but she wears a full bodysuit in the Onsen Episode because whatever-she-is really aren't that keen on public nudity.
    • Could use more information about her personality and appearance, rather than the one time she wasn’t providing fanservice. Fine.
  • Sgt. Frog gives us the American "celebrity" (and one-time personal trainer) Melody Honey, a character from the author's previous work, Arcade Gamer Fubuki.
    • No information other than the character being an American and a scare-quotes “celebrity.” Probably fine.
  • Charlotte Yeager from Strike Witches, from Liberion.
    • The example was commented out and gives no information other than stating that the character is from a fictional country. May or may not be an example.
  • Montana of Super Dreadnought Girl 4946 fits this. Her breasts are particularly huge, and she's rather hyperactive. Even Mana, a 50 meter tall girl with just as large body parts, is jealous of her body.
    • Fine.
  • Variable Geo: Erina Goldsmith is the lone American entrant competing in the VG tournament. As such, she's blonde and busty, like you'd expect, and she and her team parade around in Playboy Bunny costumes. She also keeps a lighter tucked conspicuously in her ample cleavage, which she uses as a makeshift flamethrower when she fights.
    • Fine.
  • Monica from Yakitate!! Japan, who wears an American flag bikini. It should be noted that she invoked this deliberately, so as to distract her opponent in the baking duel. Her opponent responded to this by stripping down to his loincloth.
    • Fine.
  • Lucy Mk II from the ecchi manga Yuria 100 Shiki. She's a blonde blue-eyed American sexbot, modeled after generations of playmates, who behaves like a nymphomaniac.
    • Fine.

21 good examples, 16 borderline or poorly-explained examples, and two non-examples.

    Fan Works 
  • The beautiful 13 year old Korean actress Younghee Byeol from The Gingerverse counts. However, Beauty Is Bad in this situation, and she wants to Take Over the World. Her Russian friends Anna and Olga are exactly the same.
    • The first character mentioned is Korean, making her almost the exact opposite of this trope. Her two Russian friends don’t count either, especially since this story takes place in America. Also, to rub salt in the wound, this isn’t a fan work at all and is actually an unpublished series of films(?) whose examples don’t belong on the main wiki in the first place.

No good examples and one “nuke on sight”-tier example.

    Films 
  • Didier, the French Exchange student from Son of Rambow. Heck, Even the Guys Want Him!!
  • When it was announced that there would be a Hollywood version of The Ring, the Japanese made a few joke comics about "American Sadako". One of which, yes, she would be blonde and have big boobs. It eventually spawned a full-blown meme where Sadako, the black-haired child-Samara, and the blonde and large-breasted American Samara were all separate characters.
    • The meme is an example of this trope, but there are no instances of this character type in the film. Actually an audience reaction to the American remake. Not an example.
  • Both parodied and instantiated by Areola in Not Another Teen Movie. She's the sexy Foreign Exchange Student at the high school, who is always nude for some reason.
    • Like Son of Rambow, this is a French student in America. Not an example.
  • Soldier of Orange: Susan, the British intelligence officer, has sex scenes with several members of the Dutch resistance.
    • British character in a Dutch film, so the trope probably doesn’t apply. Probably not an example.
  • Fright Night 2: New Blood: Charley and Ed meet Peter Vincent in a Romanian strip club and go back there several times.
    • American movie with scenes in a Romanian strip club. Not an example.

No good examples, one example that is almost definitely not an example, and four bad examples.

    Live Action TV 
  • Game of Thrones:
    • Invoked. Daenerys Targaryen, a Shrinking Violet princess, is an Arranged Marriage with a barbarian Dothraki horselord. Wanting to get more control over her life, she asks former Sex Slave Doreah for some practical advice. Doreah suggests a more dominant approach in the bedchamber.
      Daenerys: Err, I'm not sure that's the Dothraki way...
      Doreah: If he wanted the Dothraki way, why did he marry you?
    • Shae, who has a thick accent (which is Hand Waved as her being Lorathi) is occasionally consumed by fears that this is all she is to Tyrion.
      • Two examples. The Dany one could be a discussion of the trope, although it’s the Dothraki who are “foreign” compared to the main characters. The second one is a a character with an accent fearing being a foreign lust object for a character living in an England-inspired culture, so therefore definitely not an example. One possible example and one non-example.

One arguable example and one bad example.

    Professional Wrestling 
  • El Pasiero VENENO was pushed as such in Mexico for over half a decade, though no one got to see his Panameño appeal until after Gran Markus Jr. unmasked him.
    • Panamanian man used as fanservice for Mexicans. Not an example.
  • Los Guapos Internacional of CMLL, Toryumon Mexico and others are a shameless example, especially the rock hard ab displaying Marco Corleone, though smoothed skinned Alex Koslov aint too bad either(Shocker's not foreign).
    • Also Mexican wrestling, also not examples. Not an example.
  • Shocker may not be foreign but he had two distaff counterparts among the extranjera, La 5000% Guapa Raven Hiroka and Mima Shimoda.
    • Same “canon” as above. Not an example.
  • After Prince Devitt's New Japan Pro-Wrestling run as the successor Pegasus Kid had run its course, this was the way he was booked. It was successful enough that Zero 1, NOAH, SMASH, All Japan, DDT, K Dojo and Dragon Gate all wanted to book him too.
    • Irish man used as fanservice on the Japanese circuit. Probably fine.

One arguable example and four bad examples.

     Theatre 

No good examples and one bad example.

    Video Games 
  • English females represent this well, especially in fighting games, and are designed either around the classic Bond Girl archetype or Evil Is Sexy villainess. Examples include:
    • A general example that claims Bond Girls and Evil Brits count as this trope. Probably not an example.
  • Cammy from Street Fighter, who was the first non-Asian female in the seminal series, and features the blonde hair and blue eyes associated with this trope, as well as a cut-glass RP accent in her most recent appearances.
    • Cammy’s name is potholed to English Rose, which doesn’t fit the personality stereotype of this trope. Arguably an example.
  • Ivy from the Soul Series is arguably the most fanservicy character in her home series, and combines a dominatrix style costume that shows off her enormous bust with an icy, no-nonsense (though undoubtedly sexy) Evil Brit personality.
    • Another example where the character lacks the personality mentioned in the description. Arguably an example.
  • Christie from Dead or Alive is similar to Ivy above, with her statuesque build, gaping cleavage and platinum hair, though she's far more sadistic and ruthless.
    • Same as above. arguably an example.
    • And of course, the number one all time video game Ms. Fanservice, Lara Croft, is a native Brit herself.
    • Lara Croft is a British character created by British people. Not an example.
  • Advanced Variable Geo: Erina "Erinrin" Goldsmith is a busty blonde American bombshell, who runs her own casino and works in a bunny costume.
    • Fine.
  • Darkstalkers has Felicia, a voluptuous Cat Girl hailing from America, and also is colored in blue, white, and red. Morrigan (Scottish) can also qualify.
    • Two examples with little detail. Probably two examples.
  • Tina Armstrong from the Dead or Alive game series. She is an american professional wrestler and has a cowgirl-themed costume in any games.
    • To a lesser extent, Hitomi qualifies as well. Any girl that has a belt for a bra...
      • First example was good, the second, commented out example has very little detail and appears to be about a Japanese character. One good example and one non-example.
  • Iowa's outfit in Kantai Collection invokes this, due to her design being based on pin-up girls found in US recruitment and propaganda posters, as well as in war bond drives.
    • Fine.
  • It's worth noting that despite her role as Ms. Fanservice, Mai Shiranui is actually far from having the largest bust measurement in The King of Fighters (at least if you go by official 3-sizes); Shermie (French, 92 cm), Elizabeth (French, 90 cm), King (French and blonde, 86 cm), Angel (Mexican, 92 cm), and Blue Mary (American and blonde, 86 then 88 cm) all are (or were at one point) among those bigger than Mai (85 cm at first, 87 by KOF 2003). In KOF Maximum Impact 1, Lien Neville (British, blonde) is actually given a larger in-game chest than Mai's, but no official measurements are provided.
    • When first introduced, Blue Mary filled this role in Fatal Fury 3 and Real Bout 1 when her bust was more emphasized than Mai's. In Mark of the Wolves, without any of them present, B. Jennet (British and blonde) is both Foreign Fanservice and Ms. Fanservice.
    • King (French) was also the original Foreign Fanservice in the first 2 Art of Fighting games. Sure, she was always fully dressed, but if you defeated her by KO...
      • A confusing example consisting of almost nothing but comparing official bust sizes of multiple characters to another character who doesn’t seem to qualify for this trope. Shermie, Elizabeth, and King are all apparently Everyone Looks Sexier if French as well, which may disqualify them from this trope. Three arguable examples and four probable examples.
  • Invoked and played dead straight by Vert in the Neptunia franchise. Being the CPU of the foreign nation Leanbox, she is of course tall, blue-eyed, blonde-haired, and openly proud of having the biggest rack of the cast.
    • Somehow this trope is both “invoked” and “played dead straight” by the same character. The actual character fits though. Fine.
  • Anna Lindhurst from Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, the American, is the tallest of all six cheergirls, has blonde hair, and the largest breasts.
    • Yet another example that’s just a brief physical description. Probably an example.
  • Overwatch: Tracer's a spunky young Brit with a thick accent and proudly has the Union Jack emblazoned on the left shoulder of her flight jacket. She's also got stewardess legs and wears a skintight yellow track suit. But what she's really become famous for.... is her butt. Official art and plentiful fan art repeatedly place strong emphasis on her shapely hindquarters.
    • Overwatch is an American game, and Tracer is defined by Britishness, not being a Westerner. Not an example.
  • Rival Schools: Tiffany Lords epitomizes the trope — from her blonde hair and large bouncing breasts, to her Stars and Stripes patterned cheerleading outfit and bright red boxing gloves.
    • Fine.
  • Rumble Roses. Just check out the non-Asian characters in the game. Dixie (American) and Ms. Spencer (Canadian) especially scream the trope.
    • A commented out example that nominates every non-Asian woman in the game, and gives two specific examples. Probably two or more examples.
  • Rose from the Street Fighter Alpha games probably fits as well. She is Italian, y'know, and along with Cammy (a Brit) and C. Viper (American), she's one of the few actual Caucasian women in the series — most of the series' females are Japanese, even though some of them (Karin, Mika, Maki) certainly don't look it.
    • Crimson Viper. American and her 98cm bust is the biggest among any female in the series.
      • Rose’s example says she is “probably” this trope, which is concerning. Crimson Viper is American and has the biggest boobs. Probably two examples.
  • Sarah Bryant from the Virtua Fighter games and anime.
    • Vanessa adds a rare non-Caucasian example of this trope. But she's still "blonde".
      • Two commented out examples with barely any details. Sarah’s is literally just her name, and Vanessa’s just mentions that she’s a Dark Skinned Blonde. Probably two examples.
  • Deconstructed with Ann Takemaki in Persona 5. She's one-quarter white due to having a half-American father, and she spent some time living in Europe. However, she gets an unhealthy amount of Slut-Shaming for her looks, she draws all the wrong kind of attention from gym coach Kamoshida, and people in general think of Ann as a Brainless Beauty and an Alpha Bitch, when she's actually rather lonely.
    • Fine.

Six good examples, 19 poor or borderline examples, and four bad examples.

    Visual Novels 
  • Lilly from Katawa Shoujo is half-Scottish and is the tallest of all the girls, along with having wavy blonde hair.
    • The character is half-Scottish and taller than the other girls. Probably an example.
  • In the h-game Rondo Duo, the biggest, bounciest bust in the cast belongs to the blonde-haired, green-eyed, Gratuitous English-spouting Riko.
    • Porn game. Character seems to fit though. Fine.

One good example and one borderline example.

    Webcomics 
  • The ninjas from No Need for Bushido, for some reason.
    • Which is lampshaded in this bonus comic (kinda NSFW, as it includes Toplessness from the Back), where the text is changed to have a character attempt to convince one of said ninjas to appear in a vote incentive.
    • No actual detail other than mentioning that the characters are sexy. May or may not be an example.
  • Leona from Ronin Galaxy is a good example of this trope. Interestingly enough, she fills the role from a Japanese viewpoint, though the comic is western.
    • No detail other that character being a “good example.” Probably an example.
  • Agent 300 is this to Agent 250 in Niels. It has been pointed out several times in the comic and by the creator that Agent 250 has a Scot fetish, particularly for the Glaswegian accent that 300 only lapses into when drunk. The title character, Niels, has a distinct fetish for black people. Despite being set in America, this counts because he was raised in Denmark, where the black population is very sparse.
    • Two examples, one being an American with a thing for Scots and one of them being a Dane with a preference for black people. Two non-examples.

Two borderline examples and two non-examples.

    Western Animation 

No good examples and one bad example.

    Real Life 

No good examples and 27 bad examples.

Overall, there are 28 good examples, 41 examples with various problems, and 47 examples of misuse, making the ratio of good to bad examples 69:47 at the very best, which includes things I’ve tagged as “almost definitely not an example.” Nearly half of the examples are bad. However, the anime and manga and video games sections have much better use to misuse ratios, probably because they contain the most Japanese media.

My suggestion is to reuse the name Foreign Fanservice for an index of tropes about fetishized characters who are foreign to the main cast or target audience, which would include this trope, Everyone Looks Sexier if French, Latin Lover, etc., and rename this trope to something like “Anime Wanton Westerner”. But probably not that, because it sounds kind of stupid.

Edited by NothingUnusualHere on Feb 1st 2019 at 2:56:32 PM

NothingUnusualHere from Canadia Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
#2: Feb 5th 2019 at 12:48:24 PM

Oh great, it’s open. Anyone have any thoughts on the problem and my suggestion?

crazysamaritan NaNo 4328 / 50,000 from Lupin III Since: Apr, 2010
NaNo 4328 / 50,000
#3: Feb 5th 2019 at 1:30:54 PM

I like the Trope Transplant idea, although I agree the new suggestion is inadequate. Does ~Memers have a suggestion?

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
SomePerson Since: Sep, 2016 Relationship Status: All I Want for Christmas is a Girlfriend
#4: Feb 5th 2019 at 1:40:05 PM

I think that the primary name of the supertrope should be Foreigner Fanservice, just because it's ever-so-slightly clearer, with Foreign Fanservice being a redirect. For the new subtrope name, I'd suggest one of:

  • Land of the Free, Home of the Sexy or E Pluribreast Unum, although they would imply restriction to the U.S.
  • Butts, Boobs, and Burgers

Have you seen my comic yet?
NothingUnusualHere from Canadia Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
#5: Feb 5th 2019 at 2:28:52 PM

[up] I would be good with Foreigner Fanservice as the title. We should probably move the Foreign People Are Sexy redirect from Everyone Looks Sexier if French to the supertrope as well if we decide to make it.

The only one of those suggestions I really feel is the first one, but of course that would involve making the trope America-specific. I'm not actually that opposed to this, considering the majority of the good examples on the page are already about Americans, but I'm fine with the trope as currently-described too.

naturalironist from The Information Superhighway Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
#6: Feb 5th 2019 at 3:32:03 PM

I support the supertrope idea, under the current name. I don't think Foreigner Fanservice has any clarity improvement over Foreign Fanservice, and it will be more work to move.

For the current definition, Occidental Eye Candy? Western Fanservice Character? I don't think the name needs to be America-specific (though Butts Boobs And Burgers is a fun name), I've seen examples of for European characters. I think the key is that the character's Caucasian physical traits (like height, fair skin, large breasts etc) are often what's being fetishized, so it could work equally well for other white people. This is in contrast to something like Everyone Looks Sexier if French, where the accent and some idea of French culture is being fetishized.

"It's just a show; I should really just relax"
WarJay77 Big Catch, Sparkle Edition (Troper Knight)
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
#7: Feb 5th 2019 at 6:09:33 PM

Not much to add here besides [tup] to making a supertrope and doing a transplant.

Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
NothingUnusualHere from Canadia Since: Apr, 2012 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
#8: Feb 5th 2019 at 9:16:24 PM

[up][up] I like both of your suggestions. I lean towards Western Fanservice Character because I think it’s slightly clearer, but either one is good.

Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#9: Feb 6th 2019 at 1:22:31 AM

The Busty western or half-western fanservice character is an anime stereotype. I would say our current list is a bit limited to what actually exists though.

The blonde it often will fly counterpoint to the small Yamato Nadeshiko beauty, occasionally even in fantasy works where its like a checklist of stereotypes.

Super trope to country specific fanservice would work Kimono Fanservice and Flag Bikini would likely go on that.

and why call me out?

Edited by Memers on Feb 6th 2019 at 3:16:12 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#10: Feb 19th 2019 at 4:08:21 AM

This sounds like the Japanese version of Orientalism, where non-Western characters are heavily feminized and sexualized. An example would be the stereotypical depiction of harems, especially in older media.

Could we make a case for there being an Asian variant of Orientalism? In that case, that would also suggest there is a super trope for such stereotyping.

Optimism is a duty.
Memers Since: Aug, 2013
mahidevrans Theon is home. Since: Mar, 2018
Theon is home.
#12: Feb 21st 2019 at 10:28:24 AM

[up][up] Occidentalism? Not a particularly common term compared to its counterpart, but it may be a good starting point.

I agree the "Foreign Fanservice" name is not representative of what the trope actually is. Occidental Eye Candy is pretty catchy, but I don't know if its meaning would be clear to those unfamiliar.

Edited by mahidevrans on Feb 21st 2019 at 10:29:39 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#13: Feb 21st 2019 at 11:16:46 AM

That would seem to be a good counterpart, with the overarching trope perhaps being exoticism?

Optimism is a duty.
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#14: Feb 21st 2019 at 2:13:56 PM

I agree that Foreign Fanservice works better as a supertrope name either way.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#15: Feb 21st 2019 at 2:25:55 PM

But orientalism, and I assume occidentalism as well, are more than just fanservice.

Optimism is a duty.
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#16: Feb 21st 2019 at 3:19:06 PM

[up]I meant the name works for a supertrope to tropes like the ones mentioned in the first post. I neglected to take Orientalism into account, but if it's being grouped under the new supertrope, then the supertrope needs a different name.

I agree that a rename is needed for the trope this thread was originally for, either way. Western Fanservice Character sounds pretty clear.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Feb 21st 2019 at 5:22:26 AM

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#17: Feb 21st 2019 at 7:06:18 PM

The problem with ‘Western Fanservice Character’ is that the stereotype can be used in fantasy works as more of a checklist of stereotypes but not be actually western. Same for fantasy works inserting a Not!Japan in and having a sexy Yamato Nadeshiko in eastern wear character or Kick Chick occasionally as a counterpart to the Western analog.

Edited by Memers on Feb 21st 2019 at 7:07:11 AM

GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#19: Feb 21st 2019 at 10:23:27 PM

I agree, if it's fantasy and you can still tell a country is supposed to be based on Japan, it would be because it is using Japanese stereotypes.

Optimism is a duty.
mahidevrans Theon is home. Since: Mar, 2018
Theon is home.
#20: Feb 26th 2019 at 5:44:07 PM

I agree that Foreign Fanservice should be a supertrope to Latin Lover et. al., as well as the replacement trope for "sexy westerner" as appearing in non-western media. While there is a degree of overlap with concepts of Orientalism and Occidentalism — more so with some examples than with others — I don't think one should be the the sub- or super-trope of the other.

The overarching theme of Orientalism and Occidentalism would probably be "the Other" and how it is perceived and projected on by outsiders. Exoticism and eroticization are aspects of that, especially in Orientalism, but it would be reductive to call it the "overarching theme" of those concepts.

Playing_with_boy Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#21: Mar 4th 2019 at 7:23:14 PM

Count me in in the camp of making Foreign Fanservice a supertrope about fan service using foreigners.

Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#22: Mar 5th 2019 at 7:31:37 AM

+1 to make Foreign Fanservice the supertrope to the more specific types.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#24: Mar 5th 2019 at 8:27:12 AM

Supertrope it. Making tropes Japan-specific is almost always a bad idea.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
XFllo There is no Planet B from Planet A Since: Aug, 2012
There is no Planet B
#25: Mar 5th 2019 at 9:32:58 AM

I also support the supertrope. [tup]

AlternativeTitles: ForeignFanservice
12th Mar '19 8:51:36 AM

Crown Description:

Foreign Fanservice is being made into a supertrope for the concept of objectifying foreign cultures. What should its current definition, "Western/White fanservice character in a non-Western (usually Japanese) work", be called?

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