The other day, I was talking about how anime unnecessarily put in sexual fan service in some scenes, and it leads to a confusion between anime and the more erotic genre. It occurred to me that it doesn’t only happen in anime. The motorcycle industry has been doing the same thing.
Let’s start off with the obvious, motorcycles are sexy on their own. They are both an artistic form of mechanical design that both can propel you into oblivion and sexy fairings. But, just like in any industry, people managed to insert alluring ladies into it.
For example, in the biggest motorcycle racing championship, MotoGP, umbrella girls or grid girls can still be seen providing the racers with shades. Motorsport and beautiful girls is a combination that’s hardly new, even in the anime MF Ghost they have grid girls too.
However, some motorsports like F1 stopped employing them in 2018. they stated that the grid girls were no longer needed as they didn’t represent their brand. Meanwhile, MotoGP still keeps their grid girls.
Admittedly, the removal of grid girls sparked a division among fans and even the girls! Some who were for grid girls said that there is no harm being done by having them, they are similar to saleswoman or cheerleaders.
The involvement of women in various marketing isn’t limited only to motorsports. Advertisements for any products, more often than not, display women as their models.
Women In Advertising
Women have been involved in the influence of mass media for a long time. Back when I was learning history in school, I found the most memorable ad featuring women was the WW2 “We Can Do It!” poster.
The WW2 poster was later reused in the 80s as the face of the growing feminism movements. How the movement later progressed speaks volumes about the influence this poster and women had. Clearly, women are a vital representation symbol for mass persuasion.
The influence of women also exists in the commercial world. Various industries have employed women as their ad model since the 1900s, with automotive industry is one of the most prevalent one to employ women. For example, the Bentley ad features a woman doing an ASMR-esque, and it became a meme at one point.
“Bentley…”
Bentley Ad Girl
Making women as the star of an ad is nothing new to the automotive industry. The inclusion of the fairer sex in media is something that’s as old as the passage of modern marketing. However, how they portray these women in old ads are somewhat closer to how anime would do fan service.
Anime, Motorcycles, And Fan Service
Fan service in anime is now growing to be more and more common. It could be said that the majority of fans in the anime industry are young men, hence the fan service scenes. However, when anime girls strip their clothes for no reason except degen-baiting, it can get too much and tasteless.
Same thing with the motorcycle industry. Some ads, especially in the 70s, would often feature women in minimal clothing and provocative pose to drive in attention. Granted, the 70s was a different era.
Back then, this kind of advertisement is more accepted. In the last decade or so, it would give any company a hard time with their PR. In 2012, Aprilia learned it the hard way when they received backlash for their ad.
Nowadays, motorcycle companies more or less refrains from getting into risky advertising. The cultural values have shifted, and what brought attention in the 70s now would only bring angry mobs with torches. However, if you think about it, it’s such a glaring contrast to how anime is now.
Curiously, anime is getting away with fan service way more than ever. Even in stuffs that are so niche for anime fan, like Bakuon!! an anime about girls learning how fun it is to be a motorcyclist.
Honestly, this anime has almost the same feels as K-On! the typical lighthearted slice of life. Only in Bakuon!! they replace the tune with horsepower. Despite the anime’s genre, there is a part of the anime that I don’t know how to feel about.
The scene that I am referring to is when the girls are washing their motorcycles. At some point, they start to wash their bikes with their bodies covered in soap instead of with sponges. This anime starts with a “fuwa-fuwa” tone and a touch of motorcycle actions. So, when I watched this scene, I didn’t know how to feel about it, and I still don’t.
Maybe, it’s my own bias toward fan service in anime. Maybe, it’s fan service fatigue that I’ve been feeling without even realizing. I do still think eroticism can work in any media, given the right approach. However, when it is being shoved into our face constantly, it turns into an ick that drives us away.
The Real Fan Service Would Showcase The Bike
Anime definitely got its motorcycle influence from the Japanese biker culture. Also, its popularity also reached worldwide audience, some of which are also fans of motorcycles. So, don’t be surprised if one day you spot someone on a Ninja 600 with their waifu on the fairings.
Putting anime stickers on your own bikes or even cosplaying as a character on two-wheels might be one thing. But, what about bringing an anime bike into real life? That’s exactly what Honda did. Honda in 2014 took inspiration from anime to make this bike.
The Honda Vultus or NM4 is a 670 cc parallel-twin motorcycle. This cruiser absolutely rocked a design reminiscence of Kaneda’s bike from Akira. Fun fact, this bike took a role in the live action movie Ghost in the Shell featuring Scarlett Johannson.
While it’s nice and all to have a real-life motorcycle based on something from an anime, it would take a multimillion-dollar effort from a big company. Putting real bikes into an anime would be infinitely more possible.
It’s one of my regrets that there is no great motorcycle anime in recent years. The car guys get MF Ghost in 2023. Initial D is also still an overwhelmingly good anime despite its age. Honestly, I am a bit envious of anime fans who also happen to be car enthusiasts. If you’re among anime fans who are into cars or motorcycles, what do you think of the fan service in Bakuon!! and MF Ghost?
Seinenrider 
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