Completely gratuitous shot of bike messenger

What’s not to like?

Sometimes the cooks are hotter than the food at festivals

Completely gratuitous photo of the food stall worker at Hanazono shrine’s festival in May.

More boots-in

This department store shopper manages to combine “boots-in” with several other current trends. The low slung and non-functional studded belt. The dangly purse that resembles what hair dressers use to hold their scissors and clippers; for non-pros, it’s like a mini-man purse for wallet and cellphone, often wide open and facing the backside. There’s also the bag that looks like a fanny bag but is worn like a messenger bag across one shoulder. Plus a long, gratuitous extra chain.

Domino Dancing, Pet Shop Boys’ Super-Gay 80s video

This digitally remastered 80s music video from the Pet Shop Boys depicts the gayest version of heterosexuality seen in the 20th century. I love the no-shirts-on-boys theme, the gratuitous construction helmets quickly tossed aside to reveal 80s hairdos, the vaguely Barcelona backdrop, the horses, and the ocean wrestling. Ahh, a more innocent time, indeed.

Their new album Yes continues the same sound and high Brit gaydom: “Did You See Me Coming” and “Love Etc.“

Fan service (ファンサービス) or Fan Sābisu

I came across this delightful maid anime while learning about the term “fan service.” To answer Scott’s question about Nakano maids (“What kind of maids are these”), a question that was not a question for Christophe, I will introduce the term “fan service” here.

Fan service are gratuitous visual elements in anime and manga “that are unnecessary to a storyline, but designed to amuse or sexually excite the audience.” In anime, these include shower scenes and holiday trips that feature bikinis. They can also include costume play (コスプレ, kosupure), particularly ones related to traditional Japanese fetish characters, including school girls, cat girl, bunny girl, maid, mako, kimono, race girl, policewoman, and waitresses of the “Anna Miller’s” (アンナミラーズ, Anna Mirāzu) type.

In the spirit of fan service, what images will please the readers of this blog? Kosuke was certainly a crowd pleaser. Any suggestions?

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