February is the season of love and romance. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. What better way to commemorate the day than taking a look at some anime? (sorry, sill on that poetry wave from last month)

Today, we’re going to do a deep dive into one of anime’s most popular romance genres: Harem. Contrary to its immoral-sounding name, very few series in this category actually result in polygamy. Most are far more wholesome than people realize. We’ll look at what the genre actually entails, why people are drawn to it, what problems arise within the genre, and a couple of series that utilize its strengths properly.

The most prominent feature of the harem genre is “One Lead, Multiple Love Interests.” While most casts have a male lead and multiple heroines, stories with a single female lead with multiple men vying for her attention have been on the rise, as well. At minimum, this leads to a traditional love triangle. However, some stories feature five or more romantic options. While Touma, the protagonist of A Certain Magical Index, has literal thousands of girls fawning over him, a majority of them are clones of a single girl and are all imprinted with her crush on him. Of course, it should come to no surprise that some series eclipse this number without the clone technicality.

Ensemble casts can be difficult to manage, but having multiple characters allows the writer to showcase multiple personalities. Anime has developed many personality types, some of which were described in last year’s Over Here Over Dere blog. Everyone has different tastes, so having a character who represents your preference gives you someone to root for. The constant state of “will-they-won’t they” keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, which is amplified when each love interest received character development and time with the protagonist.

Unfortunately, both of these strengths are linked to the harem genre’s greatest weaknesses.

First, the personality showcase. Because the love interests are such a large draw for the series, the protagonist’s character often suffers. Sometimes they’re underdeveloped and bland, like Touma from In Another World with My Smartphone. Other times, they’re bombastic and ridiculous, such as the lecherous Issei from Highschool DxD.

Ultimately, the protagonist of a harem series acts as the audience insert character, especially when it comes to the ones with cardboard personalities. We wish our kindness was as well-received in real as in these stories. We wish we could have people fawning over us despite our flaws. Audiences inadvertently live vicariously through the harem protagonist. However, when they’re not the true focus, their character development falls short.

The second weakness comes from the “who will be picked” dynamic. The state of suspense is a big draw for the genre. Audiences speculate who could be the perfect match for the protagonist, and doing so only brings more attention to the series. It is an excellent hook to use.

However, anime producers know that once a love interest is chosen, the allure is gone. Those who voted for the “losing heroine” are no longer invested in the show, so they stop watching and move on. It eliminates a majority of the fanbase. Because the unknown thrills us, once we know, we lose interest.

Their solution: avoid an end by avoiding a choice.

By keeping the protagonist from choosing a love interest, it keeps audiences from leaving too soon, keeps them rooting for their favorite character. By leaving the choice unmade, it opens the door for multiple seasons, more character introductions, and more money in the studios’ pockets.

Infinite Stratos is one example of this trope. Ichika, the protagonist, is the only male in the world who can pilot a state-of-the-art mech suit and must train in a girls-only academy. Obviously, many girls compete for his affection. While the last episode of Season 1 gave us a scene that looked like he was leaning in to kiss one of the heroines, the moment is comedically interrupted with a jealous chase and the episode ends. However, thanks to an inter-season OVA and the beginning of Season 2, we find out that Ichika did not actually make a romantic choice, leaving the girlfriend seat open for the heroines to continue fighting over.

Sword Art Online, though not typically categorized as a harem series, takes this issue of choice in a different, yet just as bad, direction. The protagonist, Kirito, garners the interest of several female characters, but halfway through Season 1, he bonds with a girl named Asuna. The series continued fine (for reasons I’ll get into later), but there was one glaring issue: Kirito still acted like a harem protagonist. His interactions with the rest of the female cast came off as incredibly flirty, even though he and Asuna were already in a steady relationship. This made it seem like he was either completely oblivious of the results of his actions, or a complete slimeball.

So…are there any anime in the harem genre that don’t succumb to these weaknesses?

As a matter of fact, yes. Two come to mind for me.

The first is a series we’ve discussed in the Geared for Story blogs before, the example series for the Over Here Over Dere article: The Quintessential Quintuplets. The series begins with the protagonist, Fuutaro, standing before his bride on their wedding day. Character narration tells us that, in this happy moment, the two of them reminisce about the first time they met. We then flash back to Fuutaro’s high school days. He’s smart, carries a bloated ego, and is hurting financially. Thankfully, despite school just starting, he has secured a new tutoring job. He meets a new student five times throughout the day, but for some reason, she acts differently at every interaction. The first episode ends with him discovering two things: the “new student” is actually five identical sisters, and they’re all his new tutoring students.

We know from the get-go that Fuutaro is going to make a romantic choice. However, by turning it into a reflection of how he got to that point, we get more invested in his character journey and development. This series also plays on the harem genre’s appeal to the unknown by not saying his bride’s name. Now, we’re trying to figure out which of the five sisters Fuutaro ends up with. It’s like the premise for the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, only we know all the potential candidates right away. We get to play the “will-they-won’t-they” game without being left hanging, nor do we suffer along a bland protagonist incapable of growth. We know there’s an end, which makes the journey there all the better.

The second harem series that avoids the pratfalls of the genre is Jitsu wa Watashi wa. While the direct translation of the title is Actually, I Am…, the localized title is My Monster Secret. As a disclaimer, the anime adaptation did not cover the entire story and did not do it the justice it deserved. If you are interested in this series, please read the manga.

Back to the topic at hand. Jitusa wa follows Asahi, a boy who’s known for being terrible with secrets. His friends badger and exploit him for his easy-to-read expressions. One day after school, he returns to his classroom and walks in on his classmate, Youko, stretching her large, bat-like wings. Turns out, Youko is a vampire attending high school. She made a promise with her dad that, if her secret was exposed, she would have to go straight home and never leave again. Not wanting her to disappear, Asahi promises to keep her secret so she can graduate from the school life she always dreamed of. The hijinks and desperate attempts to conceal Youko’s true nature become Asahi’s greatest struggles and our biggest enjoyments.

Several other heroines are introduced, including an alien and a werewolf, to create the usual harem genre antics. There is a lot of emotional back-and-forth. At around Chapter 86, Asahi does end up in a relationship. In a run of the mill harem series, this would signal the end of the story. However, Jitsu wa kept going, and the story did not suffer.

Why? Because finding love was not Asahi’s goal.

This is why Sword Art Online was able to continue despite Kirito and Asuna’s relationship. Every well-developed protagonist needs a goal they strive to achieve, one that’s easily recognizable at the beginning. For Asahi, while romance was certainly on his radar, that was not the driving goal of this story. His goal was protecting Youko’s secret. While entering a relationship added much wanted development, it did not deter him from his desire to help her finish high school undiscovered.

Spotting the Harem tag in an anime’s description can be jarring, but don’t fret. Not all of them feature bland protagonists or gratuitous fan service. The romantic drama creates a unique pull. Love is not always straight forward. Sometimes, you’ll need to do some digging before you find the diamond in the rough. This is something the Harem genre capitalizes on, and it is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

In Perfect Harem-ony

Timothy Marasigan

In Perfect Harem-ony

Democratic Deep Dive

Kintsugi

Timothy Marasigan