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Is there a legit good Harem Anime/Manga out there?

Jadow

Jadow

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,969
For one of the most popular genres in anime/manga I can't think if a single standout, then again I do not dive too deep into this particular genre to actually have this knowledge. Also most harem tend to fall into the same problems, having a rather dull or dense protagonist, stupid fanservice, tropes on top of tropes, and then at the end there is not resolution and if there is...well it is not the desired one.

I am asking because I recently recalled watching/reading The World God Only Knows a few years back during its peak and I remember enjoying the hell out of it especially because the story structure was different from what I am used to...sadly the ending I could have lived with out.

What say you Era? Is this genre simply not worth your time?

MV5BNjIxZTc3ZWEtZjk5ZS00Nzg2LTkyYmUtZjQ0NzUxZTNmODVhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzgxODM4NjM@._V1_UY1200_CR85,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg
 
Annabel

Annabel

Member
Mar 22, 2019
1,677
Everyone told me Re:Zero and Shield Hero would be good and well.

They sure were shows.

I like Clannad quite a bit but the art hasn't aged well and the writing can come off as too tryhard. Not in the edgy way but in the they really want to make you feel sad way.
 
Yuntu

Yuntu

Prophet of Regret
Member
Nov 7, 2019
10,690
Germany
I cant really recommend any because most of them dont have a proper ending and I dont recommend shows without an ending. Yes I dont recommend a lot of things.

Talking only anime of course. I dont read manga.
 
Pbae

Pbae

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,246
I thought Oresuki was good. It was a harem type show but at the same time a critique on it.
 
RPG_Fanatic

RPG_Fanatic

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,637
Ah, The World God Only Knows . I enjoyed that series overall. The ending definitely had that 'this series is cancelled so everything needs to be wrapped up ASAP' feel to it.

My Bride is a Mermaid is a fun watch. It doesn't try for a deep story, but the gags are funny and it doesn't have much stupid fanservice.
 
justiceiro

justiceiro

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
6,664
I just finished reading "Actually, I am..." and was really satisfied with it all, but yeah, it also suffers from the problems you suggest.
 

mrmoose

Member
Nov 13, 2017
21,189
I'm sure there are problems with it due to era alone, but I will always like Ranma 1/2. That probably predates the naming of the genre (I think maybe it started with Tenchi?), same with Urusei Yatsura.
 
JoDa

JoDa

Member
Jan 12, 2018
558
Depends on what you'd describe as a harem, like is a legitimate mess of rivals with one male mc? If so I don't think there's any that's is legitimately "good", you could go for something that has a harem energy without actually being one, like bunny girl senpai or, to a more degenerate degree, the monogatari series.
Another one could be oregairu tho that one is more of a love triangle than a harem.


The only traditional one I could recommend would be the quintuplets harem, tho i might be biased since my favorite girl won that one lol.
 
SatoAilDarko

SatoAilDarko

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,824
Love triangles are one of my biggest banes in fiction and harems just multiply that. I can imagine loving one unless it was full on parody.
 
Garlador

Garlador

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
14,131
Tenchi Universe + the movies (Tenchi in Love, Tenchi Forever) is pretty legit. It also really gets close to actually having Tenchi end up with someone and writing the women as people instead of fan-service props.
Mini_TmiL2.jpg


It's telling that it was directed by a different person than a lot of the other Tenchi shows and comics.
 
FluxWaveZ

FluxWaveZ

Persona Central
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
10,888
Golden Boy is the only one I can think of. The rest are pandering garbage, from the little I've seen since I don't seek it out.




Also, I legitimately enjoy School Days for its deranged subversion of the genre.
 
AliceAmber

AliceAmber

Drive-in Mutant
Administrator
May 2, 2018
6,698
Ouran Host Club or Wallflower. Both are hilarious.

Reverse harem but clearly superior.
 
Opto

Opto

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,546
Ranma 1/2?

Actually I Am.../My Monster Secret gets away with it because the male protagonist actually only likes the one girl but a bunch of other girls like him. So it has harem elements but isn't bogged down with "ooo which one will he choose" and is actually funny.
 
RisingStar

RisingStar

Banned
Oct 8, 2019
4,849
AyaisMUsikWhore said:
Period. I can't at this genre existing. I even hate to the gods that Tenchi Muyo was one of my faves until I grew up. I still love it close to my heart but I touch nothing harem.
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Should be moderated in general. Sickening especially given how young anime girls are often portrayed. Also surprised that Hentai hasn't been banned yet.
 
Parshias

Parshias

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,600
Pseudo Harem for sure, though it is pretty much cheating because the 'harem' is just the female lead acting like a bunch of different characters since she's in the drama club and the male lead is in on it the entire time and it isn't taken seriously.
 

NazoNazoXLR

Member
Dec 20, 2019
290
I find the hit/failure ratio is slightly higher when it's a harem with a female lead, but not THAT much higher. It is still usually some of the most basic wish fulfillment hogwash.

I think it's probably a problem with the formula. The format has evolved in the way that you want to tease the idea of the protagonist and any given number of their romantic choices, which usually means the story is stuck spinning it's wheels even with the best execution. I blame dating sims!
 
lunarworks

lunarworks

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,165
Toronto
You're gonna have to look back about 30 years to the proto-harem era.

Oh My Goddess/Aa! Megami-sama had a guy living with three goddesses of Norse mythology. It was quite wholesome.

Ranma 1/2 was a martial arts comedy with a guy engaged to three women by his dad, for various reasons of his own benefit, and he doesn't really want anything to do with any of them. Oh, and he turns into a girl when doused with cold water because he fell into a cursed spring his dad brought him to train at.
 
The Silver

The Silver

Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,719
Why it's School Days of course. It's a rite of passage, make it through the horror and you become enlightened.
 
FF Seraphim

FF Seraphim

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,734
Tokyo
Garlador said:
Tenchi Universe + the movies (Tenchi in Love, Tenchi Forever) is pretty legit. It also really gets close to actually having Tenchi end up with someone and writing the women as people instead of fan-service props.
Mini_TmiL2.jpg


It's telling that it was directed by a different person than a lot of the other Tenchi shows and comics.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Talking about Tenchi... is it ever revealed who he actually gets with? Its been so long since I read or watched any of it.
 
Squarehard

Squarehard

Member
Oct 27, 2017
25,874
My Life as a Villainess is sweet, cute, and overall a well made series.

Just be aware currently still airing though from this season.
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elyetis

elyetis

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,556
Fruits Basket, Ouran host club, My Next Life as a Villainess are probably the safest bet here.
 
Heysoos

Heysoos

Prophet of Truth
Member
Nov 3, 2017
1,341
Iyagovos said:
Mother's Basement just put out a pretty good video about one, actually!

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I had foolishly ignored this show until last Saturday when I had a day off from work. Saw the first episode while waiting for Ascendance of a Bookworm. And yep, ended up binge watching the whole series up to the latest episode. This is the one.
 
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