An Anime Analysis: Why do I hate Harems?

Written by Shelby-Liza Ndumbi 

To answer a question with another question, why do people like them at all?  

Their degrading, repetitive, concerning, quite insulting, senseless, and flat-out boring. The anime’s that contain such a genre are the deeply embedded fantasies of simple individuals wanting that kind of erotic stimulation. I described them as such mainly for the Harems where there are too many girls crowding one guy, and that boy, sometimes, isn’t that fascinating for all of this to happen. And the things these ladies do to get his attention are sad... You’d think you can escape it when you watch Action, Period-Pieces, or even Thrillers, but no, they somehow follow you there, too.  

Harems have a tendency of overstaying and overflowing you away from the initial plot that we’re supposed to be paying attention to, but when the plot is the Harem... oh, God. Why do they have these girls so enthralled and lose all sense of themselves for a guy who won’t choose them? I wrote in my recent tier list that I have a knack for knowing in advance who ends up with who, I called myself a “foreshadowing shipper”. I’m not always right, but most of the time, I’m accurate. I look at the design of the poster, the way he talks to this one girl, the way he behaves around her compared to the other women he has stuffed in his pockets.

Reverse Harems; Brothers’ Conflict, Amnesia, Diabolik Lovers, Magic-Kyun! Renaissance, aren’t as irritating, but they’re a close second. I haven’t watched a single one, except for Amnesia, but I know their core.  

I can’t watch the show in peace without seeing someone breathing heavily in my face just by merely sharing the same desk with the guy. Examples like: Freezing!, High School DxD, and Food Wars. Funnily so, they all have amazing openings, and/or ending songs. How the hell do you do that??  

Screenshot of mutual minds on X

When I first encountered Harems, I was ill-prepared and bamboozled, the same way I would have been if I bought those obnoxiously priced chocolate bars at Superstore. I didn’t know what to expect until I was smacked in the face by the fact that I kept waiting for a plot that would never come. At first, I thought that the main male protagonist had to choose who he liked the most, but then I erased that realization and replaced it with something more viable. He knows who he likes, now he must ward off the other incoming pests doing nothing new that makes them stand out.  

Whether you’re Rana Linchen from Freezing! wearing one of the strangest thongs, while making sure her titties are bouncing in full view of Kazuya Aoi despite his preference being Satellizer el Bridget, or Erica Blandelli, Yuri Mariya, and Ena Seishuin from Campione! vining for Godou Kusanagi, who keeps kissing everyone willy-nilly because they convinced you that it was necessary, are just a few of the samples to my point of how desperate and horny their attempts are displayed.

I personally don’t believe that a girl should degrade themselves so lowly, even if the guy is decent. If he truly is courteous, then none of this should be an option.   

Although, I wouldn't consider this a "funny anime moment".

There are other absurdities they call “entertainment” such as the Fate series, Brynhildr in the Darkness, don’t even get me started on how disturbing KissxSis is, and I was surprised to find out that Happiness! was categorized as a Harem when I did some research simply to remember what I’d forgotten. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that anime, and I don’t recall anything. Ha! When it comes to this specific class of writing, I try my best to forget I ever tripped on it… 

Despite my strong hatred of the genre, I’m going to highlight one I genuinely liked, aside from Boarding School Juliet, Seikon no Qwaser and Calvary of a Failed Knight, plus another I expected more from.  

Case File One: Digestible Harem & Fire Hair 

Who can honestly remember A Bridge to the Starry Skies? A select few, if you’re sentimental. It came out of nowhere for me as well, but I kind of liked it. I reckon it might have shown up due to my association with Mermaid Melody. It’s the big anime eyes, and the character designs that felt similar.  

A Bridge to the Starry Skies (left) & Mermaid Melody (right)

Looking back on A Bridge to the Starry Skies, also known as Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, the first thing I remember liking was the title. It felt hopeful and endearing, very welcoming. Due to his little brother’s asthma, Kazuma and Ayumu Hoshino settle into a town called Yamabiko. There they meet new people and make friends.  

Right off the bat, my favorite character was Ui Nakatsugawa, this kind-spirited, ever so hungry airhead with sunlight and flame-like hair Kazuma meets in the forest. He may have accidentally slipped and kissed her, but he did take a shine to her almost immediately upon seeing her. I knew that Ui was going to be the lead love interest when I saw the poster, and even more so when that scene played out. Everyone else; Ibuki Hinata, Hina Sekai, and/or Koyori Toudou, were just fodder for the rest of the story no matter how hard they each tried to get with Kazuma. It was obvious that it wasn’t going to happen.  

My biggest relief was that after completing the anime, I realized that it wasn’t consumed with nonsensical and sexual moments that would display their horny intentions like I mentioned before. To be genuine, I didn’t care much for the other girls, yet I didn’t hate them either. The series made sure not to be as maddening as your regular type of Harem. This one was cute, so much so I’m willing to rewatch it without breaking someone’s arm. I think this anime was the right amount of... that, to be viewed.  

Can’t say the same for the bane of my existence, though.  

Case File Two: ‘Shot itself in the ass’ Harem 

Oof, God...  

A rarity, I say, was I able to find Highschool of the Dead as the former lone standing zombie apocalypse anime out there prior to Zom 100 showing up. I’ve always been fascinated by adaptations focusing on Armageddon and the aftereffects that come with surviving while also trying to live in this off-its-leash crazy world. Mind you, I was in middle school when I found this series. If anyone read my Top 20 tier list of anime’s I believe deserve a reboot and/or renewal, Highschool was included in the final cut. I’m here to expand on that thought.  

Any time I search for the series on the internet, I always find information telling me that it’s incomplete. Back then, I didn’t know the author, Daisuke Sato, passed away, so I was waiting for a continuation in manga form if not the anime. Given his sudden passing, his partners Shoji Sato and Kawanakajima, agreed to place their energy on Triage X instead.  

Peace be with Daisuke.  

Despite knowing this, I still can’t sit here, talk to you in good conscience and lie about hating this series. Like Food Wars, Freezing!, and High School DxD, this show also has phenomenal music. I’ve listened to the opening way too many times, I wouldn’t be able to give you an accurate sum, but it’s SOOO good! The animation is beautiful, too. My problem with it is how it deviates from what could have been an interesting plot to apply attention to who is going to bang Takashi Komuro first. Adulthood and survival feel like naught here.

From what I was able to gather, the story added a zombie apocalypse to bring a sense of mystery to the screen. Where did they come from? How did this happen? Was it deliberately done? Who were the first ones to be infected? Where are the scientists behind the misfire? Was it a misfire? If not, what were they planning? Inquires that will never be answered because they decided to point the camera toward the most generic parts of the show.  

Rei & Takashi

Yeah, there will always be the inclusion of mundane, usually petty, squabbling, but great writers don’t allow those sidelines to take over the entire plot. Sure, I was curious to witness whether Rei Miyamoto and Takashi Komuro will get back on track with their romantic relationship given they promised to get married. Pinky promised. However, the apocalypse prevents them from talking about it more thoroughly, as well as Saeko Busujima’s interceptions. They bothered me to high heaven. It’s conveniently tossed aside since they remembered the undead lurching at the gates.   

All the things that have nothing to do with zombies could continue without the consequence of eliminating the undead from the initial story. The threat feels more like a last-minute decision that came from someone’s butthole and proven to be poorly developed. It didn’t feel like romance, rather dormant lust. Zombies gave these characters permission to become uncomfortably titillated and undermine serious conversations like Rei's complex history with Mr. Shido, or Busujima nearly getting assaulted.  

Fan service with titties, random panty shots and the classic heavy breathing. How charming. If they chopped the sensual sexy crap down to a minimum and kept our attention on the Armageddon emerging within every episode, then I truly believe it could have been an amazing show.  

Incredible music and brilliant animation weren’t sufficient for me to like Highschool of the Dead without wanting to throw glass at a person’s face. I came in with a neutral mindset, and I left asking myself, "What did I just waste my time on?”  

I should have been continuing Ghost Hunt. Don’t worry, I’m still going to rewatch it in the next coming months. Harems I’ve definitely completed are: Freezing!, Black Bullet, A Bridge to the Starry Skies, Highschool of the Dead, Brynhildr in the Darkness, Happiness!, Calvary of a Failed Knight, Boarding School Juliet, Seikon no Qwaser, and probably, hopefully, no more… but we all know how memory works. It stabs you in the butt cheeks.

I guess I won’t be watching Trinity Seven, then.

Phew, that was only partly fun. You’re welcome to leave a comment and like. Oh, here's a treat for you!

Write to you Cupcakes later!  

TOP PHOTO: Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut anime series