Explain the appeal of Harem Anime
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Do you live in Japan? Do you spend crazy money on merchandise?Guilion said:
No?
You're not the audience. You're at best an afterthought the creators may spend the barest amount of effort to acknowledge.
Oh man. Your post cracked me up! I laughed out loud in my office. Comedy gold. Thanks for that.Paragon Fury said:
Sounds like some terribly unsubtle self-insert fantasy written by people who harbour some deep loneliness who, by appeasing it with a creative outlet, managed to find an audience of like-minded people perhaps without the means to create for themselves. I'm sure there's more nuance to it than that, perhaps, but it's the first I've known of this genre and it doesn't look creatively fulfilling to say the least.
The goal in harem anime is to satisfy viewers of all niches. It isn't about the fantasy of being a single guy who is loved by many women. Not at all. To even presume so is to be ignorant, so let us put that aside for good.
No, see, the fans of harem anime always pick one favorite character and act loyally to her. The charm is that, while in other series there may be just a couple of different viable picks, which unavoidably won't fit everyone's niche tastes, in a harem anime there's enough to choose from that no matter your niche you will find a favorite char to cheer for and be happy to spend time with.
Out of all of them, the best one I've seen is To Love Ru. They have gone nuts with the various types of characters but they also are retaining a memorable nature in them all, even the ones with a smaller part in the story like the Ojousama who has the hots for the space knight protecting Lala is distinct enough that whenever she shows up you are happy to see her be back.
Oh and the no sex thing is only for stuff that gets made into anime or manga, usually pc visual novels and light novel books are not so withdrawn about it. It isn't just hentai or not hentai, there's just eroge as well which is basically like a normal show but with a sex scene here and there like in a live action hollywood film.
To jump to the conclusion that only lonely dudes like this stuff is kinda telling of a lot of biases.
No, see, the fans of harem anime always pick one favorite character and act loyally to her. The charm is that, while in other series there may be just a couple of different viable picks, which unavoidably won't fit everyone's niche tastes, in a harem anime there's enough to choose from that no matter your niche you will find a favorite char to cheer for and be happy to spend time with.
Out of all of them, the best one I've seen is To Love Ru. They have gone nuts with the various types of characters but they also are retaining a memorable nature in them all, even the ones with a smaller part in the story like the Ojousama who has the hots for the space knight protecting Lala is distinct enough that whenever she shows up you are happy to see her be back.
Oh and the no sex thing is only for stuff that gets made into anime or manga, usually pc visual novels and light novel books are not so withdrawn about it. It isn't just hentai or not hentai, there's just eroge as well which is basically like a normal show but with a sex scene here and there like in a live action hollywood film.
Harem anime are not a gendered thing. There's shows like Ouran Host Club or Free which entail a single protagonist girl and a bunch of guys forming the harem. Also VNs like Hakuoki and other stuff, titled "otomege" (games for maidens), exist as a whole entire genre where females have a harem of dudes to pick from and have fantasies.Phasmal said:
To jump to the conclusion that only lonely dudes like this stuff is kinda telling of a lot of biases.
Oh good, glad to know you speak for every single person who watches the genre, given your "not at all" comment. "to even presume so is to be ignorant" , seriously? Wow, that level of arrogance is almost delightful to read.Dreiko said:
As to what else you said, I already stated that I get it if the character doesn't have a specified love interest, but when there is one, for example Asuna from SOA like I gave in my original example, the fact that the others also find him attractive, is literally pointless. They aren't being pursued, and they aren't pursuing, they just sit there.
If the show doesn't have the protag interested in any one of them, and they all equally vie for his affection without any of them ever actually getting anywhere, then yeah, I get the "it's providing a slice of waifu for everyone".
Bruh, I'm aware that reverse-harem anime exists, but considering they're mostly called reverse harem and we're talking about harem, I'm not jumping to conclusions by saying I'd be surprised if the dude-focused stuff had a big female following.Dreiko said:
(Also, Free! as a reverse-harem? Like... maybe? But the female character isn't the protagonist and the dudes aren't all falling over themselves for her, it's mostly just a fanservice anime).
EDIT: Also I'm starting to feel I can't express any opinion without being Teh Bias.
Oh so HE'S the one you call arrogant for assuming what people think not the dozen other people that just came in and said "They're just a bunch of shut in virgins" and left. No no no, the people that actually developed some kind of argument and pulled examples are the arrogant ones.Happyninja42 said:
Harem is harem, reverse harem is a presumptuous naming that isn't really fitting, since harem shows exist for both genders. Making one default is insulting to the other. You wouldn't call it a reverse romantic comedy if the protagonist is male and aimed mostly at men, even if most romantic comedies star women. I am actually defending the people who are likely to enjoy harem anime and don't fit the stereotypical definition rather than trying to avoid myself being painted by the stereotype, as I really don't care about what people who act based on what stereotypes tell them and don't think for themselves do.Phasmal said:
Fair enough.Dreiko said:
I'm not sure anybody needs defending though. I'm not trying to say all people who like that kind of thing are one thing or another.
People sure do take their anime seriously.
Even if I (or someone else) thinks that it makes you automatically a lonely dude to like these things (I don't think that), at the end of the day it would just be an opinion. Not a very nice one, but still.
Like much of what's going on in genre anime, the early examples tend to have a lot of the good story and characterization, while most modern examples tend to flanderize the genre.Xsjadoblayde said:
About the only one I've seen with a remotely unique premise was Ai Yori Aoshi, where the protagonist guy and one of the gals are already engaged/married, and have to hide that fact for reasons while the harem stuff plays out. As far as I'm aware, there's no question about choosing one of the other ladies or what not.
Not really, actually stopping short of the sex may be part of the genius of their design.Wrex Brogan said:
I was watching a youtube video that raised an interesting point regarding anime's tendency to be full of sexuality, but incredibly childish about sex.
Basically, stuff like harem and ecchi has two primary audiences: awkward teenage boys and misanthropic shut-ins. Both demographics are extremely likely to be virgins, and both know enough about sex to recognize it as something that they desire, so giving them a series that is full of sexuality and teasing is something they can relate to and enjoy.
However, a male character who actually becomes sexually active will become less relatable for them, since while they recognize sex as something to be desired and find appealing, they have no experience with actually having sex, so while closing the deal and having the harem lead get lucky is fine if they're just looking for a wank and want some hentai, with media that is meant to make them start discussing "waifus" and establish an emotional connection with them, the writers intentionally opt to stop short of the hanky panky.
With regard to the OPs belief that harem anime is primarily consumed by women... I'mma need a source on that, bruh. I've met a couple girls who enjoy harem shows in my time... like, not reverse-harems, but actual, traditional harem shows, but the majority just kinda shrug the genre off.
As to why girls would enjoy it, which seems to be the question you posed, well, I know the reasons both girls I know had for liking it. XD For one, she just found it hilarious how pathetic and assholeish the typical harem lead was, and thus found the whole notion of girls fighting over him to be comedy gold by premise alone. She liked harem anime in the way hipsters like trucker hats, basically.
The other girl, being my ex girlfriend, I talked to about these kinds of things at greater length about, so I can be a bit clearer with her: She enjoyed harem shows exclusively for the female characters. Since a harem needs multiple women to be a thing, and in order for the fans to buy it the girls need to at least fill different archetypes from each other, harems provided her with the chance to see female characters actually have a major role in a series without them being either prim-and-proper yamato maidens, or tsundere best-friends-from-childhood. She said that when harem shows got away from the male lead and developed the characters in the harem, they were some of the most interesting parts of the series.
balladbird said:
Yeah the good shows have good characters, that's basically why I like the ones I like myself. I think most people who like them are like your girlfriend and myself and few actually really go at it like a hikkikomori or whatever.
Daily Life With Monster Girl and Ranma 1/2 are garbage to you?Addendum_Forthcoming said:
I've said it before, I'll say it again, no one liked Tenchi Muyo for Tenchi.Dreiko said:
I haven't seen one of them and the other is almost as old as Macross. I think 99% of sitcoms are garbage, too, but I still love Becker.Metalix Knightmare said:
I think 99% of animu in general is garbage, still love Akira, Patlabor, Mononoke-Hime, etc.
Still strikes me as rather rude to refer to an entire Genre like that. I freaking hate sports games and most online shooters but I don't call them garbage for it.Addendum_Forthcoming said:
Yeah, if there's one thing I'll say against Japan it's that the idol industry is utterly and completely fucked up.bartholen said:
That said, the main idea IS supposed to be pop starlets. They sing, dance, some act, some do bits on TV, if there's media for them to get involved with, they'll usually be there in some form or another.
Not really. Again, there's a fair bit of good stuff in there. Mahou Sensei Negima! would technically count as Harem, as would Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei. Both of those are kickass series.Addendum_Forthcoming said:
Would you prefer it if I said nearly all harem anime is utter garbage and ridiculously retarded, with no plot because plot would alienate from indescribably pathetic notions being surrounded by sexual tension is impossible to watch for anythong more than the vaguest skin of integrity that is the worst aspects of style over substance in consumerist aesthetics?Metalix Knightmare said:
That it is representative of art for the worst possible reasons for its existence, purely artifice, and the fact that it is so economically feasible to produce it is perhaps the greatest single detriment to the integrity of visual artistry and cheapens its existence as a whole?
Or would you rather I just said it's garbage and save you a rant rather than spend longer conceptualising my particular dislike? I will say I don't particularly care if you like it. My problem with it is bigger than if you like it or not. And I'm not really that invested in this actual subject to query whether it is at all redeemable. I've seen enough to tell me it's generally awful. Just like I've seen enough Big Bang Theory to know it is genuinely awful. Also enough House of Cards to know it will never be as good as the BBC classic.
Actually, yeah. The rant at least suggests that you have a reason beyond, "I'm not into it and thus I dismiss it as garbage." You could take the ambiguous route, but everyone will just assume the worst about you if you do.Addendum_Forthcoming said: