| Isekai anime have, pretty much, become a go-to release for every season, but I see so many comments on streaming sites I use, like CR, where ppl are claiming to drop a series because the MC inadvertently/purposely builds a harem. Is it really any different than having any other group traveling together? An Isekai series isn’t good because it does/doesn’t have a harem. Plus most take place during times that get compared to the Middle Ages. People were married very young since it was normal to die young too. The head of a wealthy/powerful family, and his direct descendants, was expected to have either multiple wives or a wife and multiple concubines to ensure the family line didn’t die out. Isekai follows the same idea, except ‘powerful’ usually means ability-wise. Like In Another World with My Smartphone, the MC is broken (there’s a reason! I swear! I read the LNs!) so of course powerful people want to have connections with him and want to ensure his line is continued. When I think of it like that, Harem in Isekai makes sense to me. Why do others find it to be a reason to drop, or bash, a series? |
| “May Glory be with you and never end.” -TKA |
| I guess it has to with fact they don't do much other than the harem aspect, everything else is thrown out the window in favor of the power fantasy. I don't mind it personally I tend to like a few power fantasy isekaks here and there. It also depends on how it's executed. |
| Harems usually turn a pure romance, into a comedy about many girls who love the 1 dude, and would share him. My fav harem anime are the ones where the mc picks a girl, but either way really is fine with me. Sharing 1 partner is kind of sad which is a common held perspective, but anime can try to spin such things in a positive lite. What can ruin some anime is if the harem mc is unlikable, and builds a harem. With likable mcs it is no problem like Shido from Date a Live. Harem genre naturally focuses primarily on the male mc so such a focus can break a story if not executed well enough. |
rohan121Mar 26, 2022 10:48 AM
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| The idea of people dying young in olden times is a misunderstood statistic. The lower average life expectancy back then was skewed by very high mortality rates (due to infectious diseases now controlled in wealthy regions by modern vaccines and hygiene/sanitation practices) among infants and children. So if you got through that gauntlet and survived to age 15-20, you had a reasonable chance of living into your 60s or 70s. The younger marriage ages were tied to the physical changes and "coming of age" brought on by puberty, although milestones like menarche came about at older ages (like 15-17) than they do today, thanks to changes in light exposure and diet in the modern era. As for the issues some have with harem in isekai, I'd imagine they're not much different from the ones they have with non-isekai harems -- that they're built for wish-fulfillment and pandering to a certain type of viewer. And there is a different group dynamic in a standard harem (where everyone likes the MC) vs. a mixed-gender group of friends or traveling companions, where some of which may like the MC, but others may have other interests. Some isekai harems introduce another problematic element: slavery or otherwise non-consensual attachments between the harem members and the lead. |
| Ok, fuck it… There are no good anime with harems |
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| Honestly it all depends on the execution, which feels low-effort most of the time and therefore, comes across purely as wish-fulfillment and nothing else when the MC's just collecting women like Pokemon. If the series can do a detailed job with the relationships besides women fighting for him and being together with him in a polygamous fashion and show how their dynamics work not only with MC but with each other too, then that'll help the situation for sure. A lot of the harem anime I've seen that goes for the polygamous route just feels thrown together more than anything without much buildup and showcase of their dynamics all together so it feels a lot cheaper. |
| Something is clearly wrong if your isekai mc is nothing but a chick magnet. |
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LadyGrym said: Isekai anime have, pretty much, become a go-to release for every season, but I see so many comments on streaming sites I use, like CR, where ppl are claiming to drop a series because the MC inadvertently/purposely builds a harem. Is it really any different than having any other group traveling together? An Isekai series isn’t good because it does/doesn’t have a harem. Plus most take place during times that get compared to the Middle Ages. People were married very young since it was normal to die young too. The head of a wealthy/powerful family, and his direct descendants, was expected to have either multiple wives or a wife and multiple concubines to ensure the family line didn’t die out. Isekai follows the same idea, except ‘powerful’ usually means ability-wise. Like In Another World with My Smartphone, the MC is broken (there’s a reason! I swear! I read the LNs!) so of course powerful people want to have connections with him and want to ensure his line is continued. When I think of it like that, Harem in Isekai makes sense to me. Why do others find it to be a reason to drop, or bash, a series? Those people are just butt hurt trolls who are upset that anime companies are not making the shitty anime they like. These butt hurt trolls don't care if a isekai has a harem in it or not.They seem to think anime studios are mostly making harem and isekai anime and that is somehow causing the shitty shows they like to no longer be made. So those trolls post threads how they hate harem and isekai anime hoping to somehow to convert people to side. Which they hope the anime studios will notice and go back to making the kind of anime the butt hurt trolls like. Notice they don't whine about less popular anime like yaio, yuri or some other anime genre that caters only to a tiny amount of anime watchers. If Magical girl anime was what was mostly being made then they would bitch about magical girl anime. If Pokemon or other Michael Vick type anime were what mostly seems to being made then they would bitch about Pokemon and other Michael Vick anime. Notice how no one makes threads on how Yaio and yuri anime are so fucking gay and sucks ass? |
| Isekai don't take place in the middle ages, they take place in video game worlds. More like a dating sim that anything even remotely historical. Anyway, it's not like a different setting would fix harm's brain-melting inanity. |
on 
| Wow, so even isekais fans have some kind of standard. I'm surprised. |
| Harems aren't just a problem in isekai. They're a problem period. The problem is that harems in anime aren't at all realistic. That's not how relationships develop organically. Instead, they're just the most base wish fulfillment fantasy. Isekai is also wish fulfillment fantasy, but I'm guessing some isekai fans want their fantasies to be not as blatant, so as to maintain suspension of disbelief. LadyGrym said: Except isekai characters don't die young, are transported into the past from a modern world with modern morals and sensibilities, and we follow them as a modern audience again with modern morals. Isekai protagonists are supposed to be relatable to the audience. That's why they're the main character and not some rando degenerate.Plus most take place during times that get compared to the Middle Ages. People were married very young since it was normal to die young too. The head of a wealthy/powerful family, and his direct descendants, was expected to have either multiple wives or a wife and multiple concubines to ensure the family line didn’t die out. Heads of wealthy families take brides im political marriages and such, not random cliche archetypes in harems. A wealthy head of household wouldn't have time for immature shit like tsunderes, shy girls, or slave girl fantasies. The vast majority of harem girls are children. Just admit that all these are just post hoc justifications in bad taste. Maybe you are the target audience for these wish fulfillment fantasies, but you shouldn't be surprised that people desire stories with a little more realism and nuance. |
| My subjective reviews: katsureview.wordpress.com THE CHAT CLUB. |
| It's not your problem if you don't watch it. Sorry for stating the obvious. |
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| ,predictable story, dogshit fanservice, chick magnet bullshit, call me that i get no bitches over a cartoon, i will keep this statement to every harem isekai ever |
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| Maybe the same people just don't like harem in general? I like my harem anime and some I dislike, but harem has never been a reason for me to hate isekai anime. What is a reason for me to, though, are: -Why do most take place in medieval age? -Why make guilds? -Why kill the demon lord? -Why do they have magic there? -Why can't it take place in a future where people are fighting cyborg cops? -Why are there classes/job/roles (healer, adventurer, knight etc)? -Why have most of the main characters lead such a shitty life before they die? -Why is it almost always about redemption? -Why are most main characters happy when they realized they had been transported to a different world? -Why are most about fighting? -Why do most have badass abilities? Can't they just be your average joe who works toward his goal? |
"Nobody could laugh at someone who's trying their hardest" -Machio- |
LadyGrym said: Why is ‘Harem’ in Isekai genres such a problem for people? This is not just localized to Isekai, the typical Harem theme in Anime has existed before most users on this forum were even born. Over all, there was never a problem to begin. It's just some people in general expect too much from this medium. If someone isn't complaining about one thing in Anime, you will find someone else complaining about another thing. People might as well be complaining that there is a problem with music because too many artist start off their songs in G major. Or there is a problem with food because too many vegetables tend to be the same colours. |
ColourWheelApr 2, 2022 9:14 PM
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| The concept has been done a million times. As such it becomes very boring to watch as you know exactly what’s going to happen next. |
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| can't argue with taste, people just don't like harems, we're free to hate/love what we want for whatever reason, I doubt there's universal reason to that |
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| it's the same thing it's almost like you copy your classmate's assignment and claim it as different by just slapping a different title. maybe they could really portray the jealousy among the harem where they try to kill each other to get the one piece. |
| Idunno I personally love Harem and isekai I do really hate the anime where mc picks one girl tho, especially when people try to call that 'harem' what's harem about choosing one girl?! |
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| It's a societal brain disease called wokism. They spew garbage about sexual situations, whilst having WAP by Cardi B blasted in the background. They're brainlets. |
| Simple coz they dont know satisfaction from own harem like this one lolllll |
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| Because it's simply extremely stupid. For me, it completely ruins the whole show. Also, we have seen that same copy and paste crap for 8 million times already. It's always the same stupid tropes all over again and again. |
SerafosNov 23, 2023 11:21 PM
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InfiniteAffinity said: Is it really any different than having any other group traveling together? There is a huge difference between a harem and a group of people travelling, in the former there are +3 female characters romantically chasing the protagonist just because he is the protagonist and the latter that doesn't happen. InfiniteAffinity said: People were married very young since it was normal to die young too. The head of a wealthy/powerful family, and his direct descendants, was expected to have either multiple wives or a wife and multiple concubines to ensure the family line didn’t die out. Indeed, but we are mostly talking about broke protagonists, or at least they aren't in no way considered wealthy, hence the reasoning for having them practise polygyny disappears. InfiniteAffinity said: so of course powerful people want to have connections with him and want to ensure his line is continued You are mixing things up, characters don't approach the protagonist because he is relevant, the protagonist is relevant because he is the main character. And that works for every genre of anime, how many times have you seen a protagonists triumph over an impossible situation because they were the protagonist? Not only that, there are also examples of some anime with amazing side characters, just like the protagonist, but somehow the protagonist still gets the girl(s) because they are the protagonist. InfiniteAffinity said: Why do others find it to be a reason to drop, or bash, a series? It is literally recycled material, same tropes, same girls' personalities, it is boring. |
| I see my opinion has not changed over the year. Simply put, Mc becomes worshipped over being treated like a normal character. Obviously ruins all semblence of a decent romance that means anything. If the mc has 3 girls why even limit it at that point. What makes a romance in general special is the sentiment that you can only chose one (obviously not the case anymore). Lol I think harems work better in full on hentai than in anime. |
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| Well, that is basically the Twitter folks... a group of people similar to those addicted to masturbation - except that those fellas are addicted to getting re-tweets and preaching their self-righteousness to others, as a result, they are always on the lookout for things that could offend them. There is no point wasting your time giving them attention. Is like throwing your used underwear to a bunch of perverts hoping that they will stop jerking off to you after and find God. |
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| Because it is mostly used as a crutch to draw viewers to something that is otherwise borderline unwatchable. Harem does not necessarily make an anime shit, but the vast majority of anime with harems have been shit in the past, so it's an instant red flag. That plus a lot of people enjoy monogamous romance. You can't change what people enjoy just with an excuse "it makes sense". If you made a show about medieval times that shows people constantly shitting themselves, saying "it makes sense because bad hygiene frequently led to diarrhea back then" doesn't make me enjoy watching it. There's also the thing that many of them feature young girls, and combine that with the harems serving the purpose (as you described) of a "baby factory", many people are not gonna feel comfortable with underage girls used as breeding utensils (no matter what "but it happened throughout history" argument you may throw out). Meanwhile pure romantic love between two young characters is not seen as obscene. |
| I don't think this circumstance is limited to isekai but pretty much every genre, simply because harems aren't compatible with the dominating monogamy. Personally I learned to overlook this trope because male MC being surrounded by his gyarus is present in like half of all anime. |
No, this isn't my signature. |
| It's not the harem that bothers me, but that 99.9% of the times it's bad harem, with nonsensical character developments and interactions. It almost never occurs that meaningful relationships happen to occur causing a situation where the protagonist might have multiple love interests. Instead, it almost always is the case that the fact that a harem is marketable as fan service drives the character relationships. So you end up with characters falling in love with every other character of the opposite sex at first sight, and no one calls them out on it because the harem becomes expected and not incidental. The generic girl trait tropes like girl who can't cook, shy teacher that looks like a child, tsundere, yandere, imouto, genki, etc. and all that shit is the other side of the same coin. It's objectifying and meant to attract watchers who aren't interested in romance but just want to collect women like Pokemon. It's a disgusting aspect of anime that we all either put up with or love (because some of us are incels). |
| My subjective reviews: katsureview.wordpress.com THE CHAT CLUB. |
| Because a lot of people are sick and tired of Isekai and Harems. So mixing them together is gonna be a turn off for many. |
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Reply to ProdigyKing
Many harem has terrible protagonists like Jobless reincarnation, date a live, shield hero, Highschool dxd, ect. It's always boring incompetent dull protagonists who aren't made to be characters getting women who aren't made to be actual women and are only sex objects.
That ruins a story and show when you wanna have fun and indulge yourself in a show but the characters are so far sucking of the MC even the MC himself then the plot fails to make sense. When a shitty terribly written protagonist does something and he's OP the plot is uninteresting and fails
That ruins a story and show when you wanna have fun and indulge yourself in a show but the characters are so far sucking of the MC even the MC himself then the plot fails to make sense. When a shitty terribly written protagonist does something and he's OP the plot is uninteresting and fails
| @ProdigyKing Nah. There's so many worse examples of literal cardboard cutout MC's in the isekai/harem genre. |
| If you reply back to me and I never respond, I lost interest and don't care. Sorry about that. |
| it's like a cheap plot device to stretch the story for a full season and making a 2nd season if it's a success. it's like selling burger without sauce. |
Because that is bad and don't deserve to exist |
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| For me, the only problem with fantasy/isekai harem is that it's usually too afraid to have actual romance. Most of the time, either nothing really happens or it completely skips over any kind of romantic developement and just has the girls brainlessly lust over him while he's confused what's going on. Also, I'm fine with having the main guy choose one of the girls, but what I would really like to see more is real polygamy, with love and romance and everything that comes with it. I love harem - especially in fantasy where I want to see stuff that's impossible in real life - but I'm not surprised when people call it cheap. There just isn't enough good harem out there. And when there is an adaptation of a good harem lightnovel, it usually ends up skipping over most of the romance. (Don't know how it is for manga) Imagine you are a woman and there is some super cool guy you like who is way beyond your league. He has superpowers, is extremely influencial, he is young and good looking, has a very progressive mindset for medieval fantasy standards and genuinely respects you. Even if there are other women he has affection for as well, would it be really that weird to want to be with such a person no matter what? Would you even be capable of fulfilling the role of his wife all by yourself? Maybe I'm thinking too traditionally, but I'm more happy over all the girls who find a reliable partner in this way than over the guy who now has to deal with all of them at the same time. |
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