Reviews

Harem adaptations are inherently difficult endeavours. Especially when one needs to squeeze 4-5 haremettes into 13 episodes while managing a coherent plot. To get around the limited airtime, many series either focus on the individual haremette's tale making the show an character omnibus of sorts with a weak or non-existent central plot; or drive the story with the key conflict in the harem but in so, sacrificing much of the remaining cast. Both routes resulted in their share of rotting carcasses littered in the memory of harem history. Which was why I was so delighted to have stumbled upon KoiChoco.

The premise of KoiChoco is, unsurprisingly, the election which surprisingly grew with importance as the series progressed. While this would have crowded out the 'romance' aspect in a lesser harem show, KoiChoco rises above other harem pretenders with excellent amalgamation of the central plot (election) with consistent character growth for almost all the haremettes. Such symbiosis of plot and character development allows for the simultaneous development of story and character giving the series a shot at a satisfactory closure for all story fronts. And KoiChoco is one such example of symbiotic writing.

I came away marveling at how the key characters matured, overcame their romantic hurdles and generally became stronger/wiser people because of the election. The primary romance was also not comprised of the run-of-the-mill "She loves you/he loves you not" haremic-filibusters but a multi-faceted relationship with a tinge of darker elements. Despite juggling all that, I love how coherently the series was wrapped when the final credits rolled; even though it had become somewhat predictable - a small kink in an otherwise masterful storytelling.

In conclusion, borrowing from the dessert reference in its title, KoiChoco is like a well-made fruitcake where the individual ingredients meld together to give an exquisite taste that is greater than the sum of its parts. A true gem amongst harem offerings.