Harem (genre)
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Harem, hāremumono (ハーレムもの), broadly, is a loose subgenre of anime and manga characterized by a protagonist (or several protagonists) surrounded, usually amorously, by three or more members of the opposing sex and/or love interests.[1] The most common and practically tantamount scenario is a male-oriented harem anime where the main male character is surrounded by a group of females; when it is a female-oriented harem anime, it is informally referred to as a reverse harem, or gyakuhāremu (逆ハーレム).[citation needed] More recent variants include removing the protagonist's opposing sex and/or gender identity to better appeal to a more broadly diverse audience, such as futanari-oriented harems, yuri-oriented harems, and yaoi-oriented harems (as with Gakuen Heaven).
The term is derived from Arabic "harem", which means "something prohibited; sanctuary, women".[2]
Structure
Because romance is rarely the main focus of an entire series,[a] harem structure is ambiguous. The most distinguishable trait is arguably the group of girls who accompany, and in some instances cohabitate with the boy, and while intimacy is just about customary, it is never necessary; when it is present, there must be a minimum of three girls who express it, otherwise two is a love triangle. Additionally, it is not essential for there to be one exclusive boy; many can exist as long as they are given less attention or the story calls for an unusually obscure sex ratio.[1]
Harem ending
Some visual novels offer a "harem ending" route,[3] where the main character pursues a romantic relationship with multiple other characters simultaneously, with the consent of the other characters. In some cases, the harem ending is unavoidable.[4] Examples of harem anime include Rosario x Vampire and Princess Lover.
Criticism
Harem is criticized for often excessive use of clichés and stock characters, occasionally to the point where stock characters are inserted simply to broaden the title's appeal to viewers with narrow interests in character archetypes. Additionally, harem is often characterized by decidedly shallow, violent female characters, to the point where the generalization becomes misogynistic.[5] Other ethical objections are based on the positive light in which polygamy is cast.
Notes
- a. ^ "Series" implies any that are designated as a harem.
References
- ^ a b Oppliger, John (April 17, 2009). "Ask John: What Distinguishes Harem Anime?". Anime Nation. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ "Harem definition". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ "Harem Ending". The Visual Novel Database. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ "Unavoidable Harem Ending". The Visual Novel Database. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ http://www.comedyvideoscentral.com/Harem_anime.html
Further reading
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- Brenner, Robin E. (2007). Understanding Manga and Anime. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 82, 89, 112, 297. ISBN 978-1-59158-332-5. OCLC 85898238.
- Drummond-Mathews, Angela (2010) "What Boys Will Be: A Study of Shonen Manga" in Johnson-Woods, Toni (e.d.) Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives Continuum International Publishing Group pp. 69–70. ISBN 978-0-8264-2938-4
- Anime News Network discussion on harem anime
- Anime News Network discussion on reverse harem anime
