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A harem anime is a (somewhat derisive) term for anime or manga wherein one male character is surrounded by — often living with — several female characters. In many cases such series are adapations of dating simulation games (ren'ai games) or designed to appeal to a similar audience, especially seinen publications. They are usually comedies.
In the United States, the term became popular among the Tenchi Muyo! fandom, although there were and are heated debates as to whether that series constituted a real harem anime. The term remains somewhat subjective and should be used carefully. It has also been applied to the more recent series Love Hina.
The term does not neccesarily imply sexual connotations or that all parties involved in the series are romantically interested in each other. As the term is often used pejoratively, defenders claim some harem anime is not about the fantasy of having many female admirers. Rather, the group of girls, often stock characters, exists because it gives a degree of assurance the audience will find at least one girl they like. The male character simply exists as a focal point to bring the group together, especially when the group is depicted as a family unit rather than a real harem. This is somewhat supported by the fact many such leads sometimes come from broken homes themselves, have no living relatives, or simply live on their own.
According to this opinion, the series are really no different than other bishoujo series that have an all-female cast, particularly because the male characters are rarely featured on the most popular merchandise. Indeed, a few series aimed towards girls contain notably similar elements (albeit with inverted genders when appropriate), including Fruits Basket and most famously Fushigi Yugi.
Other critics say that the genre parodies itself excessively, and most of the harem anime popular in the U.S. has some unique quirk or slant on the formula.
Characters
The prototypical harem anime features a number of characters, usually with a minimum of one boy and three to five girls (two would simply make a love triangle). Many are stock personalities from moé fandom, often in combination with each other.
Male Lead
He may be the only non-female main character, and is usually high school or early college age. He tends to have a fairly muted character design, and while not usually ugly may be regarded as plain. He usually possesses a degree of social awkwardness or low self-esteem, especially regarding girls and romance, but generally has a strong sense of empathy. He may be overly apologetic, even for trival things. He might have various degrees of interest in ecchi or perverted things; this interest may or may not be obvious, which could be used to make him appear guilty in compromising situations for comic effect.
Although traditionally something of a geek, some recent leads are brash, yankee-type delinquents who bottle up their emotions and put on a tough facade. The male lead usually has one or two friends outside the group, who are usually envious of his situation and/or oblivious to the difficulties it brings him.
He may or may not have a rival (or a character who perceives himself as such), who, despite being popular with women, has obvious negative personality traits. If he has any family featured in the series, it is usually a friendly younger sister or a vivacious, domineering older sister.
A notable point is that his personality traits and faults are usually exaggerated for comedic value, perhaps under the assmuption that, if his behavior is too realistic, the audience empathizing with him may be resentful of the character's faults too cloosely reflecting their own. He must also be 'non-threatening' enough so the other female characters have no trouble interacting with him.
Examples may include Tenchi from Tenchi Muyo!, Tasuke from Mamotte Shugogetten, or Chitose from Happy Lesson.
Female Lead
A prominent female character, usually the most popular among the fandom, who is implied to have the "best chance" of ending up with the lead male. This is usually obvious very early in the story. She is almost always the first of the girls that the male lead meets. Usually she possesses a less extreme personality than the other girls, even if she is a magical girlfriend. As this character does not always exist and implies a degree of focus in the male's interest which excludes other women, some fans argue that series featuring her are not true harem series. She and the male lead are sometimes portrayed as arguementative, to the point of (often fan-misinterpreted) slapstick.
The rest of the female characters' personalities vary depending on the tastes of the audience to whom the anime is marketed. A common device is a stock personality with some bizzare quirk which may not be initially obvious. These can include:
A domestically-oriented girl who usually possesses a tranquil personality. She often has a maternal attitude toward the lead male and, sometimes, the other girls. These traits are often combined into a single character with the 'Demure Girl,' the 'Little Sister,' or the 'Nanny.'
The Demure Girl
She is often a domestic and embodies the typical traits associated with the 'ideal' Japanese woman. In more comedic series this is usually coupled with absentmindedness or clumsiness. Famous examples include Mutsumi from Love Hina and Aoi from Ai Yori Aoshi, although the latter is a star of her series. A fairly common twist for this character is an elitist attitude and/or a secret (or not-so-secret) domineering streak; in this case, the character tries to appear demure in front of the male lead, but is often manipulative when he's not watching. Aeka from Tenchi Muyou! is one example of the latter type.
A character who prefers to act and speak directly, often appearing rude or blunt. She is often an athlete or martial artist, and may have a temperamental personality which frightens off men. Conversely, she may be an older, vivacious, sexy character with many vices such as alcohol. She is usually agressively sexual or lecherous, and may appear bisexual. She is usually a dramatic foil for the Demure Girl.
The Foreigner
Typically a good-natured caricature of a westerner (usually American or French), it also includes dark-skinned characters of ambigious locations. Their personalities are usually more outgoing than typical Japanese, and they are often somewhat mischievous or hedonistic in nature. They often possess odd personality quirks which, along with culture clash, are employed for humorous purposes. In harem anime featuring relatively small casts, this role is sometimes fulfilled by the Tomboy. Kaolla Su, from Love Hina, is one example of this type.
Little Sister
Usually the youngest girl in the group, who may or may not be an actual relative of the lead. Her personality can vary from extreme shyness to energetic spunk. Any romantic interest she has in the lead is strictly of the innocent or admiration variety.
The Nanny
This is usually an adult character who (ostensibly) is a final authority figure of the group, often a distant relative, senior citizen, or other advisor. Some of these characters are good-natured and non-critical to the point where they sometimes come across as irresponsible; others are more strict with regards to the young man.
The Genius
A very intelligent girl. The genius is usually skilled in science and technology, and her 'inventions' may be used as plot devices to launch unlikely stories. She may also be portrayed as either cold and distant or as slightly (or extremely) unbalanced in the mad scientist mold. She is sometimes combined with or replaced by the Prodigy.
The Prodigy
This character possesses remarkable talent, usually in an artistic area. She is often a professional actress or musician, who is also usually well-versed in literature and history. Sometimes this role is instead filled by an idol singer, but in this case, the character is usually not especially intelligent or talented in other areas. She may be combined with or replaced by the Genius or another character.
Examples
- Ai Yori Aoshi is a recent anime going for a dual concept, both magical girlfriend and pseudo-harem anime. Unusally, the lead is a fairly well-adjusted & social character (even around girls) despite crushing former abuse. Ai Yori Aoshi escapes the harem anime moniker because of the lead's early explicit devotion to the Lead Female, although they do live with a cast of other girls from whom they must keep the relationship a secret.
- Happy Lesson has few romantic elements at all. Instead of the emotional element is that of parents, as five characters serve as the main character's 'mother' (much to his confusion and annoyance).
- Love Hina is another famous series which, in younger audiences, supplanted Tenchi Muyo!'s title as the Typical Harem Anime. While not a harem anime, it uses humor and satire to poke fun at harem anime (the lead female is even a parody of the Average Lead Girl in ren'ai games).
- Tenchi Muyo!, especially the later television series, contains most of the common elements, and although certainly not the first, is considered by many American fans to be the prototypical (or at least most famous) harem anime.
- Steel Angel Kurumi 2 contains elements, although a major difference is that all of the characters, including the lead, are women.
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