Discussion Why do people dislike harems?

She's a woman

 

I believe it is closer to the matter that harem is an almost telltale sign of wish fulfillment story. Wish fulfilment stories on their own are also almost telltale signs of bad writing... So yeah.

 

because they can't have them...

 

over saturation

 

Harem is sometimes associates with bad writing and most of the time you have shallow characters being written into the story to be one of many archetypes to fall in love with MC for some stupid reason.
Then again...
It depends on what the novel is focusing on, people appreciate if harem is the main focus like Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi but if harem is just a side dish then it feels unnecessary.

 

because most are treated as disposables.
once they are done with an arc, throw the women away.
or some treat them as collectibles.
gotta catch 'em all.

 

Bro, I don't have a single novel in my reading list without Harem tag. Harem is first; everything else is secondary.

 

Not well developed, easily forgotten members some are directly left behind

 

It's not that people dislike harem.
It's just that people who dislike harem always yell around about it.
Have you ever see a thread of "I LIKE HAREM" instead of "HAREM IS SHIT"?
People always complain about something they don't like.

 

I usually find its not so much a problem with harems but a problem with the poor writing that they are so often associated with.
Common issues include
- Supposedly average looking protag with the personality of a piece of cardboard (or otherwise the most perverted piece of cardboard imaginable) being irresistable.
- Very little character development
- Dense protag (though this is admittedly not a problem for all harems) though this can occassionaly be an amusing thing (bakarina for instance)
- Sometimes feels like every female cast member is also part of the harem
That is not to say that I hate harems. I feel like when all of these issues are addressed harems can be as enjoyable read as any other novel. Its just that they so often aren't.

 

Well I hate harems, cause? Japanese LN... what the Japanese LN harems have taught and awakened me from my ignorance was that most harems, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese novels have one dimensional members. Mostly female harem members (dunno about reverse harems (aka male harem members) since I haven’t read a reverse harem), like come on the introduction for most of them are so generic and easily recognizable. For example:

Japanese:
oh look a damsel in distress, let’s save her. Harem member... (most of the fantasy light novels)
*after that she will fall in love and follow our MC unconditionally (while being stupid)*

Chinese:
Oh look the girl is stronger than me and better than me, I will get stronger than her while becoming friends with her. Harem member... (most Wuxia LN)
*MC gets stronger than her, either leaves and later comes back (after hundreds of chapters later) or she will leave and later reunites with the MC (hundreds of chapters later) but this time has a stronger background than first introduction*.... *then later MC marries the girl and a few chapters later (or in Chinese LN, 50 or less chapters) the girl is now a background character while the MC travels without her*

Korean:
... yeah that’s what I like about Korean, they don’t have as much harem LN as these two above. Even if they did, it’s mostly both of them of them above (aka Chinese and Japanese) which is worse...
*either damsel in distress or stronger than MC (or more specifically higher social status than MC), which will either follow the MC unconditionally or becomes like a background character and will get mentioned barely*

So basically harems are a genre that is poorly written with one dimensional characterization that makes you wonder how their life was before they met the MC because of how much they depended on the MC (mostly Japanese LN). On Chinese it’s mostly how they are an obstacle in MC’s life after he gets significantly stronger than the girl and his enemy who is either stronger or equally strong to take advantage of his only weakness, his family. Then only to be discarded aside and are barely mentioned for the rest of the story.

I can tolerate harems as long as the harem members are actually able to take care of themselves and not depend on him too much while having an actual character development to make us like her other than being a harem member and a girl.

Edit: I forgot to add. I’M TALKING ABOUT YOU JAPANESE LN (ESPECIALLY YOU) STOP MAKING YOUR MC OP AND AN AIRHEAD WHO CANT EVEN TELL WHETHER THE GIRL LIKES HIM WHEN IT CLEARLY DOES.

 

Most of them have bad writing, and like the person above said the women are treated like kleenex: use once for a plot then throw away....I ignored the harem tag and read a bunch of novels: beginnings are okay but after that it's like the plot is in a free fall.I still like some of them (like 2 or 3 ...out of tens)

 

Sometimes the Male Lead is so perverted it's questionable why the f*** these girls even like him.

And sometimes the girls are so blinded by his coldness and mysteriousness that they don't realize how much of an as***le he is.

Some harem genre is so unrealistic how these girls like this sh***y a** Male Leads.

Sorry for the swears.

 

Basically I don't like it if it smells like NTR to me, but I can't out right reject harems since half my friends wouldn't exist if there grandfather's a hundred or two years ago didn't have one.

 

thats sometimes the problem in OTP stories.....you have your 3 points but the author picks the dumbest female to be the one that gets the MC.

 

So you go into a restaurant.

You got offered Steak, Seafood platter and Sushi.

Now you can eat all of them or you can eat one of them.

But too bad due to you being in a diet you can't eat any of them but you can smell them or maybe touch it although its unhygienic.

Thats harem.

 

Thank you!!

 

Mostly from envy, i think? Can't hold those "Die, Riajuu!" Feels

 

I guess something like mushoku tensei is ok. Good character development. Has a limit.

But multiple 1night stand because of aphrodisiac or to save life is overdoing it. Better off writting an h novel.

 

I just hate harems from my experience in anime. A girl in the harem ruins the loving moment the MC is having with (the girl i support) another girl *cough* outbreak company *cough*

Also the Harem from My wife is a beautiful CEO. I just hate his reason of *I must accept their love and cannot reject them*. The novel wouldve been one thousand times better if he just loved his wife instead of picking up girls like common coins on the street.

This is my longest post ever, on anything.

Congratulations you got me so frustrated and worked up that I wrote all that when I was clearly trying to force myself asleep 20 mins ago..

Sigh.. *looks at the time* 06:44.. Ill just see if i cant fall asleep before 7am.. im not going to bother sleeping.

Once again.. Congratz