Discussion Harem in novels

<- Was about to say no, but did a quick search on NU...
I have heard of Everyone Else is a Returnee before, but I was deterred by the harem tag and never got around to picking it up even though I came back to the title page many times. I was intrigued by the plot and it having many great reviews.

 

Its great and the harem isnt really big lol

 

I'll put it onto my 'To try' list then

 

Where is the poll option for "i don't care very much if there is or isn't a harem as long as its a good read"

 

An MC being a beta isn't the only problem of the harem novel. If anything the problem is less with the MC and more with the harem members.

I see things this way, romance is the hardest thing to write as an author. And harem multiplies that difficulty for every harem member. Most web novels are incapable of writing harem and even the good stuff are generally harmed by harem being there.

The Second coming of avarice isn't too bad and the author can write quite decently considering its slow pace. Probably due to experience in writing MEMORIZE. That said, the fact that the MC is the most sexiest thing alive and the fact that he wouldn't have made it out of any arc without his harem is an off put, but other than that.

EER is also a decent read like many of Toy cars works, and like many of his works the harem does drag the whole thing down. That isn't saying it isn't worth reading, just the harem aspect is the worst part of it.

Since the harem doesn't drive most of the story its less of an issue until towards the end.

 

I mean, people like what they like, I guess. For me personally, I doubt I will ever have an issue with the concept itself, just how it is executed.

I use this example ALL the time but - Long Live Summons could have been amazing. 4 childhood friends that are close as sisters (actually, I think they were all related in some way) all came to love the same guy, said guy didn't just blush in embarrassment, he actively pursued them and wooed them. If you compare that with literally 95% of Japanese literature,(excluding hentai/eroge etc) that alone is amazing. BUT, and this is the biggest reason why I can't exactly get mad at people for disliking harems, it degenerated into a female gotta catch em all scenario. Essentially destroying what made the novel so fun to begin with.

So, for me, it's less to do with a fantasy thing, and more to do with the author. If he introduces female heroines and ALL of them have some redeeming features and quality about them, unless it is based in a "realistic" setting, why the hell not? The only thing that could justify not having a harem otherwise is if the female lead is such an awesome character that you, the reader can't help but love her as well.

 

MEMORIZE? Is this one good as well?

 

Are Japanese harems generally worst? Are most harems all similar to the 'Catch them all' concept?

 

I haven't read far enough to judge, it is like 1000 chapters and I only read 50. It has its ups and downs. If I were to say which one I like more, the second coming of gluttony is better. I just ignore the harem aspect.

 

I've never minded them, but when I stop and think about it, that's probably because I'm not particularly a fan of romance. Not to say I dislike it either, it's just standard stuff so I take it worth a grain of salt. In that regard, I can understand why some hate it for all they're worth if they truly like and focus on romantic relationships. And though I lean more to the side of liking harem, still have to acknowledge that it's simply not done well a vast majority of the time.

 

For me, the harem needs to make a certain amount of sense in the novel's setting.
For instance, just looking at a historical standpoint:

In medieval Europe, from the kings and high nobles, to your average knights, it wasn't rare for them to have at least one mistress, and it would actually be rarer if they were fully faithful, although it did happen. For European nobles, their marriages were political, spouses chosen based on an equation of friends, foes, benefits and more. Their mistresses in turn were chosen from reasons ranging from love to lust to vanity and more.

Even in the past two to three hundred years there were times when aristocrats in certain countries were expected to have a mistress, if only as a mark of their status. Victorian era (or there abouts) England had such a period.

In ancient China and Japan, having multiple wives or concubines was an established practice, and we could go on and on.

If you look at ancient heroes from myth, most of them had various lovers or mistresses, with the Celtic hero Cu Chulain and the Greek Hercules being prime examples.


What I essentially mean is, the harem needs to make sense in the setting of the novel, and with regards to the main character in question.

 

When I read a novel I'm always looking for romance, so harem isn't that enjoyable for me.
They sometimes have fun jokes, so I don't hate them, but it's not my favorite genre. I wonder why it became so popular too...
In the end, it's all about preferences, I think. After all, I'm really into "Otome Game" and "Reincarnate Noble Lady" or "Villainess" kind of stories but some people think of them as really cliché and boring.

 

Gonna catch them all is more for the chinese mc

 

Oh you know how to differentiate them.

I don't pay enough attention to.

 

Japanese mc: these girls are all such good FRIENDS.

Chinese mc: hmm I want that one and that one. Woops sorry I raped you now you are my women.

 

*facepalm*

Thanks for the clarification. Kind of makes me want to avoid chinese men and hang out with japanese men, this cliche.

 

I like novels with a harem, but I prefer that there are not too many girls. Because we do not remember who they are if they are too numerous. And you can not develop their personalities later, nor their stories.

-Against the god
-Ancient strengthening

For example I loved these two novels in the beginning and but both have continued to have more and more women. I feel like it's never going to end. If I had not read the beginning of the novels several times, I would have completely forgotten who were his first women.

Personally I like the harem, because you can see different people, differents type.


- Tsundere ( Rin from fate stay night, Makise kurisu frome steins gate, misaka mikoto frome toaru)
- Yandere (You probably don't want girl from that type)
- Yangire (Kurumi tokisaki from date a live)
- Eating girl ( Tohka frome date a live)
- kuudere (tachibana kanade, mashiro frome sakurasou no pet)
- legal loli (Mahoo hiyajo)
- Diva : (Miku frome date a live)


All these girls have a certain personnality, but in a monogamy novel, you can only one. But in a harem novel, you can have all the girls.
For each person, one of the girls will be their favorite.

That's probably why it ends in harem.

Probably the same thing for girls, different man blalalala

 

I used to like it, same with lewd scenes and all that, but once I left my teens I just sort of started to hate it all. Doesn't help that most of it is poorly written, generic garbage. I guess once you've read/seen the same story 100 times, you grow tired of anything that's even remotely similar. I've long since lost count of how many rainbow haired school/academy harem shitefests I've encountered in my life. A slow build-up, monogamous relationship between consenting adults is so weird and refreshing to me these days that it's what I prefer. Cute, slow burn, hand holding, character development and all that other degenerate shite.... mm yessss. YESSS.

I recently stopped resenting other people for liking it, though. Just because it's all boring, predictable crap to me doesn't mean it's not mind-blowing to someone else, lol. Totally over school stories in general, I think. So many choices, so few of them offer anything that stands out from an ocean of similar smelling trash.

Maybe it's just creative-bankruptcy burnout?

 

but what if you read a ''harem'' series yeah sure there are differents kind of girls but the one you're rooting for is probaly gonna lose, if the main girl is a tsundere, bland or a big idiot where the main guy feels safe.... looks at shonin sample, date a live and that one cerberus manga

 

Sorry i have to work, i will give a long answer at the night.

Shonin sample and cerburus harem situation is different than date a live.

In shonin sample and cerburus, the mc can choose the girl his love.
And you can curse the mc and cry for your favorite girl.

But in date a live the mc has a favorite but can't break up with harem. He try to break with one girl and it didn't work.

Edit : Don't need a long answer.