Hello! I have been into harem/concubine manga recently, and found out my favorite trope: the MC is a cherished concubine of the Emperor (who is usually the ML), but she years for freedom and wans to escape. The ML of course will do anything to stop that. Due to the setting, it's usually a Chinese/Korean ambient (often with incredible visuals). I like how the complex dynamic of such a place (as the harem, where backstabbing and poisoning is pretty such the everyday norm) limits the MC's opportunities, and how they fight to overcome such immense obstacles. ML and MC can be a M/M or F/F pairing. EXAMPLES (that hit the nail right in the head) Bardo's Palace Do snakes eat flowers? Chongsheng Zhi Muzhen OTHER (also good examples): Concubine Walkthrough Silent concubine The Spirit Queen Any recommendations are very welcome, I go for all genres although I definitely prefer more serious and mature stuff as opposed to shoujo.
hello! Thanks for the recommendations, I also love these stories. Right now nothing comes to my mind apart from the novel Refusing to Serve Me? Then Off With Your Head! It's a little confusing at the start so you have to hang on but after that it's really good I promise! I'm sure I've read others but I can't remember the names, I'll tell you if I remember