Recently, I’ve been thinking about the harem genre. I have a fairly decent tolerance for harem tropes on both sides of the coin… nay, all sides of the coin… but there is a delicate balance the harem genre must maintain in order for me to not throw it out the window. And of course, I love charts, I love data… so what do I do?
I make a scale.
The HAREM scale, which was a nightmare to make a reverse acronym out of, is composed of 5 points.
Heroism
Heroism is the altruistic point of the main character. Are they an all-around great guy? Do they manage to capture the love and admiration of the people around them? Do they have the certain je nais se qoui that makes the viewer want to watch them? In other words: is this a Good Harem Center or an Asshole?
Awareness
Awareness is the level of acknowledgement and genre savvy the main character has of their status as the center of a harem. Do they realize the implications, and do they actively try to maintain or grow the harem? Are they ignorant to the harem status because they cherish not the body count, but the people?
Romance
Romance is exactly as it sounds. Is there romance? Is it forced romance, or is it natural and loving? Does it appear that there is an endgame pair, or is it a poly situation? Do the characters have reasons to be in love with the main character? Are they actually in love with the main character?
Ecchi
Ecchiis the pervert part of the scale. How fetishistic is the camera here? Is the harem around to titillate the viewers sexually? Is the focus more on tits than it is on a supportive environment? How often does our main character find themself in a compromising position, or admiring the bodies of their harem?
My Fucking Tolerance Level
My goddamn motherfucking tolerance level for the harem trope at work in this media. Are the members annoying? Does it seem too forced? Is the main character the pucker of an asshole and treat their harem like dirt while the setting demands that they are unequivocally in love with them? Will this trope be more embarrassing if someone else walks into the room while I’m watching it? Is the harem all lolis circling around a grown man???? The lower this number the worse it is.
I hope that this explanation is clear, but I will also provide some examples below.
Arifureta
Arguably an incredibly popular and well-received isekai harem anime, which I hate.
H: The character does not go out of his way to be particularly kind but will do it.
A: The character is aware that women are arriving in droves and obsessed, but does not realize that it’s becoming a harem.
R: The character has an ongoing romance with his first harem member.
E: The harem members are designed with sexuality first and foremost in mind and fit into waifu archetypes cleanly.
M: These bitches are fucking annoying. Tolerance broke at second member.
Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun
A shounen anime that tickles the harem idea by having a love geometry of some sort.
H: The character is the bastion of good deeds. I love this guy.
A: The character is not trying to build a harem, treats all the members as good friends, and cares deeply about their feelings.
R: Several harem members adore him for real reasons and he treats them like queens. He is not dating them and does not favor one over the other. They are purely special to him.
E: There are rarely opportunities for the harem members to display the Goods, but there was a beach episode once.
M: I’m in love with them. The harem is purely incidental. This anime is pure wonder and is motivating just to watch.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Myfavorite harem isekai.
H: The character is strong, kind, and cares deeply for everyone. They will always do their best to provide for their people.
A: The character is aware that many women are coming to surround him, and that it has turned into a harem. However, they are not actively trying to build a harem.
R: The teased romance was extinguished in the very beginning. Harem members are in love with them, but the main character does not reciprocate and keeps some distance romantically.
E: The women fit into many slots of waifus, but each have a developed personality. There is an incredible amount of scantily clad warriors and a lot of fan service.
M: The main character is so much fun and the plot continuously rolls into larger and larger consequences. I care deeply for the cast.
