Harem opinions

[HelloHound]

In a story that contains harem do you tend to hate the protagonist or the girls of the harem? why?
Personally I tend to despise the lazy sons of bitches that get the harem by being some nebulous concept of "nice"

 

[SailusGebel]

Hate? Probably girls.

 

[Ninini]

Both

 

[SilvoidVorstellung]

I hate both, I hate the protagonist for being a character that anyone can't empathize, I hate him for having a personality of a sideroad pebble, I hate his mythical moral code with no bad consequence.

I hate the girls for being a doll with a personality of a dying fish, I hate them for not criticizing his act when he did something fucked up/they don't like(if they have any), I hate them for having the same goal/philosophy/moral views as the MC. They all just plain boring.

 

[Simo]

Why not both? It’s rarely done well without comprising the relationships.

 

[WandererMonk]

I love both

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Both, and it doesn't matter whether it's a male or female harem. Female harem stories with male protagonists are rarely ever written well as the protagonist is either so oblivious that they must be socially inept or they act like a perverted dick. The female harem members are just as bad as they are usually just various cookie cutter molds of demeaning stereotypes or overused tropes. I know that most harem stories are supposed to be self inserts but it's kind of hard when the author sucks at creating interesting characters. For male harems, you have two options for a protagonist, a manipulative ass or a wholesome perfect princess. Both are equally bad. The male harem members are usually the same as the female harem as they are also cookie cutter molds of overused tropes and demeaning stereotypes.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

In a story that contains harem do you tend to hate the protagonist or the girls of the harem? why?
Personally I tend to despise the lazy sons of bitches that get the harem by being some nebulous concept of "nice"

it depends on their characters. i like when an MC is a bit of a womanizer, but also when they're serious in their affection for any heroine. I don't like seeing mistreatment going on.

I suppose the best example is taking a male lead from an erotica novel, where they're fiercely protective and gentle with their love interest, and placing them in a harem story. They're strong, capable, experienced (especially in bed) and know how to make the heroines feel special.

Its not some beta soy boy who cant even tell when a woman wants them, or a fake ass playboy who only ever wants to fuck. Instead, they encounter women who they just get attached to and begin to care about and once that happens, they'll do almost anything for them.

A male lead like that heavily influences heroines, regardless of their archetype. Erotic novel's male leads are, i believe, everything a man should be. And the women, recognizing that, fall for them. They like the safety and comfort that comes from a strong and loyal man.

In turn, they reciprocate and try to be better themselves. To believe themselves worthy of that kind of male.

The problem only starts when the harem of such a man meets up. But that can just add to the fun. Since i enjoy drama.

 

[Anon2024]

Depends.
Girls who all fall for the same guy and can't be with anyone else are stupid.
Protagonist who is dense and not willing to take girls are also stupid.

If these pats of a harem were remedied then it would be easier to read.

 

[EternalSunset0]

None. I tend to care less about the guy though.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

None. I tend to care less about the guy though.

is that due to the POV use? Because i can get like that too. First person draws me in better but most use third person. Thing is, they don't really use it right so any emotional attachment that could still be there is lost in the passive ass voice of the MC.

That said, i don't really mind MCs having dark or tragic backstories. I take that in stride. When its the heroines, though, i feel more sympathetic.

 

[LORD_SHAXX]

i would say its both you need an interesting Mc and well-written female characters if both suck it kinda hurts the entire thing

 

[CupcakeNinja]

i would say its both you need an interesting Mc and well-written female characters if both suck it kinda hurts the entire thing

some people think well written means likable. Easy heroines who basically submit to the MC on everything and just act cute all the time.
I mainly care about personality, tho. If they don't feel a bit realistic, i don't like them as much. Feels like they should have their own troubles and circumstances that don't revolve around the MC

 

[celt0123]

Both. Cookie cutters especially for the women, but even when they are written well outside the a standard world they react the same way to the MC, which is either overwhelmed by his magic penis or possessing bulletproof love for no reason, like on the level mind rape magic.

The MCs fail consistently, usually being a playboy dressed up in some way, secondly would be the weak vulnerable nice boy, both are tiresome and others have already pointed out there flaws.

But even if the author manages to avoid this or makes a story interesting despite this, they still lose because the harem becomes unrealistic in practicalities. Like I was skimming one where a teenage boy had almost ten women. Never even gave it a chance, because none of them had jobs, none of them came from rich families, how are they eating?

Even if that is too nickpicky, orgies are not puppy piles, especially if there are multiple new people, there’s usually strategy and tactics involved, and most often discussed beforehand. I don’t care about this if I’m reading a sexy story on a porn site, but a web novel I read over weeks, or a story that takes place over months or years? Bothers me.

 

[EternalSunset0]

is that due to the POV use? Because i can get like that too. First person draws me in better but most use third person. Thing is, they don't really use it right so any emotional attachment that could still be there is lost in the passive ass voice of the MC.

That said, i don't really mind MCs having dark or tragic backstories. I take that in stride. When its the heroines, though, i feel more sympathetic.

The perspective doesn't come too much into play for me. Maybe because I don't really get the whole "immerse" thing or the self-insert aspect people often attribute to harems or fantasy novels. I just feel that in a lot of the stuff I read/watch, it's more of the MC functions as an audience surrogate (even if he's not the notorious blank state character type).

Like someone with eyes to look at the story through and be the anchor for the plot and characters to revolve around, and the actual enjoyment is from watching the actual moving parts move, which include the world, the plot, the girls, etc.

 

[J_Chemist]

I enjoy a harem when done right. When a male MC is as flat as a piece of paper, it's annoying and really irritating. Very few authors provide depth to their characters or proper justifications for the harems and the women inevitably always seem to throw themselves at the MC. Again, really annoying and not realistic.

I dislike reverse harems because I've never seen one done right. I've seen a few get close but not many enough to make me seek out the tag. I avoid them unless it is a request for me to view them and give my opinion. In that case, I focus on the plot if I can as the characters rarely impress. Once more, the characters always tend to be unrealistic.

However, while I dislike the harems themselves, that does not mean I do not enjoy a story with a harem in it. I enjoyed High School DxD. I enjoyed Yona of the Dawn, I enjoy Mushoku Tensei. I have enjoyed numerous other animes where there is an obvious Harem present or with multiple potential partners developing/implied. If the plot is good, the story is fun, and there are other World-level details that I like, I will be able to enjoy the story.

When a harem is the center of focus, I'm good. It's probably terrible and I won't be able to enjoy it.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Reverse harem or bust!

 

[AmalgaMat1on]

I consider myself a harem fan even though I only enjoy about 10% of the content that comes from the genre. Most poor, and even mediocre harems generally suffer from the same issues:

In western written harems the MC either tends to be overconfident to the point of arrogance, gets an OP skill or cheat (this is common with eastern harems), dick all the women to submission, or, worse of all, carries all these traits.

In eastern written harems the MC is oblivious of people being interested in them to a painful degree. The woman can literally tell the MC how they feel to his face and the guy has I high chance of misunderstanding. With that obliviousness, the generally have a one track mind and are very bland. Which makes the concept that anyone that happens to fall for the MC is due to a poorly written reason.

For women characters in harems, the issue is the same in both eastern and western stories. If the women aren't already 2-dimensional before they join they harem, they pretty much will be soon after joining it. Whatever personality they have is quickly dumbed down to having blind obedience and dependency after they become part of "the legion".

At the same time, Fantasy and Sci-fi stories that have well written harems are some of the best stories you'll ever read.

 

[Templary]

this embosses well everything that is hated about harems

I hate both, I hate the protagonist for being a character that anyone can't empathize, I hate him for having a personality of a sideroad pebble, I hate his mythical moral code with no bad consequence.

I hate the girls for being a doll with a personality of a dying fish, I hate them for not criticizing his act when he did something fucked up/they don't like(if they have any), I hate them for having the same goal/philosophy/moral views as the MC. They all just plain boring.

 

[DiscoDream]

In a story that contains harem do you tend to hate the protagonist or the girls of the harem? why?
Personally I tend to despise the lazy sons of bitches that get the harem by being some nebulous concept of "nice"

I hate both. The guy tends to be a soulless husk who's only purpose is to breed and provide. Maybe he'll have a 'hobby' like cooking.
The girls tend to be twisted, fetishized versions of the worst aspects of feminity. Oftentimes being blatant abusers, or enablers. They almost always lack any skills that would make them desirable and rely entirely on their 'beauty'.