Harem or No Harem Team?

[ChaosGodOfJashin]

Gay and Bisexual harem is superior.

Well people's opinion are different so I just respected everyone's

 

[Cipiteca396]

since we're in the realm of fiction, why just suffice for the standard? Why not go for more?

Why one wife when you can have two?

Why female wife when you can have male wife?

Why suffice with marriage when you can blood bond?

Why stranger wife when you can have sister wife?

Why sister wife when you can have mom wife?

Why young wife when you can have old wife?

Why adult wife when you can have chi

And Ben was never seen again.

Shield Hero?

That one ended up as a Harem, I think? It only took the MC a thousand years to get to it, though. I don't know about Mahouka, I lost patience with the translation around the time the relationship drama was really starting.

---

Personally, I fall into the pro-poly category too. Harems are fine, but it would be so much more interesting if the MC wasn't the only character with multiple love interests. That's just too unfair.

 

[EternalSunset0]

I don't know about Mahouka, I lost patience with the translation around the time the relationship drama was really starting.

Tatsuya did end up with multiple wives, but it was at the end. Throughout the run, it's just a guy with many girls liking him, so while college student me back then just hastily classified it as harem, looking back at it now, it doesn't feel like a "true" harem(?)

Which also made me second guess my statements before (and in response to the thread of being a harem anime/LN fan when half of the stuff I liked and used as basis for liking the genre apparently fall into the same category of "kinda harem but not really(?)" as Mahouka or Shield Hero, just as my previous long post said.

 

[Cipiteca396]

Which also made me second guess my statements before (and in response to the thread of being a harem anime/LN fan when half of the stuff I liked and used as basis for liking the genre apparently fall into the same category of "kinda harem but not really(?)"

There's no point in questioning it. If you like it, you like it, whatever the name or reason.
The clarification you offered is more than enough.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Harems are fine, but it would be so much more interesting if the MC wasn't the only character with multiple love interests. That's just too unfair.

wym. the other guys TOO are part of my harem. They get to watch as I rail their wives/feminine husbands.

 

[Cipiteca396]

wym. the other guys TOO are part of my harem. They get to watch as I rail their wives/feminine husbands.

Doesn't count unless you rail them too.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Doesn't count unless you rail them too.

it's part of the cuck kink. The fetish play would be ruined if I gave them any attention.

Though I never bothered to ask if they even HAVE that sort of a kink, but asking would just ruin it if it WAS, wouldn't it?

 

[Cipiteca396]

it's part of the cuck kink. The fetish play would be ruined if I gave them any attention.

Though I never bothered to ask if they even HAVE that sort of a kink, but asking would just ruin it if it WAS, wouldn't it?

Seems a little lonely, though.

 

[EternalSunset0]

There's no point in questioning it. If you like it, you like it, whatever the name or reason.
The clarification you offered is more than enough.

Haha it's just me going very nitpicky about technicalities.

I have had people DM me to question whether my series is really a harem or not (I had the tag at first but removed it after those), so the term has become quite the "will I use it correctly or not if I use it now?" thing, a habit I picked up from this site if anything.

Regardless, I do like the genre. Love it even, especially the duel academy ones as I mentioned in another thread.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Seems a little lonely, though.

Well, that IS what they (may or may not be) are here for.

 

[Ddraig]

If I had to choose between a good romance with no harem and a well-written harem,

If I had to choose between both, I would just read both. If that is not possible, it would depend on which one attracts me more at that point in time. It honestly has nothing to do with whether it has harem or it doesn't.

On a side note I think love triangles should always be mentioned in such threads as a separate thing to ponder upon but they never are.

 

[SailusGebel]

If I had to choose between both, I would just read both. If that is not possible, it would depend on which one attracts me more at that point in time. It honestly has nothing to do with whether it has harem or it doesn't.

On a side note I think love triangles should always be mentioned in such threads as a separate thing to ponder upon but they never are.

In love triangles, mc doesn't end up with multiple lovers, which means it's a part of no harem. Love triangles are the same thing as when an MC has multiple lovers throughout the novel. He\she start dating, then breaks up, moves on, rinse and repeat. Is it a harem? In my opinion, no.

 

[Ddraig]

In love triangles, mc doesn't end up with multiple lovers, which means it's a part of no harem. Love triangles are the same thing as when an MC has multiple lovers throughout the novel. He\she start dating, then breaks up, moves on, rinse and repeat. Is it a harem? In my opinion, no.

But that logic, a full blown harem, will not count as a harem coz the mc selected a single girl at the end of the series?

???

It's not always the end that matters, the journey is just as important as well.

Regardless, I would rather divide the stuff into [Couple] [Love triangle] and [Harem].

 

[SailusGebel]

But that logic, a full blown harem, will not count as a harem coz the mc selected a single girl at the end of the series?

???

It's not always the end that matters, the journey is just as important as well.

Regardless, I would rather divide the stuff into [Couple] [Love triangle] and [Harem].

Yep. In my opinion, it's clickbait if a story\manga\anime with a harem tag doesn't have a harem ending.

 

[Sabruness]

I agree with Gebel. It's all in the execution.

thirded. properly executed harems can be glorious. unfortunately, properly executed harems are like trying to find a gold-plated piece of hay in a haystack the size of a bus.

pseudo-harems, dense harems, beta cuck harems and etc are the culprits for giving harem a bad name.

So it's either standards of the definition have changed or I'm just an idiot when looking at shows haha. Probably a mix of both.

both. in the first point, it's a case of modern technical definition (which is extremely broad) vs the expectations people tend to have regarding harem vis-a-vis sex and relationships (ie a true/polygamous harem). in the second, you're certainly one of the rare birds for going looking for pseuo-harems specifically XD

 

[EternalSunset0]

in the second, you're certainly one of the rare birds for going looking for pseuo-harems specifically XD

Yeah I do feel so. I guess it's because it's not the actual romantic developments I look after but the "fight alongside you" and "open up my problems to you" relationship beats between the guy and the girls fawning over him. But not quite to the point of taking it to the next step if you get what I mean.

That's possible in a show that's not 6:1 female:male ratio and all, but I rather spend my time seeing more sexy teenage girls on my screen haha. And buying those swimsuit/wedding gown/bunny girl merchandise. I'm a guy, after all.

I guess that whole two paragraphs of preference also very slightly run parallel to what I said on the other thread that I prefer if the girls are more "modern" and humanoid rather than fantasy races.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

No Harem. It's just boring. If you care, so with a five man band with one male and four females. Its the same thing, but better plots and group dynamics you just sacrifice the sex. The interest is always in the will they/wont they. For example, I have plotted out/written three different "hook ups" for the MC. Then I have all three go ahead at once. The winner will be the last one standing because I doubt the three females will actually tolerate sharing. Men/women don't do that very well, not and have a 'relationship'. I've seen multiple RL Polyamory relationships and they always ended badly. (used to hang out with wiccans) It doesn't work. The group is never totally in the same spot, or if they are, sooner or later someone moves out of alignment.

Someone grows more in love, or less in love, or realize that one member is a leech, or something. Sooner or later Polyamory falls apart, EXCEPT when held together by ruthless psychological manipulation, and even then, as I talked to a friend who was such a dude, "THIS IS A LOT OF FUCKIN' WORK." He managed to keep his harem of 4 girls working for about 2 years and then he literally just bailed on all of them because it was too much work. He just wanted a break and none of them would every let up. When you systematically destroy the self-esteem of a group of people to become dependent on you for all thought, you have to do the thinking for everyone and trust me, THAT GETS OLD.

 

[Cipiteca396]

No Harem. It's just boring. If you care, so with a five man band with one male and four females. Its the same thing, but better plots and group dynamics you just sacrifice the sex. The interest is always in the will they/wont they. For example, I have plotted out/written three different "hook ups" for the MC. Then I have all three go ahead at once. The winner will be the last one standing because I doubt the three females will actually tolerate sharing. Men/women don't do that very well, not and have a 'relationship'. I've seen multiple RL Polyamory relationships and they always ended badly. (used to hang out with wiccans) It doesn't work. The group is never totally in the same spot, or if they are, sooner or later someone moves out of alignment.

Someone grows more in love, or less in love, or realize that one member is a leech, or something. Sooner or later Polyamory falls apart, EXCEPT when held together by ruthless psychological manipulation, and even then, as I talked to a friend who was such a dude, "THIS IS A LOT OF FUCKIN' WORK." He managed to keep his harem of 4 girls working for about 2 years and then he literally just bailed on all of them because it was too much work. He just wanted a break and none of them would every let up. When you systematically destroy the self-esteem of a group of people to become dependent on you for all thought, you have to do the thinking for everyone and trust me, THAT GETS OLD.

This is basically a self fulfilling prophecy... "I want to have a bunch of trophy girls, so I'll just be a horrific piece of shit to them until they stop acting like humans!---- You know, this is SUPER unpleasant! Why did I think this was a good idea, again?"

The goal of Polyamory isn't to tie a bunch of people up and stuff em in the basement, it's to have relationships with multiple people. Those relationships don't need to be(shouldn't be) 'master-slave', or even 'equal but tied at the hip'. If two people have a good time together, they can be friends, FWB, lovers, or even end up married. And those relationships exist regardless of any other relationships that may or may not exist. And they might even END individually, too.

The type of Harem you're talking about writing IS boring. Nobody wants to read (okay, maybe some people do) about the girls duking it out; winner take all. If you don't know how relationships work, DON'T WRITE HAREM. Focus on figuring out a single relationship first, for fuck's sake.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Reverse harem
Oh, and please give my story a one-star rating. The link is in my signature

 

[TheEldritchGod]

This is basically a self fulfilling prophecy... "I want to have a bunch of trophy girls, so I'll just be a horrific piece of shit to them until they stop acting like humans!---- You know, this is SUPER unpleasant! Why did I think this was a good idea, again?"

The goal of Polyamory isn't to tie a bunch of people up and stuff em in the basement, it's to have relationships with multiple people. Those relationships don't need to be(shouldn't be) 'master-slave', or even 'equal but tied at the hip'. If two people have a good time together, they can be friends, FWB, lovers, or even end up married. And those relationships exist regardless of any other relationships that may or may not exist. And they might even END individually, too.

The type of Harem you're talking about writing IS boring. Nobody wants to read (okay, maybe some people do) about the girls duking it out; winner take all. If you don't know how relationships work, DON'T WRITE HAREM. Focus on figuring out a single relationship first, for fuck's sake.

Seriously? Have you ever seen 4 people have a relationship before? Oh god, the fuckin' drama. Back them I just liked hanging out with artsy freaks. Stable people form bonded pairs. That's just how it works. Unstable people just wind up in strange power dynamics that just explode in fireballs visible from orbit. The only relationships that lasted more than a month were the ones where the guy was a manipulative SoB. Me? I was that "nice guy" who everyone came to complain to about how bad things were.

I swear to god, people in 3+ people relationships just LOVE talking about how they are fucking multiple people at once. I mean, they brag, yet, at the same time have no self-esteem. When you have multiple in the same social circle, it just becomes insane. Like, they try and divide everyone up as allies as the two groups 'fight' each other, because if they don't have an enemy to hold their fuck group together, they fall apart. I should write a book about all the fucked up shit I witnessed in College.

Although, now that I think about it, Karma and her squad of lesbians that followed her around was a stable group for over a year, but the 'harem' seemed to have a rotating stable. It was basically a core of three who just liked seducing straight girls.

And yeah, Polyamory usually devolves into tying people up. Bondage becomes very popular.