Harem or single heroine?

MahNose

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I have seen some novels in SH or some JP webnovels that have harem on genre like fantasy, romcom, isekai, etc.. What do most of the readers prefer?

Btw I just created this account yesterday.
 
D

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There are readers who prefer harem, while others prefer a single heroine. I guess the real concern here should be, "How would you write a justified ending for each character?"

That'd depend on your goals for the story as an author. 😉

And since you're new here...

Maids.jpg
 
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Moonpearl

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It depends on the kind of story you're writing and who your target audience will be.

There are certainly readers who enjoy a stereotypical Japanese harem, and readers who prefer harems where the characters are more developed.

There are also many others who prefer one-on-one and despise any kind of harem.

I guess there are probably more people who dislike harem than like it, but they might just be the most vocal about their preferences.
 

Monk_Origins

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There was this one LitRPG novel where the new gf of MC was the one making a harem. he was just the sole male member of her harem, benefiting. Would love to read something like that again.
2gf harem>1 heroine>harem
 

Ruriha

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It depends on the kind of story you're writing and who your target audience will be.

There are certainly readers who enjoy a stereotypical Japanese harem, and readers who prefer harems where the characters are more developed.

There are also many others who prefer one-on-one and despise any kind of harem.

I guess there are probably more people who dislike harem than like it, but they might just be the most vocal about their preferences.
Considering how much widespread harem is, you could even say that those who don't like it are actually part of the minority.
 

lnv

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The thing is, romance in general is one of the hardest things to write properly, and harem is like multiplying that difficulty by the amount of heroines!

Effectively, out of all the novels I read it's hard to say that in any of them harem added to the story, if anything the harem made it worse.

That said, it's all a matter of what you are trying to "sell" and to "who". If your target audience is horny teenagers or trying to sell your harem members as merchandise, than harem is your way to go. If you want to focus on a better story or your audience is adults, then single heroine is the way to go.
 

MahNose

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It depends on the kind of story you're writing and who your target audience will be.

There are certainly readers who enjoy a stereotypical Japanese harem, and readers who prefer harems where the characters are more developed.

There are also many others who prefer one-on-one and despise any kind of harem.

I guess there are probably more people who dislike harem than like it, but they might just be the most vocal about their preferences.
Yes, I somehow notice that mostly anime watchers only like harem, while some manga and novel readers may have a higher dislike rate for this kind of romance tho.
 

MahNose

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There are readers who prefer harem, while others prefer a single heroine. I guess the real concern here should be, "How would you write a justified ending for each character?"

That'd depend on your goals for the story as an author. 😉

And since you're new here...

View attachment 4490
I quite enjoy harem in manga, 80% of the reason is "Fan Service" because they mostly illustrate what the readers like to see. Thanks for the open arms!
 

Maple-Leaf

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Well maybe it's just me, but I haven't seen anyone who hates 1v1 and only likes harems, only people who prefer harems. On the other hand, having a harem is a surefire way to get the many(?) people who hate them to stay away. Then again, maybe there are people who hate 1v1, and I just haven't noticed. It's all about what you prefer writing in the end.
 

SailusGebel

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I like a single heroine, and I'm a lover of a proper harem as well. However, the Japanese killed the meaning of harems in recent years. I mean, all the recent harem mangas usually have mc end up with a single girl. And this is what irks me the most.

If you make a harem you have all those girls who love the mc. And mc doesn't draw a line between them when necessary, he never confesses to the one he 'TRULY LOVES' and what we have in the end, is a bunch of heartbroken girls and sunken ships.

Why did I write this? It's because if you chose to write a harem, you should stick with it.
 

Maple-Leaf

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I like a single heroine, and I'm a lover of a proper harem as well. However, the Japanese killed the meaning of harems in recent years. I mean, all the recent harem mangas usually have mc end up with a single girl. And this is what irks me the most.

If you make a harem you have all those girls who love the mc. And mc doesn't draw a line between them when necessary, he never confesses to the one he 'TRULY LOVES' and what we have in the end, is a bunch of heartbroken girls and sunken ships.

Why did I write this? It's because if you chose to write a harem, you should stick with it.
What kind of harem is the one you want?
One where the mc likes all of the girls, or just keeps them as "comrades"?
 

MahNose

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The thing is, romance in general is one of the hardest things to write properly, and harem is like multiplying that difficulty by the amount of heroines!

Effectively, out of all the novels I read it's hard to say that in any of them harem added to the story, if anything the harem made it worse.

That said, it's all a matter of what you are trying to "sell" and to "who". If your target audience is horny teenagers or trying to sell your harem members as merchandise, than harem is your way to go. If you want to focus on a better story or your audience is adults, then single heroine is the way to go.
It seems before I create romance scenes, I need to confess to all ages 5-60 year old girls and get my heart broken many times to achieve the ultimate romance plot. Well jokes aside, I ain't gonna toy my heart just to create some realistic emotional characters.
 

CupcakeNinja

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I have seen some novels in SH or some JP webnovels that have harem on genre like fantasy, romcom, isekai, etc.. What do most of the readers prefer?

Btw I just created this account yesterday.
Readers love harems cuz they can be fun...they always provide drama and "moments" that they can get into throughout the story. But they cant be a pussy. They cant be manhandled and let themselves be treated like shit or give into unreasonable demands. Points if they actually be active in seducing them every now and then, too.

This works best if it's a one heroine story. But in a harem its trickier to balance out without them coming off as scummy.

But most readers do like harems that are done right. Not every one "done right" will be done the same way tho. Keep in mind there are different ways to approach them that can work well.
 

SailusGebel

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What kind of harem is the one you want?
One where the mc likes all of the girls, or just keeps them as "comrades"?
The perfect harem is the one where the mc at least tries to love the girls equally or something like that. I'm talking about the ones that are already in the harem. Mc doesn't go after every girl, a proposal may come from a girl, but he can reject or accept it. Without making this relationship 'ambiguous' for two hundred chapters(in the case of a manga or Japanese novel). I as well don't want them to be just powerups like it's usually done in a Chinese novel. The fights between the harem members would be okay to see.

I don't, really, understand what do you mean by comrades? Do you mean if the mc can have a female friend if he has a harem? If this is what you mean, sure, I have no problems with this.

An example of a great harem in my opinion is Mushoku Tensei.
 

Maple-Leaf

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I don't, really, understand what do you mean by comrades? Do you mean if the mc can have a female friend if he has a harem? If this is what you mean, sure, I have no problems with this.
I was wondering whether you liked harems where the mc treats them all like normal friends or loves them all, but you answered my question.
 

lnv

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I like a single heroine, and I'm a lover of a proper harem as well. However, the Japanese killed the meaning of harems in recent years. I mean, all the recent harem mangas usually have mc end up with a single girl. And this is what irks me the most.

If you make a harem you have all those girls who love the mc. And mc doesn't draw a line between them when necessary, he never confesses to the one he 'TRULY LOVES' and what we have in the end, is a bunch of heartbroken girls and sunken ships.

Why did I write this? It's because if you chose to write a harem, you should stick with it.

This reminds me of Everyone Else Is a Returnee where the author promised it won't be a harem. Then wrote the story as though it was a harem, only to blame the readers in the end that it was them who demanded it end as a harem.

Managing expectations of readers is important, don't sell something you aren't planning on delivering.
 

Saileri

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This reminds me of Everyone Else Is a Returnee where the author promised it won't be a harem. Then wrote the story as though it was a harem, only to blame the readers in the end that it was them who demanded it end as a harem.

Managing expectations of readers is important, don't sell something you aren't planning on delivering.
I might be weird, but I'd rather stick to my original plan or at least some ideas rather than customize my stories to wants of the people who arrive at them. Some changes are possible according to feedback, but only if they feel better than what I personally had in mind.

Also, I believe the relationship type quite depends on the story rather than the other way. The two novels I'm currently writing just fit the harem genre straight from the premise, while the third one I plan on release someday perfectly fits a 2F1M type. To me, some scenarios just feel right to cover with certain types of relationships but I don't dislike any if they aren't forced.
 

SailusGebel

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This reminds me of Everyone Else Is a Returnee where the author promised it won't be a harem. Then wrote the story as though it was a harem, only to blame the readers in the end that it was them who demanded it end as a harem.

Managing expectations of readers is important, don't sell something you aren't planning on delivering.
I was talking more about real harems. Those that have it as a cornerstone genre. All those freaking rom-coms with a harem about a kind boy. Nisekoi, The World God Only Knows, Bokutachi wa Benkyō ga Dekinai(Bokuben), Yuragi-sō no Yūna-san, Go-Tōbun no Hanayome, Domekano(not sure about this one). All of those works were advertised and written as a harem. Those who like harems went to read it and what we got in the end? Sure we can get as much fanservice as we can in the beginning and the middle, lot's of stupid moments that defy logic. BUT A HAREM ENDING? Nonono, we live in a modern world and a harem in the modern world is a no-no, it's not real.

Freaking Minamoto-kun Monogatari, that was a borderline harem hentai, ended up without a harem. What the hell? We were reading all of this for what? To end up reading how the girl we liked and rooted for from the beginning ISN'T EVEN MENTIONED IN THE END? I don't know if it's false advertising or subverting the reader's expectations. In the end, I can only say that for me, it's a waste of time. I would rather read a manga or a novel about a 'normal' single relationship and won't get my hopes high.
 

CupcakeNinja

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I was talking more about real harems. Those that have it as a cornerstone genre. All those freaking rom-coms with a harem about a kind boy. Nisekoi, The World God Only Knows, Bokutachi wa Benkyō ga Dekinai(Bokuben), Yuragi-sō no Yūna-san, Go-Tōbun no Hanayome, Domekano(not sure about this one). All of those works were advertised and written as a harem. Those who like harems went to read it and what we got in the end? Sure we can get as much fanservice as we can in the beginning and the middle, lot's of stupid moments that defy logic. BUT A HAREM ENDING? Nonono, we live in a modern world and a harem in the modern world is a no-no, it's not real.

Freaking Minamoto-kun Monogatari, that was a borderline harem hentai, ended up without a harem. What the hell? We were reading all of this for what? To end up reading how the girl we liked and rooted for from the beginning ISN'T EVEN MENTIONED IN THE END? I don't know if it's false advertising or subverting the reader's expectations. In the end, I can only say that for me, it's a waste of time. I would rather read a manga or a novel about a 'normal' single relationship and won't get my hopes high.
its cuz the authors are pussies. The publishers probably said "no harem end tho, pal" and the authors were too chicken shit to put their foot down. Me, i'd have been cheeky and AT LEAST made like an "unofficial" *wink wink* harem end doujin chapter if nothing else. Be all, "yeah this isn't the REAL ending but I just made it for laughs haha" meanwhile everyone knows that's how it really went down.

But the authors don't even do that. Smh
 
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