A recent thread on Reddit titled “Which anime count as harem and which ones don't?” has sparked widespread discussion among anime fans, quickly gaining attention and becoming a trending topic on the platform. Seeking to shed light on what actually constitutes a “harem” in anime, the post’s author put 70 popular titles to a vote in the r/anime community, yielding surprising and, in some cases, controversial results.
The term “harem” in anime has been a subject of debate for years, with opinions divided on what criteria exactly define this genre. The user's post highlights how this concept can be “loaded” and therefore influence the way people vote, making the results a reflection of both personal definitions and popular perceptions of the audience.
Among the most interesting results of the survey was the lack of total consensus on the number of titles that qualify as “harem.” No user voted yes to more than 50 of the 70 anime, reflecting the wide variety of interpretations that exist about the genre. The thread also brought out some unexpected responses, such as upvotes for titles that aren't traditionally considered part of the harem genre, adding more layers to this debate.
The user acknowledged that while the results should not be taken as absolute truth, offer an interesting insight into how the r/anime community perceives the concept of “harem.” The post also invites further discussion on this topic, hoping that the community will share their opinions on how an anime is classified within this genre.
And you, which anime do you consider to be a harem, but others don't agree? (CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE)
- «I'm very curious to know why some people voted no for Date a Live».
- «For those who know, Zetsubou Sensei It's a yes and a no».
- «What I get from this is that we can't agree on what a harem is.».
- «Who the hell voted no for Nijigasaki? It's a show entirely about Yu's harem. Are you blind?».
- «How the hell did so many people vote yes in Demi-chan?».
- «I wonder if people voted more based on the key visual than on the definition itself. A man or woman surrounded by the opposite sex in the image? HAREM!».
- «Cowards! Too many fans are ashamed of what their favorite series is trying to do».
- «I can't believe Fruits Basket is higher than That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Re:Zero».
- «For the people who voted Hibike! like a harem… Why?».
- «The fact that someone voted yes to Nagatoro It confirms to me that some people think that if a guy interacts with more than one woman in an anime, he already has a harem.».
- «Hahaha, people are confused about whether Cross Angel It's either a harem or not. Technically it's “just” a love triangle, although I would argue that there is a third character interested in the protagonist who never had a chance with her.».
- «Basically, this boils down to people who have no idea what a harem is. And also people who voted on shows they clearly haven't seen.».
- «Who the hell thinks that Komi-san is it a fucking harem?».
- «Who voted no in the case of Realist Hero? By the end of the first season, the protagonist has 4 wives, so how is this not 100%? Literal harem short of romcom where it's obvious the protagonist ends up with only one heroine».
- «That Toradora I find it interesting that he is so low, because Ryuji has not one, not two, but three girls interested in him.».
- «There are some cases here where I would say “it depends on the state of the adaptation”, where light novel/manga readers might be able to tell whether or not it ends in polygamy.».
- «How can more than 200 people justify that Realist Hero isn't it a harem when he literally marries 4 women at once?».
- «Harems are complicated. Most of the time, I always see harem as 'one guy and about 3 or more girls have a crush on him' or vice versa. But not all anime fall into that genre, even when it seems like they could.».
- «Toaru is not a harem because Touma is married to Misfortune».
- «All of this confirms that, just like in the isekai survey, people have no idea what a harem is either.».
- «The 15 people who said that Tsuki ga Kirei It's a harem, have you seen? Kanojo-mo-Kanojo too many times».
Fountain: Reddit