If harem series make me sleep, reverse harems ensure I have nightmares while asleep.
I first heard the term being used in Ouran High School Host Club, when Kirimi called the club a “reverse harem”. So what’s a reverse harem? Basically, it’s a male harem, filled with tons of bishonen and a female lead who seems to always need protection for running into trouble. In short, fanservice for female fans.
My first experience with reverse harems began around 6 years ago, when I saw an imported DVD package for this pretty series named Fushigi Yuugi. Lured by the cover, I bought all 52 episodes, and the OVAs. The watching experience was painful, with Miaka reaching the female equivalent of Shinji from NGE, aided by the unbelievably slow pacing of the series. However, much as most people these days bash the series for the Miaka-Tamahome annoyance (All together now: “Miaka!” “Tamahome!” “Miaka!” “Tamahome!” “MIAKA!” “TAMAHOME!”), this series was extremely popular back then, only for all the handsome and amazing bishonen.
From there, I went on to watch Fushigi Yuugi ripoffs like Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, and not to forget La Corda D’Oro ~primo passo~, Pretear, Hanasakeru Seishonen and Angelique. All of them have this one thing in common: Who needs plot when you have lotz of bishonen to ogle over?
I would highly recommend Ouran High School Host Club as a male harem series, except that I see it as more of a high school love comedy. Haruhi, a poor scholar in the academy for the kids of nation’s richest people, finds herself crossdressing as a host in the school’s host club. Produced by BONES, the animation is pretty, the story light-hearted, hilarious yet sweet, and the characters HOT. A must-watch for guys and girls alike.
Saiunkoku Monogatari is another series I absolutely enjoy. In an ancient China setting, when males dominate the country and females are supposed to remain at home, Shuurei, the daughter of an impoverished aristocrat, aims to be the first female court official. She is a kind and lovable girl who is extremely determined and stubborn in achieving her dreams, refusing to let setbacks deter her from becoming an official. The characters are well-developed, though the pacing might be slightly slow at times. Produced by Madhouse, the animation is girlish and pretty, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the series is superficial, as the plot becomes deep and complex, exploring issues like government politics and social classes.
The most unique reverse harem I have watched would definitely be Kyou Kara Maou. Yuri is suddenly whisked off to an alternate world, crowned king of the nation, and is surrounded by numerous handsome subjects who have feelings for Yuri. The twist however, is that Yuri is a guy himself, despite being engaged to another male upon his arrival in the alternate world. To summarise, it’s a reverse harem and yaoi mixture. The characters are fun and wacky, the plot mostly brainless and light-hearted, except when it finally decides to have a proper storyline. The only issue I have with the series is Yuri himself. He is an idealist, forever advocating peace, love and justice without sacrifices. Since he has the power to destroy anything when in his Maou mode, he is usually able to stop any conflicts. His sincerity and dreams also touch the hearts of his enemies and they mostly side with him after that. Personally, I find the idea of “peace, love and justice without sacrifices” extremely annoying, naive and impractical, and I would rather be off watching Lelouch in Code Geass.
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