Reverse harems, if presented well, can be very popular and entertaining. One such example is Uta no Prince-sama, whose popularity has been so high that a second season and third season have been aired. Personally, I’ve only watched season 1. I would have been able to watch season 2 if it wasn’t for one of my friends who pointed out the cheesy dance moves and the ridiculousness of six guys liking one girl. (Seriously, I was actually fine with it before she told me that!) It’s funny how usual dramas and anime sometimes feature love triangles, but for Uta no Prince-sama Magi Love 1000%, there was a love heptagon. As if that wasn’t enough, the cat turned into a guy and it became a love octagon.
This post isn’t supposed to be a rant about Utapri, so I’ll stop with the criticism. It’s not that bad as it might appear in my writing. I know that the above points can be argued as I don’t like reverse harems in general. However, there are parts that I enjoy. There is a reason I completed watching season 1. If it really was terrible, I would have dropped it. I liked the songs in Utapri, especially the opening song, Orpheus. Other insert songs like Mirai Chizu and Nanairo no Compass are nice as well. I felt that the countdown part of the ending song was cheesy but hilarious. That’s the reason my friends and I used to sing it again and again, probably driving our other classmates crazy since they had no idea what we were singing. It was so fun. Also, there were funny moments in the anime like episode 6 where Syo tried to overcome his fear of heights so he could get the role he wanted, only to find out in the end that the role was being the main character’s little sister.
Final verdict: Hit
By the way, the one in pink is also one of the brothers.
Here’s an example of a reverse harem that is completely ridiculous. Brothers Conflict involves a girl moving in to live with her thirteen stepbrothers. That’s right. 13. That is no typo. When I was reading the synopsis, I initially thought it was a typo and it should have been 3 instead. But no. When I scrolled down, there really were 13 names. Who would have thirteen children now (if we consider developed countries) and even if one does have thirteen children, what are the chances of all of them being sons? BroCon makes Utapri look so realistic in comparison, other than having a cat transform into a guy. On a side note, if the insanity of all thirteen brothers liking their new stepsister isn’t enough, let’s add in a talking squirrel. Let me rant about how much I detest that annoying brat. It humiliates all the adorable squirrels in the world! Why is it even in the anime? Sheesh.
The reason I decided to try watching Brothers Conflict was a meme I saw on Facebook. It was a scene in episode two, where Yuusuke said, “Just when I started liking someone, she became my stepsister.” It made me think that the anime was only about the two of them so it seemed very interesting. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the most ridiculous reverse harem I’ve watched. I dropped it after three episodes. One reason being I seriously wanted to strangle the squirrel, and the other being the fact that I could not stand the whole anime anymore.
Final verdict: Miss
Is it just me or do they look very creepy here?
So yeah, why did I watch this again? Oh right, because of the animation. Compared to Brothers Conflict, Amnesia had better animation and fewer guys. The plot, however, was pretty jumbled up. The main character has amnesia but doesn’t tell anyone. Sometimes, she gets random visions when parts of her memories come back. I gave up after three episodes. To be honest I was getting fed up with their eyes. They have the oddest eye colours. It can’t be seen in the picture above, but in the anime, their eyes aren’t, for example, simply blue. It’s blue mixed with pink. My eyes hurt just looking at them, so I gave up on the whole series. Also, the amnesia thing was getting annoying.
Final verdict: Miss
I’ve posted my first impressions on Kamigami no Asobi before, which you can read here. To sum it up, Kamigami no Asobi has succeeded in creating a strong main female character unlike many others. Yui is not weak and has an actual personality. She is not submissive to others and has the courage to raise her own opinions and discontent. That is what I really like about Kamigami no Asobi. However, a reverse harem will always be a reverse harem, and this is where my dissatisfaction starts. I find it ridiculous that flowery backgrounds appear every single time a new male character is introduced. I couldn’t stand it, which is why I’ve only watched one episode of this.
Final verdict: Miss
To end off with a more positive note, here’s a great reverse harem that you should watch. Ouran High School Host Club is more natural, in a sense. Unlike some others, especially those adapted from otome games, the main character isn’t some expressionless person. Now that I think about it, that’s what I hated about the main characters in Brothers Conflict and Amnesia. They were totally expressionless! Besides, I have no idea what they even did that made all the guys like them. At least Haruka from Utapri had talent! Back to Ouran, Haruhi is forced to join the host club to pay her debts for breaking an antique vase. The reason why I really like it is because of its comedy. I was so focused on its comedy that I never realised it was actually a reverse harem at first. Interesting characters, wonderful plot. I have no complaints for Ouran High School Host Club.
Final verdict: Hit
The above are all my opinions. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts with me!
P.S. I wrote this post in 2014, but I have no idea why I haven’t posted it yet.
Otaku Daydreams 