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Harem, hāremumono (ハーレムもの), broadly speaking, is a loose subgenre of anime and manga characterized by a protagonist surrounded, usually amorously, by three or more members of the opposite sex.[1] The most common and practically tantamount scenario is a male surrounded by a group of females; when this is reversed it is informally referred to as a reverse harem gyakuhāremu (逆ハーレム).[2] More recent variants include removing the protagonist's opposing sex to allow for yuri harems and yaoi harems (as with Gakuen Heaven). The term is derived from the Arabic "harem", originally defined as a private sanctum for women where men were forbidden but, modernly defined outside its original meaning as "a group of women associated in any way with one man or household".[3]
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Because romance is rarely the main focus of an entire series, harem structure is ambiguous. The most distinguishable trait is arguably the group of girls who accompany, and in some instances cohabitate with the boy, and while intimacy is just about customary, it is never necessary; when it is present, there must be a minimum of three girls who express it, otherwise two is a love triangle. Additionally, it is not essential for there to be one exclusive boy; many can exist as long as they are given less attention or the story calls for an unusually obscure sex ratio.[1]
Given the archetypical ratio and content of harems,[a] the genre is often criticized in the West for its almost inviting but unnecessary sexual references, known colloquially as fan service. The unrest has been seen particularly in the United States. [4]
Harem is also criticized for often excessive use of clichés and stock characters as well as obvious use of wish-fulfillment fantasies. Common criticisms also stem from the tendency to portray female characters very negatively often having little depth beyond their attachment to the male lead and their tendency towards unnecessary violence and jealousy which is often seen as repetitive and sexist.[5]