Let's talk about Light Novel Harems
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@paul-nebeling said in Let's talk about Light Novel Harems:
@terrence Up in the air? Maybe Mixed Bathing. Maybe. Outbreak Company, but that doesn't quite meet the definition of a harem.
Dendrogram. A mixed RL/VR harem in the making?
I actually was about to post about Dendro below that. I'm still on the final chapter of the main story of volume 3, but I get the feeling there are already some gals looking out for our lead. It'd be nice to see them develop, and someone win his heart (go Marie!). Of course, if Dendro "
Outbreak Company is up in the air for the most part? I always just assumed elf-gal maid is just so far above the others. And the best gal is an... unfortunate soul (BL fanatic fujoshi). T.T
Not technically a Harem maybe, but I am interested in "A Sister Is All You Need". I hear it's not a sis-con light novel.... Of course, I've been led astray before with people saying a certain series stopped playing sis-con up as much at a certain point... And then they got married I heard. xD
Mixed Bathing is one of the few where I wouldn't mind the hero ending up with Clena in addition to the main love interest. Anything more than that would be too close to true harem. I'm also interested in the ending of New Life Plus volume 1 which starts to hint at a romance I wouldn't mind shipping!
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@chi-c said in Let's talk about Light Novel Harems:
@shrike_al Except you don't NEED them to all be in love with Hajime for comedy interactions. You don't even need it for dirty jokes. Tio has the exact same jokes as Darkness from KonoSuba, and they manage to do it without an ever expanding harem.
My biggest issue with how things progress in Arifueta is two fold. First, it reflects badly on the characters. People say that "well at least Hajime isn't a clueless harem protag who doesn't realise what's going on" except this makes it WORSE. This makes every single girl terrible, because they are all persistent stalkers who won't give up even when Hajime flat out rejects them hundreds of time. Harems with indecisive MCs have the guy be kind of a wimp and annoying for not making a choice, but in those situations you can sort of understand why the girls keep at it. They all still feel like they have a chance of being "the one". But in this case, when Hajime has flat out said he's in love with Yue and nothing else, then it just makes every other girl seem terrible for throwing themselves at him in that situation.
I mean, I like Shea as a character, but her obsession over Hajime just can't end well. Either she eventually wears Hajime down through attrition, in which case he might sleep with her but he won't ever love her the way he loves Yue, or she just has to finally grow up and give up. The second choice should be the correct one, the one that's actually healthy emotionally. But given that this series is clearly heading for a harem we're going to end up with the first route, which is totally not healthy and a recipe for a messy divorce years down the road.
I don't think the harem dynamic I Arifurita can be separated from what's shaping up to be the major conflict with the mad God that brought them there in the first place.
It is stated that absent Yue, Hajime would have come out of the Labyrinth a complete monster. Just by trying to of collect all the Labyrinths he set himself on a collision course with Ehito.
Without additional ties to the world outside Yue, he could easily become just as bad a calamity as the current jerkgod. -
@terrence
I think BroBear and Marie would make a nice couple. -
@steelblaidd said in Let's talk about Light Novel Harems:
@terrence
I think BroBear and Marie would make a nice couple.I was thinking Marie and Rook if not Ray, though I guess Rook has Babi already too (I wonder if the embryos will grow older with their Masters? Be nice to see an adult succubus Babi). xC
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A general trait that defines a light novel, web novel, manga, or anime as a "harem" is when there are at 3 girls after the main guy. Whether they are actually in love with him or just want to bang him is another story. Another trait is that they often live with or near him.
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@kadmos1 Yup. 3 girls in love with the same guy at the same time. Sorry, but just wanting to bang doesn't count. I also differentiate based on the MC's feelings for the girls over time. No romantic feeling (or very intense feelings) then there's no harem. Unrequited love dosen't count. Being friends doesn't count. MC wanting to maintain a monogamous relationship is generally a harem killer unless the main girl is pushing it. Call that the Arifureta exception. That's why I will never consider SAO to have a harem, but would call what exists in Arifureta a harem.
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@paul-nebeling said in Let's talk about Light Novel Harems:
@kadmos1 MC wanting to maintain a monogamous relationship is generally a harem killer unless the main girl is pushing it. Call that the Arifureta exception. That's why I will never consider SAO to have a harem, but would call what exists in Arifureta a harem.
What do you call those series? I mean, I don't like the ones where they're attracted to the dude purely for comedy's sake, and his dense and / or indifferent attitude means nothing happens, but I still would lump that in with harem.
Maybe call it "harem bait" or something?
It'd be nice to have a Harem where the girls realize they can do better than the MC over time, and leave him behind one by one.
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@rahul-balaggan then I would suggest you not watch the ending of the smartphone anime that has some Ln spoilers.
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@galactuskahn24 way ahead of you, ahead in the sense that I did not watch the anime in fear that they would give some stupid spoilers even though we are super far ahead of wherever the story might have went.
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@rahul-balaggan you did well, I'm glad I had already been reading the WN version as well, I would have raged had I been given that spoiler at the last episode of the anime.
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@terrence There's a lot of harem bait out there. While it would be entertaining to watch the MC get abandoned, I can't see an author writing that kind of a story. Then again, I didn't think I'd see a story where the MC gets murdered then beheaded, and by two different girls, no less.
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Your looking at an Unwanted Harem. Arifurita is a case of a Supporting Harem.
I dont know of any Harems done in by slow attrition but sudden collapses do happen, rarely. -
@paul-nebeling
Agreeed, My point was that "harum@jon-mitchell said in Let's talk about Light Novel Harems:
@terrence
as a hobby, I'm writing a story that play with these themes. MC unintentionally gathers a harem. What do the wives need to do to get to a stable place? what does he need to do to keep everyone happy? (it involves flow charts!) Why does fate keep throwing women at him? He's not a harem seeker, but has a harem- the story begins with the 'marry them all' ending that I wished I saw examined more.Love to read that. There were a number of those on the old Tenchi Muyo Fanfic Archive which got me started.
I just restarted SAO ( due to playing the phone game) and a follow on to There is but One Ultimate Way keeps trying to write itself in my head. As I haven't read the Alicization Arc yet it doesn't get very far. :/
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@steelblaidd said in Let's talk about Light Novel Harems:
@terrence
sudden collapses do happen, rarelyThis is making me want to watch (spoilers from the anime section of that page).
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@paul-nebeling what is this mc gets murdered show called?
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@galactuskahn24 School Days. Based on a Visual Novel of the same name.
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@steelblaidd Ah, tvtropes. The Baskin-Robins of definitions. There's a flavor for everyone.
Seriously though, I'm a little more rigorous with my definition of what is or is not a harem. While I find Infinite Stratos "battle harem" fun to read, I don't consider that a harem. Arifureta only makes the cut after volume 4 because of Yue's attitude. It's kind of like that that famous quote about pornography. I can't exactly say what it is, but I know it when I see it.
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@steelblaidd Don't think we're likely to see that plot.
It will ruin the fantasy that even a boring loser like me can get a girl. After all, that boring loser over there got 5! /sillyIn all seriousness I could see that written for a female audience for comedic value.
"Loser Harem Protag abandoned by his waifu's. Watch to see him panic as they find Princes to marry!/Lead succesful Careers./Do anything other than waste their lives." -
That sounds like the plot to a multi-chapter NTR doujin.
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I got a feeling one of the girls in Realist is going to be that adventurer girl that keeps getting saved by his doll.
