Harem (genre)

Harem is a kind of story in Japanese anime and manga where a male character is surrounded and loved by many female characters. Suzuka, Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi, Rosario + Vampire, Highschool DxD and Sekirei are just a few examples. Most of the time the females are romantically interested in the main character. The term "harem" is generally not used by itself, but as an adjective to the genre—such as harem anime or harem manga. The term orginates from the Arabic word "hareem" which literally means women and was also used to refer to one man many women like a sultan hareem.

Daryl Surat, a contributor to Otaku USA, suggests that many harem anime are built around one core fetish (e.g. meido (Hanaukyo Maid Team), meganekko (G-On Riders), lolicon (Rozen Maiden), nuns (Amaenaideyo), large breasts (Eiken)). There are also reverse harem anime in which a female protagonist is surrounded by gorgeous boys: Ouran Host Club and The Wallflower being the best known.

Some recent harem titles have experienced a backlash from some anime fans in the United States, particularly from women, due to recurring usage of female fan service in series with the genre designation, prompting calls of sexism from some viewers. However, this is in spite of portrayals of male sexuality in anime being a fast-growing trend in the U.S.^{[needs citation]}