A few posts ago when I claimed that Asu no Yoichi is the best harem anime ever, various commenters contended that the following were better:
- Clannad
- Kanon
- Suzuka
- Ranma 1/2
- High School of the Dead
I cannot agree, not because these shows are (all) bad, but because they’re not harems (with the possible exception of High School of the Dead, which I haven’t read).
- Clannad: fails the simultaneity requirement
- Kanon: fails the simultaneity requirement
- Suzuka: fails the multiplicity requirement
- Ranma 1/2: fails the fixation requirement
In fact, of all the anime I’ve seen, these are the only ones I consider true harems:
- Asu no Yoichi
- Da Capo
- Futakoi
- Ichigo 100%
- Kage Kara Mamoru
- Love Hina
- Negima
- Shuffle
- Tenchi Muyo
- To Love-Ru
All of a sudden it’s not so shocking to claim that Asu no Yoichi the best. I have a strict, classical view of the harem anime—the only view that makes any sense. If you think a harem requires nothing more than at least three girls chasing one guy, you’re missing the point. A harem is much more than a three-girl quota; several additional conditions must be met. Today we’ll be discussing:
The Simultaneity Requirement
Why is the harem so alluring? Because you get to do multiple girls at the same time. Running off with each girl one at a time defeats the purpose of having a harem and makes you gay. Hence, shows like Clannad and Kanon are disqualified.
Kyou: Hi!
Tomoya: Who are you?
Kyou: I’m that girl who threw a book at you in the first episode.
Tomoya: Oh yeah…so what do you want? I’m busy gardening with Kotomi.
Kyou: Wouldn’t you rather hang out with both of us at the same time, like in a harem?
Tomoya: No.
It’s fine to shift the focus from one girl to another throughout the show, but when you completely ignore the rest of the girls for stretches of episodes while doing so—save a handful of token appearances—you’re no longer in harem country. As of today, visual novel adaptations that follow each girl route-by-route officially have their own genre.
Speaking of Clannad, Kyou’s Chapter was surprisingly watchable (despite the sappiness and clichés). I shall list its improvements over the original story in increasing order of importance:
5. No Nagisa
4. No Robots with Feelings
3. No Fuuko
2. No Magical Fuuko
1. Sunohara was actually a likeable character (I can’t believe it either)