Ask John: Are There Any “Reverse Harem” Shows?

Question:
While everyone knows about the old anime plotline of many girls living with one guy (Tenchi Muyo, Love Hina, Ai Yori Aoshi), have there ever been series where it was the other way around: many guys living with one girl? The only example that comes to mind for me is Fushigi Yugi. Have there been others?

Answer:
Although there isn’t a specific name for the common subgenre of “one guy among many girls” anime shows, these types of anime are commonly known among English speaking fans as “harem shows.” Arguments of sexism and good taste set aside, there are examples of “reverse harem” anime and anime characters, but their variety is a bit more diverse than the typical entry in the one-guy-many-girls anime genre. The most likely explanation is simply that Japanese female viewers aren’t interested in stories about women with a harem of men at their fingertips, as virtually every show that fits this description is primarily a show for male viewers attempting to turn convention upside down.

Fushigi Yuugi and its clone Harukanaru Toki no Naka De both tell the story of a contemporary Japanese teenage girl whisked away to an ancient Asian land where she is respected and protected by a small legion of attractive males. Both of these anime series seemingly parallel male wish fulfillment fantasy shows like Tenchi Muyo and Love Hina, but there’s a singular difference between the Fushigi Yuugi and Harukanaru Toki no Naka De and titles like Love Hina and Tenchi Muyo and Ai Yori Aoshi. The difference is shoujo versus shonen style. Both Fushigi Yuugi and Harukanaru are shoujo series focusing on emotionality, sentimentality, and romance. Tenchi Muyo and its kin contain elements of sitcom and slapstick and gratuitous nudity for the purpose of titillating male viewers. So while Fushigi Yuugi and Harukanaru Toki no Naka De technically fit the bill as “harem shows,” their priorities and storytelling style are much different from similar shows designed for male viewers.

Arguably the earliest “reverse harem” show may be the 1984 magical girl TV series Mahou no Yousei Pelsia in which the 11 year old Pelsia lived with her two adopted older brothers. While the older brothers treated Pelsia like a little sister, her attraction to them seemed to be a bit more devoted. But the focus of Magical Fairy Pelsia was transforming magical girl adventures in daily life, not romantic situation comedy between the primary three characters.

The 1992 Princess Army OAV series relayed the story of the single teen girl member of a school’s judo club. But while she was adored by all of the boys, only two young men directly dueled for her heart, making the show technically a single girl among many men, but practically just a romantic triangle story.

The Fruits Basket TV series from 2001 is probably the best, and perhaps only, ideal representation of a true “reverse harem show.” Fruits Basket was a shoujo styled entry in the Tenchi Muyo genre that placed a single teen girl in a household full of men, even emulating Tenchi Muyo’s “secret” trademark. In Tenchi Muyo, the predominant females were all space aliens. In Fruits Basket the predominant males are all cursed with shape shifting.

While they aren’t full series devoted to the theme of a single young woman surrounded by men, there are a number of singular character examples worthy of mention. Princess Elle from the 1983 first Urusei Yatsura motion picture literally had a harem of young men in frozen storage. The ambitious sorceress in Bakuretsu Hunter TV episode 2 uses magic to surround herself with beautiful men. And Ryuka from the 2001 Hanaukyo Maid Tai TV series uses her vast wealth to employ an army of bishonen bodyguards.