10 Problematic Harem Anime You Should Avoid at All Costs?

At the end of April, CBR published an article that recently reached the Japanese internet. Its title is: “10 Problematic Harem Anime You Should Avoid at All Costs.” In the introduction, they say these anime feature “lazy writing” and “uncomfortable fanservice” that make them difficult to watch.

I don’t need to mention that many people in the West saw this “article” as pure clickbait to generate views, but seeing some Japanese reactions worried me, because some believe this truly reflects all Western tastes.

But first, let’s see which harem anime they labeled as “problematic.”

10 Problematic Harem Anime You Should Avoid at All Costs?

The anime mentioned are:

Yosuga no Sora

They claim Yosuga no Sora only aims to shock viewers with “disturbing” themes and lacks sensitivity in its story. Yet Yosuga no Sora is still remembered as a “classic.”

The World God Only Knows (Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai)

This series follows a boy addicted to dating sims who ends up having to win over real girls to save them.
CBR argues that the anime treats the girls like “prizes” to be collected, since the protagonist wins a girl’s heart, makes her fall for him, and then leaves.

To Love Ru

This famous series is criticized for its endless ecchi situations where Rito slips and lands in near-adult situations with girls. CBR sees the constant fanservice as replacing any real story.
Personally, I had a lot of fun reading To Love Ru and enjoyed the ecchi scenes.

Infinite Stratos

A single boy can pilot a combat weapon meant only for girls, so he’s sent to a school full of them. CBR lists issues such as:

• The sci-fi is underused
• The girls are shallow
• A “missed opportunity” overall
• Action isn’t exciting
• Comedy isn’t funny
• Romance is unconvincing

High School DxD

For CBR, this is practically the definition of a “problematic harem.” They complain that the female characters are “eye candy with little depth,” openly criticizing the fanservice and jokes.

Tenchi Muyo

I’ve never watched Tenchi Muyo and didn’t even realize it was a harem. CBR’s problem lies with the protagonist, calling him too passive to justify the girls fighting over him. They conclude it represents everything frustrating about the harem genre.

Rosario + Vampire

A fun anime about a normal boy who ends up at a monster school where girls fall for him. CBR complains it prioritizes fanservice over “supernatural action with romance,” weakening the story.

Negima

Considered disturbing because it puts a 10-year-old boy among older female classmates, then begins the harem. CBR also says the girls lack meaningful development and exist only for jokes or as romantic rivals.

Maken-Ki

CBR calls its jokes “terribly embarrassing” and says it shows too much “sexual violence,” with female characters constantly humiliated or threatened, all for humor. They also find the battles disappointing and the writing poor.

Monster Musume

The final target of criticism. CBR argues it’s overly fetishistic—each girl representing a different fetish. Even though they admit it’s “creative and diverse,” they say it’s all just fetish and view its popularity as “disappointing,” an example of everything wrong with fanservice.

Japanese Reactions

What did Japanese fans think of this list? Here are some of their comments:

• “If you showed this person a huge cleavage, they’d die of shock.”
• “With today’s values, harems are tough.”
• “The World God Only Knows is really good, right?”
• “This guy probably never watched it.”
• “Is Yosuga no Sora even a harem?”
• “Princess Connect is allowed then.”
• “Saekano was accepted.”
• “Accel World is the only choice.”
• “Wasn’t there a harem anime with about 100 girls? That one’s fine?”
• “I hate protagonists who treat girls as prizes but like it when they end up with several.”
• “Only new stuff here.”
• “This writer is an old man.”
• “Was Heaven’s Lost Property forgiven?”
• “Bet they only saw season 1 of The World God Only Knows. If they’d seen season 3 or read the final manga volume, they wouldn’t say this.”
• “Are Narou works accepted? What era is this list from?”
• “This reporter loves anime too much, lol.”
• “This is just a list of bad anime.”
• “Negima’s author took it in a weird direction.”
• “Only Tenchi Muyo is old.”
• “You’re taking this too seriously. If it’s just for some spice, who cares.”
• “Laughing while reading this.”
• “Impressive that they even know Tenchi Muyo.”
• “Yosuga no Sora isn’t harem, it’s an eroge.”
• “If you watched The World God Only Knows to the end and still think this, better not watch anime at all.”
• “This selection of older anime is spot-on.”
• “Back then, Tokyo’s youth ordinance said Yosuga was okay.”
• “This kind of work has declined; now only Narou does harems.”
• “Did they even watch it?”
• “The tough part of Tenchi Muyo isn’t the harem, it’s keeping up with all the related works. Without that, in seasons 4 and 5 you don’t even know who’s who.”
• “They even evaluated Negima, lol. I get it.”
• “I don’t know most of these anime, lol.”
• “But foreigners like Takopi, right? Not a good reference.”
• “Maybe the issue is it’s between different sexes?”
• “Yosuga no Sora keeps being remembered.”
• “There’s nothing quite like Yosuga.”
• “As a kid I thought erotic rom-coms were silly and didn’t read Negima, but I did as an adult. Not every boy jumps to erotic stuff.”
• “And Rosario + Vampire—what do manga fans think?”
• “Negima had so much potential but became an uncomfortable harem. That’s true.”

Westerners, on the other hand, didn’t take the article well and complained a lot. My opinion: sure, anyone can dislike a particular anime, but I believe there should be anime of every type. If authors want to create stories like these, they should feel free.