What is Romance? What is Harem? Is there any romance in harem? Is harem include romance inside the relationship?
Is Harem a Romance or Not?
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Harem, don't let others fool you into believing it's a unique custom or something. At this point, Harem has devolved into a stupid attempt for wish-fulfillment. It's not romance, there's not an ounce of romance in these novels at all, which isn't a surprise for Chinese novels where everything is mostly below below sub-par. If you consider a '10,000' year old man falling in love with a little girl at first sight, then all Chinese novels are extremely good at romance.
Hard to define, whereby mostly no. What's the number? 3? 4? If you make it a struggle of love triangle(?) it is considered romance somewhat. In the case of xxxxia, nah, it just collecting female plot driver.
Misguided_Rooster
Like those people who had harems (IRL) weren't doing it for the random wish fulfilment factor? Of course, there was also the ties into every noble family factor too, but enough emperors became sex addicts etc due to a harem.
Daoist_Zheng
Yes, in case of most books harem is there just to increase numbers. However, I think it's because, me included, many authors didn't actually get what harem would produce in a book. So we diluted the meaning of harem to be a useless point in our books.
AzElySia
To op's question. Yes, harem is romance, but like all romance, it should have more visible drawbacks/hardships, at least go to the very deep of romance(harem needs depth!).
Harem as romance will fail if the author makes it nothing more than a pokemon collection/sidequest. I think in the case where it comes more of a personal moral question, or it is tied to the setting will it be justified.
What I'm trying to say is that we have so many harem books going about it too lightly has made it become like this. Women are little less than plot points and will after getting together with Mc do nothing but support them with all of their heart, as if they don't have any other ambition anymore.
Yes, this is an instant gratification problem (and we can't see that a well-developed romance will bring more of a kicker)
Yes, this is a problem in writing side characters feel more of their own character.
f1n I'm not talking about IRL. I've not read a novel nor do I wish to, where harem is done for any purpose other than wish fulfillment. It's hot garbage, does absolutely nothing for a novel except ruin it, and is completely unneeded.
Misguided_Rooster Then you should read "Tales of the reincarnated Lord" where the members of the MC's harem just want into the safety net he provides and into the power that comes with the position.
Romance isn't necessarily the Disney movie kind.
I can think "Age of adepts" as well as "Warlock of the Magus World" where the harem members are more like partners rather than flesh toys.
There should be more i'm forgetting about
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True, most harem novels are terrible, with the smut being number 1 priority, but you can't rule out the possibility that there are hidden gems out there. In addition, you can diss harem, but don't diss Chinese novels. Not all Chinese novels contain Harem. Also, over 2/3rds of the translated novels on Webnovel are Chinese web novels taken from Qidian. The fact that so many people read these web novels, myself included, bears testament that everything is not mostly "below sub-par."
If u want to read and know what true harem stories should be like. Go and read transcending the nine heavens and Martial universe.
Even though the MC loved a single girl and dedicated towards her. They fell into love with other girls.
After all, you can't just turn your face from a girl who almost sacrificed her everything for you. And slowly those feeling turns into love.
I have never experienced love. But I think even if something like this happens in real life.
People might get confused.
AzElySia No, there isn't romance in a harem, it is simply a wish fullfillment to show how much manly is the mc and how many girls he can sweep off their feet without a single good reason. Harems is in real life are no romance, there is no love, just people obliged to be part of the harem and one who possesses them as if they were just objects.
Romance would be a tale where there are people who really fall in love/love each other and face problems to be together, more or less.
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scarlett1414 i know a family commune of some really rich people with 2 men and 4 women. They call it a harem...
There are 5 kids registered to the "main couple" but i got no idea of who's the father
Harem can be romance if there is significant chaps spent on development of the relationship of a girl and the mc. If the mc is collecting women like Pokemon, then it gets stale.
I don't get the complaints about wish fulfillment. Romance is wish fulfillment. Regardless if it's one on one or a harem.