[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by hyl

Interesting claim, any actual numbers how much the foreign consumers are helping with the sales of SAO?

Didn't you just dismiss the foreign audience a few posts back?

You, my friend, were the person to put the emphasis on Japanese otakus. Fair enough. And Japanese otakus apparently have no problem in supporting harem anime (or action-adventure anime with strong harem elements) that have an alpha male lead. The proof is in Sword Art Online.

Now, that doesn't mean that Japanese otakus totally reject the doormat harem anime male leads either. But it does mean that having an alpha male as your harem anime male lead is not necessarily commercial suicide.

In other words, arguing in favor of doormat male leads purely on the basis of economics is a very flimsy argument.

If an alpha male lead can sell just as well as a doormat male lead, then choosing one or the other (or somebody between the two) should rest on something other than economic considerations.

Otherwise you can even call Fate / stay night and Accel World a harem serie.

Fate/Stay Night is an eroge adaptation, isn't it? I mean, the original VN has romance routes in it, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, thanks for providing another example where a tough male lead (say what you will about Shirou, but he's no doormat) sold well in a show with strong harem anime elements.

Personally I think it's popular because of it's own settings and how it's portrayed, not primarily because of the "harem elements"

I don't think that harem anime is popular (when it is popular) just because of its genre. I think it's mainly because of the appeal of its female characters, and maybe the quality of its narrative. The male lead is very much secondary to that, so the decision to go with alpha male or doormat (or something between) is one that's more important at a creative level than at an economic one, imo.

Of course you don't have to be an alpha male to like something, but you can easier relate with someone if they resemble you more.

Well, anime fans (on both sides of the Pacific) don't seem to be having too much trouble identifying with Kirito.