Is AMG harem anime?

[saravis]

I apologize for the misunderstanding, but I wasn't using dictionary.com as a means to define Harem Anime, but merely as a means to define Harem, as a means to make a point. Harem Anime is derived from the term Harem, so obviously there is some similarity. Here let me put it this way: Harem Anime: An anime where an individual has multiple potential love interests, where the possibility of different routes of affection is presented. There that's better. I don't really think that it has anything to do with them being together because if that's the case then why is Onegai Teacher Harem Anime; he doesn't live with all of the interests. And I feel it doesn't have anything to with if the viewer is interested in who is living with him because that kind of takes the meaning out of what a genre is: a means to define the subject of the story(not the viewer's feelings towards the characters) Besides it's a little difficult to subject something when the subject is too varied and people's interests are definitely varied. What it comes down to once again is this who else is he interested in, who else could he potentially have affection towards?

[Mephisto2k]

I dont quite agree with you harem anime defenition. What harem anime defines in not the main character having (potential) love interest in multiple girls (because there are also looser character who just have unrequitted love feelings for many girls), but its about multiple girls having love affection for the main character. The main character doesnt have to have feeling for all of those girls in return. Sometimes the maincharacter is uncertain and could possibly end up with everyone of them. Sometimes the maincharacter just ignores the feelings of one or two girls who have feeling for him (like the girl-type thats shy and only watches form afar, or the girl-type that is only considered friend and the maincharacter fails to see her feelings). Sometimes only one girl is given a special role and it is predictable for her to end up with the maincharacter right from the beginning, while the other girls can still have slight chances (lovehina, Amaenaideyo, ...) or they are rarely given any chances or love interest by the maincharacter except for short perieods/episodes to bring up the jealosy-theme (>>ah my goddess<<).
There is a lanrge variety of harem animes and sometimes its hard to say if they are harem or just romance like with AMG, He Is My Master and Suzumiya Haruhi, but as for me im pretty sure AMG is harem.
Dont forget that harem isnt about the maicharacters feelings about the girls, but about the girls feelings about the maincharacter, which give him the theoretical chance to choose; In the datingsimgame adaptation ToHeart1 the maincharacter didnt show any sign of love for any of the girls untill the very end of the last episode, and its obviously a harem show because its story is taken from a eroge.

[saravis]

Your absolutely right mephisto in Harem Anime like Girl's Bravo the boy doesn't return what the girls feel towards him. I guess I still didn't word myself well enough. Oh well never really been very conversational. Anyway, I have to ask then who else is interested in him besides Belldandy?

[Spawnblade]

Originally Posted by Imion

Actualy even Skuld thinks that way, at least in the further development of the storyline.
She just doesn't like the fact, that her sister may be... err... occupied with something else than herself. She's a bit selfish in that point.

Skuld does indeed like Keichii, as is seen in one of the last episodes of the first series... where she becomes older for a day and ends up falling in love with Keichii, she doesn't tell him though, and afterwards pretends to go back to her old self, but keeps a picture of her/him pretending to be a married couple when they were on their date.

[saravis]

There was no pretending she did go back to her old self. Your right about her having the picture in her room, but that was before Urd pulled her little stunt at the end. Urd knew of Skuld's feelings, but she also knew that those feelings were misplaced and misunderstood. Skuld really wasn't in love with Keichi she was just having her first feeling, like a first crush you know. Not really love, it was just the first time she was exploring that side of herself, but as I said that all went to the waste side at the end when she went back to being typical Skuld. She probably threw away the picture after that episode.

[Samatarou]

The way I see it, harem is about the offering up of girls to the viewer with the wimpy male character as a Bobby Sue type figure, so regardless of the characters' relationships in the actual story I would call AMG a harem show, you only have to look around the fansites to see the "romantic" interest that viewers have in all of the various female characters - let's face it you have the classic harem lineup to cater to all otaku fetishes: nice girl; sex siren; loli; kid sister; studious girl-with-glasses; devil woman... all we need to add is a maid (maybe there is one, i haven't watched the recent series...)

[Spectacular_Insanity]

AMG is definitely not harem anime. K1 is only interested in Bell (as far as I know!).

Off the topic, but a good example of harem anime might be Ai Yori Aoshi in the loosest terms, which is a series I'm currently watching. But that's up for debate. PM me if you want to discuss it.

[ashwell]

ya it obviously is, what else can one say about them? Now the main talking point is anything that is related to harem should mean exciting things in store. When here we are having so much problems even to tackle a single person , I wonder how people of the previous days managed to maintain it? Any ideas about that?

[dolphin]

I dont think it is harem.. He should have more girls ... Thats my opinion..

[Raniie]

I'll go with the check format as well.

1. A Male Lead having very little experience and/or troubles with the opposite sex. - Checked!
2. The Male Lead having strong interest in being with the opposite sex. - Checked!
3. Many female characters surrounding or living near/with the male lead. - Checked!
4. The females having varying degrees of affection toward the male lead - Checked!
5. Affections for REALLY NO REASONS or a really insubstantial explaination of the reason! - Checked!
   (They like/love him just because he's a really nice guy or feeling sorry for him!)
6. Affections from lovely dovely to angst and ressentiment. - Checked!
7. Forbidden seduction / ecchi / sexual connotations expressed in the series. - Checked!

I'd say A!MG TV series is past the boardline of being Harem. There are just too many elements in the TV series that can lead it toward that direction. Now, if we look back at the A!MG OVA series or the Movie, that isn't harem at all. The OVA is truly more of a Romance / Fantasy / Love story, imo. The TV series however, is slapped with too many elements that can relate it to the harem genre. I'd classify A!MG TV as: Slice of Life, Fantasy/Supernatural/Magic, Ecchi, Comedy, and Harem.

But I won't cast my vote, since not the entire AMG series is harem.

[Js2756]

It depends on your definition of harem. If the girls have to show sustained romantic interest, then no, AMG is not a harem anime. If it's just they have to show romantic interest at one point or another, then yes. The big difference is that most of the females don't have sustained romantic interest in Keiichi, the only one is Belldandy. Urd is playful, but isn't interested in a romantic relationship. Any potential romantic interest on Skuld's part is dead due to Sentaro. Peorth has completely given up. Sayoko is the only other female aside from Belldandy to actually maintain romantic interest, but she hasn't been seen in ages.

Generally speaking, a harem anime usually requires at least 3 girls with sustained romantic interest in the show, and usually it has to be concurrent romantic interest.

[EphemeralDream]

If you look at it with a microscope, I guess you could say it's a harem anime. I'm sure there are plenty of definitions of what a Harem anime is and i'm sure they're all just as right. In all honesty, if it is a harem anime it's at an extremely shallow level to the point of one not even noticing it's harem. I consider it more of a Magical Girlfriend kinda anime, but maybe that's just me :P

[Demongod86]

Absolutely not. K1 likes Bell, and Bell makes everyone else look like a bad choice aside from Lacus Clyne if she were in AMG. (At which point Lacus only need to go blonde and then you'd have twins with Bell/Lacus).

[Subaru Lover]

My definition of a harem anime is where there is typically only one male lead character and the rest are female. Regardless of how long interests b/w one of the females and the main male have shown themselves or if they are already declared a couple or not. If the guy has more then 3 girls, it's a harem, however plain it may be. But hey, we're all entitled to our opinions, no one is clearly right or wrong.

[mdauben]

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

AMG is definitely not harem anime. K1 is only interested in Bell (as far as I know!).

Off the topic, but a good example of harem anime might be Ai Yori Aoshi in the loosest terms, which is a series I'm currently watching. But that's up for debate. PM me if you want to discuss it.

I find this kind of interesting, AMG is not a harem anime because Keichi is only interested romantically in Belldandy. However, Ai Yori Aoish is a harem, even though Kaoru and Aoi are betrothed before the series even starts, and he is never interested in any of the other female characters over her? (Whether they are interested in him is another issue).

I guess it really comes down to exactly how you define "harem anime". To me, it's a romantic comedy sub-genre where one guy is surrounded by multiple female characters, some or all of whom are romantically interested in him. Under that definition, I think AMG qualifies, as Keichi is certainly surrounded by female characters, and several of them (in addition to Bell) are romatically interested in him. At least to some degree, or at some point in the story.

At least, that's my 2¢ on the subject.

[Kleo Scanti]

I'd say it's Harem-ish. While some things qualify for a harem (male lead who is nothing special but an ordinary nice guy, a lot of beautiful and totally different females around him), at the same time our male lead is not interested in other girls at all. Usually in a "classical" harem the main character initially doesn't know whom he likes more, and he has to choose.

The best example of a harem anime which comes to my mind is Zero no Tsukaima.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by mdauben

I find this kind of interesting, AMG is not a harem anime because Keichi is only interested romantically in Belldandy. However, Ai Yori Aoish is a harem, even though Kaoru and Aoi are betrothed before the series even starts, and he is never interested in any of the other female characters over her? (Whether they are interested in him is another issue).

I guess it really comes down to exactly how you define "harem anime". To me, it's a romantic comedy sub-genre where one guy is surrounded by multiple female characters, some or all of whom are romantically interested in him. Under that definition, I think AMG qualifies, as Keichi is certainly surrounded by female characters, and several of them (in addition to Bell) are romatically interested in him. At least to some degree, or at some point in the story.

At least, that's my 2¢ on the subject.

Well, to be honest my opinion has changed about Ai Yori Aoshi. I retract all my statements about Ai Yori Aoshi being a harem anime. There are a lot of animes that are though.

[ReverseSide]

Personally, I feel that A!MG is not a harem anime. After all, was Keichii x Belldandy's relationship ever in doubt? Throughout the entire anime I never once felt that anyone, other than Belldandy (and Skuld in ep.26) felt anything for K1 romantically. Everyone, if they ever try to get Keichii, just wants him for some superficial reason.

But that's just my opinion.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by ReverseSide

Personally, I feel that A!MG is not a harem anime. After all, was Keichii x Belldandy's relationship ever in doubt? Throughout the entire anime I never once felt that anyone, other than Belldandy (and Skuld in ep.26) felt anything for K1 romantically. Everyone, if they ever try to get Keichii, just wants him for some superficial reason.

But that's just my opinion.

Well, MAAAAYBE at a point or two, when they (enter spoilers for season 2).

[Mushi]

Single male living under the same roof with numerous females = harem anime, IMHO.

I suppose you could get picky about the romance angle and who has feelings for who, but Keiichi has to deal with the awkwardness of multiple female personalities in close proximity. That, to me, is a harem "theme," if nothing else.