Ask John: What Makes a Harem Anime Protagonist Likable?

Question:
Casual observation suggests that among a portion of what may be called the “anime blogging” community, the initial opinion towards “Ladies Versus Butlers,” which was for the most part, negative, underwent an almost complete turnaround as the series progressed. To loosely borrow comments from one such blogger, the change in opinion towards that programme was possibly in no small part due to the presence of what some labelled a “likeable harem lead.”

Notwithstanding whether you have followed “L. vs B.” to any degree, what might you consider to constitute a “likeable harem lead,” and do any particular examples – past or present – come to mind?

Answer:
It may be attributable to the characteristics of the source manga, but I still find it somewhat surprising that my own reaction to XEBEC and director Atsushi Otsuki’s April 2008 harem comedy Kanokon is so opposite of XEBEC and director Atsushi Otsuki’s January 2010 harem comedy Ladies vs Butlers. I thoroughly enjoyed Kanokon while I, seemingly like many viewers, found the first episode of Ladies vs Butlers so artificial and unappealing that it soured all of my interest in watching further episodes. However, it’s not the protagonist that made Kanokon fun. That show benefited from interesting visual design, nice animation, and tremendously fun, appealing female and supporting characters. My immediate reaction to Ladies vs Butlers was that its primary female cast consisted of clichés, practical non-entities, and off-putting irrational, selfish girls prone to thoughtless and selfish behavior. The male protagonist, at least, was neither a lecher-type that enjoyed his surroundings nor a milquetoast that suffered without any dignity. But he still acted in a cliché, reactionary fashion that adhered to typical genre conventions instead of realistic common sense.

That observation suggests certain positive characteristics but still has to be refined in order to be precise and useful. Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi’s Kyon isn’t frequently considered a harem anime protagonist, but he is motivated by common sense and is surrounded by five female characters (Haruhi, Nagato, Mikuru, Tsuruya, “Imouto”). However, despite being rational, Kyon is also frequently narrow-minded, short-sighted, and self-absorbed. Viewers may enjoy watching his plight, but Kyon might not be a boy whom viewers would actually want as a personal friend.

Two male harem protagonists immediately spring to my mind as representatives of characters who are surrounded by women and are also genuinely likable people. Ai Yori Aoshi’s Kaoru Hanabishi is a considerate, selfless, honorable, and loyal young man. Despite being surrounded by a bevy of attractive women, his devotion to Aoi Sakuraba never wavers. Unlike male protagonists in shows like Love Hina, Kanokon, and Amaenaideyo, he’s not a victimized, unassertive character. And unlike male harem protagonists from Kanon, Kore ga Watashi no Goshujin-sama, or Akikan, he’s not self-absorbed. Finally, unlike the male protagonist of shows including Shuffle, Da Capo, and Tayutama, he has enough distinctive personality to be individual and memorable. Kaoru Hanabishi is similar in many respects to Princess Lover’s protagonist Arima Teppei, but Teppei evokes a slightly different impression from viewers. Teppei acts responsibly and with practical, common sense. He doesn’t take advantage of his position or the girls who surround him. However, unlike Kaoru Hanabishi, who exhibits a friendly personality and evokes a friendly reaction, Teppei evokes respect. While still vulnerable to natural male instincts, Teppei is dignified and considerate. He treats the women that surround him as equals rather than personalities to be dealt with, problems to be solved, or prizes to be won. Because he approaches everything with such a rational perspective, he doesn’t seem warm and inviting. Rather, he seems natural and ordinary. So unlike many male harem protagonists, he doesn’t earn derision or disrespect from viewers.

I’m not sure how many anime viewers would actually want ten year-old Negi Springfield as a personal friend, but Negima’s protagonist is another harem character who seems “likable” because he behaves like a rational, normal person rather than acting like a stereotypical harem anime protagonist. Negi is party to the small circle of harem anime men including Taro Hanaukyo and Kouta Oyamada who have had intimate contact with several of the girls in his company, but he never takes advantage of that opportunity. Negi is likable because he’s honest, responsible, and dignified enough to not succumb to allowing unpleasant or negative personality traits to surface in his unusual situation. Like other “likable” harem anime protagonists, Negi takes his situation and position in stride and handles himself reasonably and respectably; he doesn’t take advantage of the girls, nor does he unconsciously mistreat or act coldly toward them. He, like Kaoru Hanabishi and Arima Teppei, behaves in his situation the way average American young men would hope they’d act in the same situation.

Characters like Mayoi Neko Overrun’s Takumi Tsuzuki and Junichi Tachibana of Amagami SS practically have no personality. They exist to serve as place-holders for the viewer to envision himself. Characters like Yukito Kunisaki from Air and Yuichi Aizawa of Kanon are too preoccupied with themselves and their own goals to be entirely likable. Tenchi Masaki of Tenchi Muyo and Keitaro Urashima of Love Hina represent the stereotypical Japanese otaku who dreams of being the center of girls’ attention but doesn’t have the outgoing personality to engage girls in real life. Characters like Kore ga Watashi no Goshujin-sama’s Yoshitaka Nakabayashi and Girls Bravo’s Yukinari Sasaki are joke characters that viewers aren’t supposed to take seriously. The likable male leads of harem anime are those whom viewers wouldn’t mind having as real life friends, characters who think and act rationally, characters who accept and deal with their harem situations considerately without succumbing to instinctively selfish or inconsiderate thoughts and behavior. I should point out, though, that there’s nothing innately wrong with other types of harem anime protagonists. As aforementioned, harem anime protagonists have their own purposes, and those purposes are not always the same. Not ever harem anime protagonist is “likable,” nor does every harem anime protagonist need to be “likable.” In fact, shows like Kore ga Watashi no Goshujin-sama work specifically because the male protagonist isn’t likable.