There are different anime genres and subgenres that cater to fans of different tastes and preferences. For decades, harem anime were the most popular, with tons of titles being released each year. Most of these series weren't doing much that was interesting, instead favoring safe, formulaic stories that served as decent enough rom-coms with some heavy wish-fulfillment.
The 2000s were a great time to be a harem anime fan. It contained some of the most famous titles the genre had to offer. But some were decent enough, others just weren't worth the time. Whether it's bad adaptations or just bad, old stories, these stand out as the most unexpected harem anime of the 2000s.
Every 2000s Pokemon movie, ranked from worst to best
Since 1998, fans have been treated to 23 animated Pokemon movies, and those released in the 2000s remain the community's most beloved.
strawberry 100%
Mizuki Kawashita's Strawberry 100% manga is well respected by fans of the harem genre, with Kawashita's distinct art style standing out as one of the main selling points. While a fun read for manga fans, Madhouse's 2005 adaptation isn't really worth watching.
The series relies on harem/echhi tropes prevalent in many of the genres, and the anime ramps up these elements in ways that are often distracting. It's a short 12-episode adaptation, and so it doesn't really have great pacing and can't give the story and characters the development they need. If you're really interested in judging the series for yourself and are drawn to Kawashita's art, the manga is the best way to go.
In the heart: Remember my memories
Many harem anime are adapted from dating sims. to the heart One of the many Harem VN adaptations that fails to really make much of an impact, instead getting lost in a sea of similar content that all kind of looks and feels the same. Remember my memories It is the sequel of 1999 to the heartGiving fans of the series an anime original story that failed to really stand out.
Remember my memories Set a year after the end of the original series, many of the original series have disappeared and returned having lost their memories. It's a pretty clichéd setup, and the series doesn't do anything interesting with it. What's worse is that the 2004 series looks and feels cheaper than the first season. When it comes down to it, Remember my memories Just not worth the time.
_ Summer
Another dating sim customization, _ Summer A beautiful unforgettable series. Adapted into two 30-minute OVAs, _ Summer Doesn't really feel like a finished product. Fans often say that anime adaptations are made more as advertisements for the source material than their own thing, and while that may be a cynical way to look at it, it's 100% true in this case.
The series follows protagonist Kaizu Takumi, who sets out to find himself a girlfriend during his summer break. It's a really basic, boring setup for a romance story that doesn't offer anything interesting. A childhood friend's love interest (surprise, surprise), for its lead actor's painfully simple inspiration, _ Summer Unmatched in every way.
Aiken
If you want an example of low-quality, low-effort harem anime to avoid, Aiken Should be at the top of your list. Some series are just average time wasters that offer nothing but overused tropes and cliché setups. It's nice to enjoy those kinds of series, though Aiken One of those rare anime that is offensively bad.
Rearrange the covers into the correct Japanese release order.
get started
Rearrange the covers into the correct Japanese release order.
Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)
Another OVA that tries to be nothing more than a long advertisement for the source material, Aiken Some terrible animation, along with a boring, going-nowhere story, and some really dated and offensive fan service. It's less of a series and more of a caricature of all the basic, underdeveloped elements that one thinks of when they picture the average harem series.
Koi Koi Seven
There is a reason Koi Koi Seven Not really well known, even among harem fans. It's a highly formulaic series that does nothing to remind you when you're done with it.
The series follows Tanaka Tetsuro, who has just earned a full scholarship to what he later discovers is an all-girls school. What follows is typical harem comedy hijinks, with a lot of fan service thrown in for good measure. Koi Koi Seven relies on some pretty outlandish comedy that doesn't always land, and although it may appeal to some mildly fun-seekers, there are plenty of good options. None of the characters are very interesting, and some may even have trouble finishing the series given how little it has to offer.
11 eyes
11 eyes A supernatural harem that may seem interesting at first, but eventually falls flat. The series follows Kakeru Satsuki and his childhood friend Yuka, who find themselves in an altered reality filled with monsters called the “Red Knight”. There, the pair meet another group of people, including the swordsman Misuzu, Kukuri, a girl who looks like Kakeru's dead sister, Yukiko, a girl with a dangerous split personality, and a pyrokineticist named Takahisa.
The series fails to do much on what should be a solid premise, suffering from rushed pacing, undercooked and often hard-to-root-for characters, and fan service that takes away from the darker elements the series tries to work with. 11 eyes Your average VN adaptation is; Rough around the edges and probably best ignored.
School days
Perhaps one of the most infamous harem series out there, School days Known for all the wrong reasons. The series is called a deconstruction of the harem genre, and while it's an interesting idea, it doesn't really do anything of substance with it. Instead, it gives you a main character that's impossible to root for with a bland cast, and some heavy themes that aren't properly addressed.
What really kept School days Its infamous 'nice boat' ending on the map. Without spoiling too much, the series has one of the most out-of-left-field endings you can think of, and its shocking nature matched the real-life tragedy in Japan that the episode pulled off. The station, TV Kanagawa, instead broadcast picturesque footage, some of which included a ferry sailing through an inlet. A screenshot of the ferry with the caption 'Nice Boat' quickly appeared online, and the meme would become heavily associated with the series, making it a bigger cultural influence than it probably should have been.
