The harem anime genre is one of the medium’s most heavily disliked and commonly dismissed — and plenty of criticisms aimed at harem anime are far from unfounded. All harem anime follow the basic premise of a group of attractive girls falling for the same male lead, presenting the viewers with a self-indulgent fantasy that rarely pretends to be more than that.

Female characters in harem anime are usually archetypical and regularly exploited for fanservice, unique development and nuanced personalities not being common features of harem plots. However, plenty of harem anime actually recognize the heroines as the beating heart of any harem storyline and treat them with the respect and appreciation they deserve. In these harem anime, female characters are more than just eye candy and, for once, get treated as multifaceted people with traits outside of their attraction to the protagonist.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches Has Fun...