There are countless anime genres and subgenres that can satisfy fans with different tastes and preferences. For decades, harem anime has been the most prevalent, with numerous titles being released every year. Most of the series didn't do anything very interesting, preferring instead a safe, formulaic narrative that served as a decent romantic comedy sprinkled with heavy wish fulfillment.
The 2000s were a great time to be a fan of harem anime. There were some of the most well-known titles this genre has to offer. But while some were good enough, others weren't worth your time. Whether it's a poor adaptation or just a poor and outdated narrative, these works stand out as some of the most unwatchable harem anime of the 2000s.
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100% strawberry
Mizuki Kawashita's Strawberry 100% manga has been well-received by fans of the harem genre, with Kawashita's unique art style serving as one of its main selling points. While the comic may be a fun read for fans, Madhouse's 2005 adaptation isn't really worth watching.
The series relies on many of the harem/ehi tropes prevalent throughout the genre, and the anime often reinforces these elements in distracting ways. Being a short adaptation of 12 episodes, it isn't the best paced 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 a better way to go here.
To Heart: Please remember my memories
Many harem anime are adaptations of dating simulations. with heart It's one of many Harem VN adaptations that doesn't really make much of an impact and instead gets lost in a sea of similar content that all kind of looks and feels the same. remember my memories It is a sequel to 1999. with heartIt gives fans of the series an original story from the anime that doesn't really stand out.
remember my memories Set a year after the end of the original series, Multi from the original series disappears and returns with no memory. It's a pretty cliché setup, and the series doesn't do anything very interesting with it. What's worse is that the 2004 series looks and feels cheaper than the first season. As for that, remember my memories Not worth your time.
_summer
Another dating simulation adaptation, _summer It's a pretty unremarkable series. It was adapted into two 30-minute OVAs. _summer It doesn't really feel like a complete product. Fans often say that anime adaptations are made more as advertisements for the source material than as their own thing, and while that may seem cynical, it's 100% true in this case.
The series follows the story of protagonist Takumi Kaizu, who sets out to find his girlfriend during his summer vacation. It's a really basic and uninspired setup for a romance story that's not interesting at all. From the love story of a childhood friend (surprising) to the painfully simple motivations of the main actors, _summer It is extraordinary in every way.
Aiken
If you want examples of low-quality, low-effort harem anime you want to avoid, Aiken It should be at the top of the list. Some series are average time-wasters that don't offer much other than overused tropes and cliché settings. It's good to enjoy that type of series, but Aiken It's one of those rare animes that's offensively bad.
Rearranges covers into correct Japanese release order.
start
Rearranges covers into correct Japanese release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Difficult (10)
Another OVA that doesn't really try to do anything other than a long blurb about the source material; Aiken It suffers from terrible animation, a boring, nowhere-going narrative, and some really old, obnoxious fan service. This is not so much a series as it is a caricature of all the basic, underdeveloped elements you think of when drawing an average harem series.
Koi Koi Seven
There's a reason Koi Koi Seven This is a work that is not well known even among harem fans. It's a very formulaic series that doesn't do anything memorable once you're done with it.
The series follows Tetsuro Tanaka, who, we later learn, has received a full scholarship to an all-girls school. What follows is typical harem comedy hijinks, with tons of fan service thrown in for good measure. Koi Koi Seven relies on some pretty quirky comedy that doesn't always succeed, and while it may appeal to those looking for some light fun, there are so many better options. None of the characters are very interesting and some have so little to offer that you may have a hard time finishing the series.
11 Eyes
11 Eyes It's a supernatural harem that may be interesting at first, but eventually falls apart. The series follows Satsuki Kakeru and his childhood friend Yuka as they find themselves in an altered reality filled with monsters called “Red Nights.” There, the two meet another group of people consisting of prosecutor Misuzu, Kukuri, a girl who looks like Kakeru's dead sister, Yukiko, a girl with a dangerously split personality, and Takahisa, a flame activist.
The series fails to do much with what should have been a solid premise due to its rushed pace, undercooked and often hard-to-root for characters, and pointless fan service that takes away from the darker elements the series is trying to work with. 11 Eyes Your average VN adaptation. It has rough edges so it's best to avoid it.
schooltime
Probably one of the most infamous harem series. schooltime Known for all the wrong reasons. The series has been called a deconstruction of the harem genre, and while it's an interesting idea, it doesn't really make much sense. Instead, it offers a protagonist you can't root for, along with a bland cast and heavy themes that aren't adequately addressed.
What did you really put in there? schooltime The map has the infamous 'Nice Boat' ending. Without spoiling too much, this series has one of the most unexpected endings you can think of, and the episode's shocking nature is consistent with real-life tragedies in Japan. Instead, the TV Kanagawa station broadcast scenes of scenery, some of which included ferries passing through the port. Soon after, screenshots of Perry with the caption 'Nice Boat' surfaced online, and the meme became so closely associated with the series that it had a greater cultural impact than expected.
