Ask John: Why Do Americans Hate Harem Anime?  It seems to me a
ton of fans groan with the fansubbing and commercial release of
each harem anime title. Females I know show such violent
reactions that they categorically refuse to watch anything in
the genre because they say it’s stupid and sexist. They view
harem anime as if it were the Anti-Christ.  This is a
particularly difficult question to address for two reasons.
First, generally speaking it’s not the entire “harem anime”
genre that’s unpopular in America. It’s only certain titles
within the genre that American fans often seem to disapprove of.
Second, I think the common contemporary American reaction to
“harem” anime is a part of a larger reaction to any and all
anime that contains sexual innuendo.  As its name implies,
“harem anime” are shows built around the theme of one young man
living with or surrounded by several young women. (The theme
also works when the gender roles are reversed, but for the
purpose of this response I’ll stick to the more common