You know I like how even though at its core it is an ecchi manga but I do like how the author included a girl that wants to have a smaller chest instead of the typical every girl wants to be carrying G-cups for the rest of their lives.
Variety is the spice of life and that goes towards characters and their motivations as well. There are places to just be a shameless fanservice gallery (
cough Hajimete no Gal), but I think that's one big thing in harems that separate the goods from the greats. If they all just focus on "I like MC" and don't flesh out the girls themselves, they all just mold together.
I think people on the internet especially can forget that "not appealing to your personal tastes" =/= "bad characterization". I love Madoka's large, bountiful mounds, but it's also a distinct character trait that she feels they get in the way and wants them reduced. It's not a character trait made to impede progress or force comedy, but one to reveal her own insecurities and burdens. So it makes sense and helps further flesh out the world instead of making it seem like it revolves around MC.
Manga/LNs/anime have created a harem-brain culture in which consumers have an expectation that the ML can go around collecting women with little or no pushback and it's refreshing to see that expectation being subverted here given the premise
I wish. If anything there's too much pushback from women not confident enough to confess decide instead to treat everday life as a competition. Most of a romcom/"harem" work seems to be the women convincing themselves they even like MC, and likewise MC is convinced no one likes him despite being bombarded with attention and niceties. A bit odd, because from the few pieces of Otome I've read it feels like men when they compete seem much more aware of each other and their own feelings and focus on pleasing and wooing the girl. So it's not like this is a universal concept.
Despite the name, there are very few "harem" anime/manga/LN that actually has a proper harem. just romcoms that end when the author needs to fold and choose a girl at the 11th hour.
Ngl, I don't like Ms Flatty. She behaves like the typical insecure, possessive girl that has to constantly make sure nobody goes near her toys. It's getting annoying.
well this is her first relationship and it's only a week old. I'll give her some time to mature
just like her boobies. She's definitely conflicted between wanting Takeru to be a hero (albiet in a non-traditional way) and not wanting her BF to fondle every woman's boobs. So I get it. But it was a out of line to suddenly treat any other woman talking to Takeru as an enemy (before she knew she needed booby help).