‘Build A Harem’ Manga Edition

So first of all I just wanted to say I have been blown away by the overwhelmingly positive response to my ‘Build A Harem’ tag, it seems like every single day there’s another blogger’s custom anime harem to look at and I’ve enjoyed reading all of them so much! I’ve also found great new bloggers through this process, which is just the icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned! So thanks again for everyone who’s taken part so far and I look forward to reading the countless more that are still no doubt to come!

But what’s this blog about? Well MangaKast did their version of a harem but as expected by their name they picked characters from manga—“what a good idea” I thought, “I’ve got heaps of best girl’s from manga that haven’t had an anime adaptation”, and because I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself, I commented something to that effect on their post and MangaKast challenged me to do it, and who am I to pass up the opportunity to talk about cute and sexy girls from manga that I’d want in my harem! But not just that, Karandi of 100WordAnime modified my original rules for picking characters and a lot of others followed suit—and thus I’m going to be going by the modified rules for this post, which if you don’t know is basically just a relaxing of the ‘character type’ rule.

Link to my original anime harem post: https://animeqanda.com/2018/06/09/build-a-harem-tag/
Link to MangaKast’s manga harem post: https://mangakast.wordpress.com/2018/07/02/build-a-harem-manga-style/
Link to Karandi’s modified rules harem post: https://100wordanime.blog/tag/build-a-harem/

Now on with my harem, let’s just say things are going to get a bit NSFW in here, these manga are all fairly ‘adult’ after all…

The Unemotional Shut-In – Momi from Mononoke Sharing

Momi’s the one on the left…

Momi is a massive breasted Oni who has to milk herself—and apparently her breast milk tastes good(?). I think I’ll pass on invoking a possible Oedipus complex and just settle for nestling between those two beautiful big boobs.

The Perverted Lesbian Serial Killer– Kuroko Koumori from Murcielago

I didn’t even mention what she gets up to with that tongue of hers.

I mean, she’s dangerous, she’s alternative looking, she’s a sucker for cute girls (just like me) and she’s sexy as heck… sure she has zero interest in men and I’ll probably end up getting killed by her but these are the risks you take with the crazy ones… unless I had a big sister to protect me…

The Big-sister who’s also an Eldritch tentacle god – Chiyo (The Black Goat of the Woods With A Thousand Young) – from The Elder Sister Like One

This was probably the least inappropriate picture I found on danbooru from the manga artist.

“Onee-chan!” She’s devoted, caring, kind and the human personification of the Eldritch demon-god Shub-Niggurath! She’s also got tentacles (of course) but I couldn’t possibly think of anything to do with those…

The Troubled Goth Who Hates Everyone and Everything… Except Sex – Spina from How To Build A Dungeon: Book of the Demon King

I think all my picks so far have had one (or two) “big” things in common…

Oh boy, here’s a girl with some emotional baggage, as a youngster her village was attacked and in order to prevent herself from being raped and murdered like the other women she poured boiling oil on her face and body… afterward she gets a magical makeover by the would-be Demon King and channels her energy into the one thing in her life she can take control of absolutely… her sex life.

The Cheeky Plant Girl Trouble Maker – Itsuki from Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary

My doctor said I should eat more leafy greens…

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And that’s my manga harem! Obviously since this isn’t a traditional tag post I’m not to tag anyone to do this variant of the post, but hey, if anyone wants to write up a manga-centric harem by all means! Thanks for reading!

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The ‘Build A Harem’ Tag

So the idea for this tag is that you are an anime character and you’re the central protagonist of a harem anime. What you have to do for this tag is pick five characters (of any gender) and each one has to fit into a different harem character “type”. The characters you pick have to be from existing anime, but they can each be from any anime you want, this is a fantasy harem after all so it doesn’t matter if in reality these characters would never be in the same show!

The five characters for your harem have to each be one of the following character types:

Childhood friend, tom boy/girl, genki girl/boy, loli/shota, trap, tsundere, yandere, kuudere, dandere, etc.

(and obviously characters can be multiple types; like a Tom Boy who is also a Childhood Friend also if there’s a character type I missed feel free to put one in! Also I realise this list of character types is probably female-centric, so if your list is predominantly or entirely male try and find your gendered equivalent!)

Right, and with that out of the way I’ll proceed with my pick of characters for my ideal harem.

Harem Choice #1: The Kuudere – Isuzu Sento (Amagi Brilliant Park)

She knows how to put me in my place but deep down I know she loves me, and ~damn~ that body it’s like a roller coaster!

Harem Choice #2: The Tomboy/Genki Girl – Hajime Shinoda (New Game)

She’s just so damned hyped about every little geeky thing and it’s what I love about her, also who’d have thought a tom-boy could have such a nice rack!.. What? I have my priorities right?!

Harem Choice #3: The Tsundere – Kirie Motabo (Himouto! Umaru-Chan)

I don’t know if she hates me or loves me, but I know she still pays attention to me and I crave it all the same. Plus this tsun spends more of her time flustered than she does aggressive, I can work with that…

Harem Choice #4: The Dandere/Loli – Kamuri Sengoku (Slow Start)

She’s so small and cute and sweet and shy! But she’s in high-school so it’s totally okay and not creepy at all right? But still… so small! *chin rubs*

Harem Choice #5: The Trap – Felix Argyle (Re:Zero -Starting Life In Another World-)

What a cute girl, what a spritely, free-spirited girl. What an adorable gir— Oh wait, what’s that? Ferris-chan is a what?! Oh I see… hmm, well, I guess there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of ‘meat’ on the menu now and then!

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it (it was a lot harder than I thought it would be—no pun intended!) What will follow will be the “official rules” that those who want to participate can copy/paste into their own tag post to help spread this round!

The ‘Build A Harem’ Tag Rules:

1. Link back to the original post on Anime QandA so they can check out everyone’s picks!
2. Use the ‘Build A Harem’ logo somewhere in the post.
3. Make sure to mention the person who nominated you too!
4. Pick 5 Anime Characters (any show & any gender) that would be in your ideal harem if you were the main character of a harem anime, explain a little bit as to why they are your picks (if you want).
5. Make sure each character you pick falls into some of the following harem character types: Childhood friend, tom boy/girl, genki girl/boy, loli/shota, trap, tsundere, yandere, kuudere, dandere, etc. (If there’s a character you’ve picked that doesn’t specifically fall into one of these types or falls into multiple types that’s fine too!)
6. Nominate 5 people to participate in this tag!

Now obviously I have to pick my nominees to get the ball rolling, these were kinda easy picks as they are people who I can only assume will have great answers, so you know, no pressure guys! (Of course if you don’t want to participate that’s okay too but let me know in a comment if you don’t so I can pick someone else)

Irina (I Drink And Watch Anime)
Lina (Tiny Ugly Animal)
Karandi (100 Word Anime)
Jenn (Welcome To Hell Zone)
Remy (The Lily Garden)

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this new tag of mine, it’s my first time doing one so hopefully it’ll be as much fun for you as it was for me!

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“Dying For Nothing” A 20 Question Anime Essay About The Importance of Meaningful Character Deaths

This post contains some spoilers for Magical Girl Raising Project, Made In Abyss and Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.

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So, a 20 Question Anime Essay? Huh… Branching out are we? I felt like talking about a subject rather than just one anime.

Fair enough, what are we talking about today? Death in entertainment, specifically how character deaths hold a different meaning to the viewer depending on the circumstances around their death.

Heavy. What got you thinking about this? Well I recently finished ‘Magical Girl Raising Project’ and a lot of characters die in it, 14 out of the 16 main and supporting cast in-fact.

Yikes! Getting all Game of Thrones up in here! And the thing that struck me the most was how for a lot of these deaths my main emotion watching them was annoyance. In fact with the exception of a couple of the deaths I wasn’t ever sad—like the show wanted me to be—I was just ticked off. I found myself with my arms crossed, sitting there going, “really, another one?” This didn’t start happening until about episode 4 but continued until episode 10, when finally the narrative revealed the all important ‘thing’ I had been waiting for all along—a reason!

A reason for what? A reason why all these characters were dying, yes the show gave the characters reason to want to kill each other, it was literally a survival of the fittest, a battle royale. But there wasn’t a narrative reason for them to be killing each other and so what started out as a dark(er) take on the magical girl genre ended up feeling like it was just indulging itself in a self-satisfying excuse to kill off cute girls all for the edgy spectacle of it.

But it was fine once the narrative gave purpose to their death match? Pretty much. It validated the character deaths that had come before as not just being for the sake of the audience and rather that they served a point to the narrative. I fully admit that not realising there was actually going to be a ‘larger picture’ sooner was a failing in me the viewer, but a part of that was due to my emotional reaction and dare I say “being triggered” by the sight of so many adorable and nice characters die without an explicit reason given.

And why do you think that is? That you got triggered I mean, and aside from the surface level reaction of not liking cute things having harm done to them. I blame Hollywood.

Oh? Care to elaborate? Even if you haven’t watched that many Hollywood produced films, or even network television dramas, you should at least have seen a typical ‘Hollywood’ death. Regardless of the genre, they more or less play out the same way, a character we’ve come to know over a period of time is killed, usually while in the service of the hero, probably doing something heroic. And it’s always a ~big~ moment in the film that’s supposed to either serve as inspiration for the hero, or set them on a path of revenge or simply highlight the importance of their character in having risked their life for the greater good. In Hollywood, more often than not, death has a purpose.

But that’s seldom the case in real life. Oh, I’m well aware of this, I’m under no illusions that 99.9% of people—myself included—will die for nothing. Hollywood knows this too but they’re not in the business of selling reality, they’re in the business of selling dreams.

So what point are you trying to make here? Are you annoyed that an anime had initially betrayed your expectations in regard to how death’s are supposed to serve a purpose in the story? But as you said they did end up serving a narrative purpose towards the final episodes, where’s the issue? I’m more interested in my reaction, maybe it’s nothing noteworthy but I nonetheless found my growing disdain through the middle episodes of ‘Magical Girl Raising Project’ at least passingly similar to the feeling I had while watching the later episodes of ‘Made in Abyss’.

Okay, so what happened in that show that triggered you? It wasn’t a death, but rather what I saw as cruelty for cruelty’s sake. For anyone who’s seen the show, ‘the elevator’ is all I need to say, but for anyone who hasn’t seen the show and doesn’t mind the vague spoiler; two side characters are subjected to unimaginable torture at the hands of a nondescript villain character who’s only introduced at the start of this flashback scene. The scene is darker in tone than anything that had come previous and in the moment only serves the purpose of showing how two characters came to be how they are. Important, perhaps, but at the time I was so angered and disheartened that I couldn’t marry what the show had shown me and its importance to the narrative. I was ready to quit the show then and there so strong was my reaction.

Sounds like you’re just too sensitive for some things. But I don’t think I am! I’ve watched so many graphic and disturbing movies in my life, graphic horror films like the Hostel films, the Human Centipede films, even a film considered among the most harrowing ever made; Irreversible—while all impactful in their own way—never affected me the way ‘Made in Abyss’ did.

I’m still not sure what point you’re trying to make. One of the tortured characters in ‘Made in Abyss’, the one most physically affected by the torture is given a mercy killing by the male protagonist. It’s a powerful scene, but it’s only as powerful because of all the context that was given from the flashback scene of their torture. This ties into the idea that suffering and violence and death, like in ‘Magical Girl Raising Project’ is only palatable, or perhaps a better word is “understandable”, if there’s sufficient context to justify their suffering. And the context for the death and suffering in ‘Magical Girl Raising Project’ came almost too late.

Right. I think I understand what you’re saying now. You don’t like death unless it has a narrative purpose and the more impactful and traumatising the circumstances around it the more immediate the reasoning has to become apparent through the story? Yeah, something like that. I’m reminded of when Buffy’s mother died on ‘Buffy: The Vampire Slayer’, here we were in the fifth season of the show and certainly characters had died before, but always as the result of something related to the narrative. But then suddenly we have a character who’s more or less removed from the immediate dangers of Buffy’s dangerous ‘slaying’ lifestyle and she dies, and not only does she die but it’s without warning and due to a brain aneurysm. There’s no-one to blame for it, no ~thing~ to get revenge on, no urgency to be addressed. It serves to immediate narrative purpose, she just dies. And yet, it’s all the more powerful because it’s so real and unexpected and pointless.

Umm, I feel like you’ve just contradicted your whole point you were trying to make with this essay? Why did you bring that up? Because I didn’t want to suggest that there isn’t power and purpose in an occasional pointless death. As I said earlier, 99.9% of us will have a pointless death and yet to those who love us and care for us it will be every bit as important as the cinematic deaths that saved innocent lives or inspired the hero to destroy a great evil. The reason the ‘Buffy’ example worked so well was because it was so different to not only other character deaths we’d seen on the show thus far but different to what any kind of show was doing at the time.

So a pointless death is okay if not all the deaths in the show are pointless? I don’t know, I haven’t watched every anime and the anime where people die “pointless deaths” generally aren’t on my radar. I’m not pretending to be an authority on the subject, despite me calling this an “essay” this is still very much a narrow opinion based on a few examples.

Fair enough, probably should have prefaced this “essay” with that… Well take this as forewarning for future essays’ I may write like I know what I’m talking about but I’m far from the authority on any subject.

Don’t sell yourself short, you’re an expert pervert after all. Come on now, I thought we could go one post without reminding the readers of that…

So how’d you want to wrap this thing up? How do essay’s ‘normally’ wrap up? I don’t know, I suppose I could reiterate my points in a succinct manner?

Do that! Right… So at the end of the day, a character dying in any media, be it a flashy Hollywood picture, or a gritty indie horror flick, a long-running live-action TV series or an anime filled with cute characters—needs to serve a purpose. But why? Well, regardless of whether something fancies itself as ‘realistic’ or not, it’s still entertainment. Yes the media we consume can sometimes be messy and problematic and imperfect but it should always strive to serve a meaningful purpose, especially with something as permanent and powerful as the death of a character.

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This is my first proper essay style 20 Question post, let me know what you thought of it, if you think I should do more or if you have any suggestions for topics I should cover in the future. Thanks for reading!

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Fairy Tail – 100 Question Anime Review Special (Part 3 of 3)

If you’re still with us, what the heck is wrong with you?! If this is the first of these blogs you’re reading, best start with Part 1 and then Part 2 before reading this one!

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So you’ve been dying to talk about these characters, where do you want to start? Argh! There’s too many to talk about and so much to talk about them, I don’t know where to start—so overwhelming!

Well I guess let’s begin with the main characters? What are they like, who are your favourites, stuff like that! Well as discussed Natsu is… I wouldn’t say dull but he’s the least developed, not to say he doesn’t get some great moments like the flashbacks to when he was a kid playing ‘house’ with Lisanna is very sweet, though if I’m super cynical about it, it was only to help facilitate the audience’s connection to Lisanna through him and make learning about her death and then her eventual “return” more impactful.

…Okay, I’m already confused but go on. Lucy I can relate to a lot, because she’s a writer like me! She also has some daddy issues, not that I have daddy issues, that’s a seperate point I was making. I’ve always thought it was weird that Lucy has to rely on her Celestial Spirit’s to actually fight, because she otherwise kind of doesn’t do much, she’s like a Pokemon trainer in that respect.

Is that all you like about her? Well now you’re just deliberately goading out a pervy comment, you can’t chastise me if you’re the one who’s asking! She has ~nice oppai~ there, you happy?!

I’ll never be happy… Speaking of Happy, our cute little flying blue cat belongs to a race called the Exceed. And for what could have easily come off as an annoying animal sidekick in any other show, here is an invaluable part of their team and has a lot of great character development and emotional moments!

So there’s other Exceed? Well they don’t come in ’til later in the series but every Dragon Slayer Wizard, of whom there are Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel (there’s others belonging to different guilds too—we’ll get to them if we have time) each have an Exceed. Carla is Wendy’s and she’s annoying, though that’s mostly because I don’t care for the voice actress (I watch Fairy Tail in English, get over it!) Gajeel eventually gets Panther Lily and he’s pretty cool, he can also transform into a humanoid version which comes in handy for fighting.

And who are Wendy and Gajeel? Wendy Marvell is my fifth favourite character! She’s uses Sky Dragon Slayer magic and she grows a lot from when we first meet her as a shy and clumsy girl to the powerful and determined girl she becomes, even though I think she’s under-utilised in actual stories. Gajeel Redfox is a former member of dark guild Phantom Lord and uses Iron Dragon Slayer magic also he’s a total tsundere.

Uh-huh. Should we maybe get back to the main characters? Well these are main adjacent characters but sure! Erza is total badass and my third favourite character! I just admire her strength and resolve so much, she’s an absolute inspiration—she’s also probably the strongest member of Fairy Tail, just don’t go telling Natsu!

And the other one, Gray was it? Yup. Gray uses Ice Make magic, and likes to take his shirt off. He’s also kind of a grumpy asshole, but I guess girls like the badboy type… Speaking of which; Juvia Lockser has a total lady boner for Gray but he’s just not that into her, shame because she’s kind of adorable in an obsessive and slightly terrifying way!

What’s this about “favourite characters”? You have a list? Kind of, just the Top 5 plus an honourable mention.

Well okay, let’s hear about them? Well you already know about 5 and 3. Number 4 is Mirajane Strauss, a quietly spoken, delicate waifu who transforms into a literal demon. Like she’s so powerful that early episodes has her working behind the bar rather than fighting bad guys she’s that over-powered. I mean sure there’s “story” reasons behind it but that’s totally the reason… She also has a brother and a sister in the guild.

Another diversion from what we were doing but sure why not, tell me about them? Elfman Strauss, big muscular dude with a kind heart, obsessed with being manly. To the point of concern. When he’s in his beast mode he can kind of be unruly, at one point he actually attacked and “killed” his other sister Lisanna, only of course she didn’t actually die, she was just sent to a parallel world(?) and so returns back to her siblings and the guild afterward. Lisanna’s okay I guess, kind of boring, very cute though!

Right, back on topic your 2nd favourite character? Cana Alberona! Always drunk, frequently belligerent, also daddy issues for miles. Her father is the frequently absent but undeniably charming Gildarts Clive, a super powerful S-class Wizard who saunters in when it’s convenient to the plot.

Don’t get to distracted we’re almost at your number 1 favourite character! But first an honourable mention!

Wait, what? “honourable mention”? Yeah, a character I really like but doesn’t have enough screen-time or is kind of inconsequential.

Okay, sure, who is this honourable mention of yours? Frosch! So cute! I want one! Ahh~ I love it so much! Look at it’s pink little frog onesie! The episode all about Frosch is like pure joy and wholesomeness and warmth and—

—That’s enough! Who is your number 1 favourite character in Fairy Tail? Listen, I’m not usually into cat-girls—not that there’s anything wrong with that—but I just adore Millianna, sure maybe I’m not making this decision with my brain but whenever she’s on screen I literally can’t look anywhere else. I mean she’s not even in Fairy Tail! She belongs to an all female guild called Mermaid Heel and I just realised we totally need a Mermaid Heel spin-off series!

…You really are a lost cause. So anybody important you’ve missed out? Yes in fact! Makarov Dreyar is a very small, very old man who’s young at heart and filled with energy and enthusiasm, he also happens to be the Guild Master of Fairy Tail. He was a bit of a perv in the earlier episodes but thankfully those character traits seemed to die down a bit by the end.

…You’re one to talk… What?

Nothing, nothing. He also has a grandson, Laxus Dreyar who is a user of Lightning magic, and uh… he kind of wants to destroy Fairy Tail. Or at least he does until he doesn’t, I can’t remember what stops him from doing so, but there’s a really touching moment between grandfather and son that makes me unable to dislike his character, even if he is a headstrong, arrogant douche a lot of the time.

Right, jeez, there are a lot of characters… Oh you think this is a lot? Haha~ we haven’t even listed half the Fairy Tail members, son! Not to mention all the characters in other guilds and all the villain characters and friends and family of other characters, it would take more than a 100 Questions to talk about them all!

Please don’t. Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about them all, just a few others I like.

Okay fine, go on. Levy McGarden who is among the most beautiful of the exceptionally beautiful women in this show. The only reason she didn’t get in my Top 5 is because Gajeel, namely her falling for him, it kinda makes her character less interesting. I think her characterisation suffers for having her act like a less crazy Juvia.

Anybody else? Laxus’ cronies, Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow. They’re fun, if a bit two dimensional, Freed is the best of the three though.

Anybody else? Macao Conbolt and Wakaba Mine, the two bickering ‘dad’s’ of Fairy Tail, I enjoy their interactions with each other.

ANYBODY ELSE? Sting and Rogue from rival guild Sabertooth are pretty cool, they also use Dragon Slayer Magic as well as Shadow Dragon Slayer Magic, I like their rivalry with the Dragon Slayer’s of Fairy Tail and of course their eventual forming of a mutual friendship.

*gasps* anybody… else… Hmm, I’m happy to stop here. At least with the character talk, I feel like I should be wrapping things up soon anyway.

Thank god, I thought this would never end. You’re such a douche sometimes…

I did notice there are a ~lot~ of scantily clad big breasted attractive females on this show? That wouldn’t have anything to do with you liking this show so much, would it? It was an unexpected surprise, I assure you.

Sure sure… so how do we go about summing up some 265 episodes of a TV show in a succinct way? You want succinct, after I just spent 1500 words talking about characters?

Who’s fault is that? Besides, this wasn’t exactly a well planned out review, you know. You only decided to do this review a few days ago… Shhh~

Final score and recommendation for Fairy Tail? Even though it’s a show I came to late, had no experience with the manga and binge watched it over the course of a couple of months Fairy Tail still holds a weird nostalgic place in my heart. The first hundred or so episodes I recall fondly and the absolute joy I had watching (most) of it is unrivalled by most anime, even today. It’s not by any means perfect, it can be repetitive and sometimes stupid, but it’s also action-packed, emotionally rich, occasionally hilarious and above all else exceedingly fun. But there’s something else, something that’s continued to be true even in some of the lacking later episodes…

What is it? Fairy Tail is a show about the power of friendship and the importance of a family that’s not one bound by blood but forged in people’s love and respect for one another and fortified by common-interests. In a lot of ways Fairy Tail—the guild—is a lot like this wonderful anime blogging community I’ve found myself a part of. We all come from different places and walks of life, with different values and opinions but we share a love for anime and we respect each other and support each other because that’s what being a family is all about. And with that I say a humble and deep thank you to everyone who is supported me and my blog, thank you for getting me to 100 followers and thank you all for being you!

(Sorry to interrupt this touching moment but you forgot to give the scores!) Oh shit, um… right: Fairy Tail Season 1 gets 88 out of 100. And Fairy Tail Season 2 scores an 82 out of 100. Thank you all so much for reading!

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