Reverse Harem Garden

By ayreesa Here's the promo video (click the top right button) from Neo Angelique. Source:ANN

By ayreesa Trivia: The 2nd episode of OHSHC is actually Christmas in the manga. By ayreesa Sorry no updates for now, I've been very busy this Christmas. Enjoy the holidays!

"Five" by Furukawa Shiori 7 volumes-ongoing Hina is the first girl who made it into the special class filled with nerds, geeks, and the five bishies. She becomes the "princess" among the five guys. It's like "Ouran High School Host Club" with anything goes story in each chapter but not as funnier. Well, I hope it picks up. It even used similar devices like hosting, lightning phobia, and a lot more. The art is like a cross between "Lovely Complex" and "Hot Gimmick" and has a contemporary feel to it.

By ayreesa "Ore no Hanashi o Shiyō ka?", a two-installment special of "Hana Yori Dango", will be in print starting this January. The 70-page story highlights Hanazawa Rui in a lead role. source: ANN

By ayreesa "Neo Angelique Abyss", the fifth installment of "Angelique" anime series, will premier on Japanese boobtubes this April. It is based upon the game to which the female player together with the four male Orb Hunters fights the demonlike Tanatos. Kairi Yua, the artist of "Saiunkoku Monogatari", also designed all the characters in all the "Angelique" game franchise. Source: ANN

"Daiamondo Heddo" ("Diamond Head") by Misushiro Setona 5 volumes Nanao is a transfer student in Mehabia Catholic School. There she meets the Judicature Club, a club that conduct hearings and issue verdicts on students' disputes. The story is well written with mystery, comedy, romance and a heartbreaking drama. =( The art seems inconsistent with the characters looking weird at times or maybe that's the point that I missed.

Penguin Revolution Manga to End in Japan in December The seventh and last volume of "Penguin Revolution" manga will be on sale this December 22. The 40-pages finale will be released through Lala, while volume 5 of the English version will come out in January through CMX manga. Last toys for "Fruits Basket', "Fullmetal Alchemist", others go on Ebay "Southern Island LLC", distributor of "Fruits Basket" merchandise has gone bankrupt. The last "Fruits Basket" collectibles will be auctioned on December 11 at Ebay which includes Kyo Sohma Blue and Grey, Kyo, Shigure Sohma, Tohru Honda Busts and Statues, Assorted Figures, Yuki Sohma and various bobble head, plush, and stuffed characters. Source: Anime News Network

"Vampire Knight" by Matsuri Hino I read the manga to see what's the hype about. This is from the same creator of "Meru Puri". Forget kissing. Blood sucking and licking has never been so sexy. Nope it isn't a reverse harem, but couldn't resist sharing this reverse harem-esque picture. If it's from the same mangaka then I pray it becomes a reverse harem. "Vampire Knight" will be animated soon. Wee! "Ai wo Utau yori Ore ni Oberero!" (Blue Roses) by Mayu Shinjo 5 volumes-ongoing Oooh bishies! Guess again! Those are girls and the brown haired person is the guy. I have been trolled by the picture into reading it! Akira pretends to be a girl to be able to join a girlband while Mizuki pretends to be a guy to gain entry to the all boy's school. I'm not too sure to what direction the manga is heading to but I'll be keeping my eye on this one. "Midnight ☆ Children" by Mayu Shinjo I just saw this pi

"Neba Giba!" ("Never Give Up!") by Hiromu Mutou 13 volumes-ongoing Kiri vowed that she would strive to look like a princess for Touya. Problem is, she looks like a prince and Touya is more of a princess-type. Kiri faces a lot of obstacles in pursuit of love but nothing can stop her even from enlisting as a male model in order to protect him. It took me a long time before I get used to their physical dilemmas. You can only read this if you can endure a long reading without makeout sessions in each chapter. This element seems to be a must in shojos or smuts but in it's absence in "Never Give Up" you will really feel that their feelings for each other is pure. I also have this favorite side story when young Kiri wants to hit her mom with a bat.

By ayreesa 桜蘭高校ホスト部 is a dating game of what we non-Japanese call as "Ouran High School Host Club". The game also features the characters of Jean-Pierre Léo, a long-time French friend of Tamaki, and Himemiya Sayuri, a childhood friend of Haruhi. It was released exclusively in Japan. Now if only they release English version as well...

"Gin'yuu Mokushiroku Meine Liebe" or "Meine Liebe" (German for 'my love') Tanbi Musou (Beautiful Dream) Meine Liebe GBA Meine Liebe Yuubinaru Kioku (Graceful Memory) PS2 Meine Liebe II~Hokori to Seigi to Ai~ (Pride, Justice & Love) PS2 Meine Liebe (Season 1) 13 episodes Meine Liebe ~Wieder~ (Season 2) 13 episodes Meine Liebe ~Eien naru Musou Kyoku~ (Eternal Dream Music) 4 volumes by Rei Izawa If it's a dating sim or RPG and you're the female character with a lot of boyfriend candidates, chances of creating reverse harem animes or manga as a promotional franchise is high. For example: Angelique, La Corda d'Oro and Haruka 8. Or so I thought. The Game: Meine Liebe series is created for GBA and PS2. The object of the game is to hook up with one of the guys. I have the GB and emulator sitting in my hard drive for a like a month now. I've been procrastinating because it's a hassle to play in Japanese although I've fou

By ayreesa Episode 8 by FLC is out. At last Shurrei and Ryuuki get to talk again.

"Its a flower that blooms only one summer night" The concurs participants all gathered for a summer training camp. This is just an extra stuff after the concours. Nothing special for a 'special'. As usual all the guys get a fair amount of quality moments with Kahoko.

The latest subbed episode of "Saiunkoku Monogatari" has finally been uploaded by Sweet Secret Fansubs. The other group, Four Leaf Clover, will be releasing the next episode anytime soon. "Saiunkoku Monogatari" is the only reverse harem that is currently airing in Japan amidst onslaught of harems for fall such as "Da Capo II","Prism Ark", "Myself, Yourself", "Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun" and "Clannad". Correct me if I'm wrong since I haven't seen them yet. But the point is we need more reverse harems! Sorry, just rambling. By ayreesa

"Ouji Sama No Tsukuri Kata" ("How To Make A Prince?") by Momoyuki Kotori 2 volumes Yuri was tasked to turn the four devilish students into princes while masquerading as her brother. The art is too cute but the story is not. Who knows if the second chapter can squeeze in a miracle. It badly needs one.

"Kakumei no Hi" ("The Day of Revolution") by Mikiyo Tsuda 2 volumes Kei Yoshikawa founds out that he is actually a girl only after 15 years has passed. Gender benders in anime/ manga usually entails magical or physical change. In this case there is no cross-dressing or hocus-pocus involved, blame it on genetics. I don't want to divulge any further than that since it's only two volumes short. And for it's shortness I felt like the character's motivation is weak. I had mixed emotions relating to the character in the confusion of his/her supposed gender. Nevertheless it was fun.

"Penguin Brothers" by Ayumi Shiina 5 volumes Hina is the newest school transferee. She learns soon enough that the students are divided. They see the world in "Black" and "White" with no gray area in between. But they'll be in for a surprise on how her sense of justice, brute force and simple-mindedness can upset or restore (?) the balance. Another manga that I can picture as a funny live action with just the right tinge of drama. I love the natural pace of things. It doesn't seem rushed and although there are unresolved questions I felt good and satisfied with the ending. Nothing fancy but I simply enjoyed this one. Like "Hana Yori Dango" I was also hesitant to label this as revere harem as there are also a few supporting female characters. But I justified it on the recurring emphasis of the main characters on the covers by mangakas.

"Shinshi Doumei Cross" ( "The Gentlemen's Alliance †" ) by Arina Tanemura 8 volumes-ongoing Haine Otomiya cleaned up her act and entered Imperial Academy to follow the boy she loves, Shizumasa Togu. She used to be delinquent out of resentment to her father who "sold" her off. But Shizumasa has changed from the boy that she fell in love with since childhood. I was spacing out in the first few chapters. Maybe because of the abrupt scene transitions or maybe it was just me. Then I was caught off guard by all the surprises and mini-stories. The harem will slowly appear and by far, this is the weirdest mixture of harem with disqualified member/s. It doesn't look innocent as it looks. Aside from their ready-for-cosplay clothes and ribbon fetishes (serialized in Ribon), there's a very brief flash of yuri, loli and for the first time, I was all thumbs up for some BL action! The story behind the title is amusing. I wonder what will happen

By ayreesa By ayreesa From "Ouran High School Host Club" and "The Wallflower"

In relation to this post . "Blood+" 50 episodes Saya is the last trump against the vampires but she doesn't have any memories of her past. The title encompasses what this poignant story is all about: family, life and death. Bloodline. Blood thicker than water. Bloodthirsty. Bloodshed. While it's not a full-blown reverse harem, I find the love angles even more bittersweet. Exasperating at times and yet bittersweet still. Okay so it's a supernatural anime but I just don't get how they resolved the language barriers through magic realism. The clash between red against blue reminds me of "Death Note" and then...colas. There'll be a live action version but based on the movie "Blood: The Last Vampire" with "My Sassy Girl" lead actress as Saya.

By ayreesa Interview with the seiyuus of Shurei and Ryuki shown between episodes 17 and 18 from the first season. They did a short skit too. Shame on me for learning about this just now. You can live without this but you'll watch it anyway ayt? The second episode isn't available yet. Now everytime I think of Ryuki the voice actor pops in my head. >.<

Guys falling in love with the female protagonist? Check! Gender Bender? Check! But wait this is a boy that magically turns into a girl! This would also be a reverse harem if not for that one crucial detail. By ayreesa Ranma 1/2- Ranma's father promised his mother that he'll be raised as "man amongst men". But while training, Ranma fell on the Spring of Drowned Girl. From then on Ranma becomes a girl when doused with cold water. His curse can be reversed temporarily by hot water. He got his fair share of harem and reverse harem, but Ranma had a lot more of unwanted male pursuers in the manga than in the anime. By ayreesa Tenhsi na Konamaiki or Cheeky Angel- Megumi wished to become "man among men" but the genie pretended to misheard it as "woman among women". He will revert back to his original form only after 10 years and so before that time arrives he have to endure against the advances of raging adolescent boys. Thanks to Tartza for the recommenda

These are the always-laidback-but-dead-serious-when-they-mean-business types. They also understate their bishonen- ness by wearing glasses, hat and mask. Beneath the looks they're strategists and always act as a mentor or leader. By ayreesa Kakashi Hatake from Naruto When will we ever see his face? Hobbies: Reading adult novels and being fashionably late Powers: Sharingan, Thousand Years of Death, Chidori, summoning dogs and my favorite Kakashi harem erm clones By ayreesa Kisuke Uruhara from Bleach What happened to him in the past? Hobbies: Shopkeeping, making secret underground tunnels Powers: As Founder of Shinigami Research Institute he's a genius with inventions that were almost always outlawed. Zanpakuto: Benihime, bankai is still unknown. By ayreesa Bekko from Zombie Loan My jaw dropped when I saw his makeover at the finale and it run for like under 10 seconds. Hobbies: Greedy manager of Z-Loan, giving donations to zombie's families and plan

Power!! (Girl Got Game) 10 volumes by Shizuro Seino Kyo Aizawa was conned by her own father into entering school as male student just to play bastketball. Think "Hana Kimi" in a parallel universe. There are a lot of funny situations but then again so does the so-so moments. I don't find this romantic at all because Aizawa tends to get beaten up including on supposedly sweet scenes. It doesn't help that the art is shonen-esque looking either. Read this only after you forget the aftertaste of "Hana Kimi" or vice versa. Girls dressing up as guy among a group of guys are easy target for reverse harems. In the ending of "Girl Got Game" the guys even joked Aizawa that she has her own harem. But I made up some personal rules before labeling it as reverse harem. Her real identity should be exposed to the major male characters involved and the guys who fell for her male alter-ego should also continue with their feelings. Without closure who knows i

Penguin Kakumei (Penguin Revolution) 5 volumes-ongoing by Sakura Tsukuba status: currently reading Another gender bender story but this time it takes you to the fascinating world of show business. I love the flow of story so far. Fujimaru always had the ability to literally see the talent of aspiring and established actors. But as much as she wants to pursue a practical dream of becoming a public official she's being seduced towards the backstage. The idols starts as penguins and work their ways up to crows and if they're really good they can become one of the coveted 10 Peacocks (Like 10 Ranks of Espada in Bleach the higher the number the better). So that's the peacocks, crows, penguins... Do the math. That's how much nosebleed you'll get in the future volumes hihihi But as early as now it's as wholesome as "Fruits Basket". I was already halfway when I realized that I've read the wrong manga! I was actually looking for one of

MeruPuri or MeruPuri: Meruhen Purinsu (MeruPuri: Marchen Prince) 4 volumes by Matsuri Hino Airi is set to finding her fated person. She even had her dreamy marriage life all mapped out. Then her big plans gets disrupted by a shotacon~magical boy. Talk about shojo in reverse in contrast to popular shojo sub-genres: lolicon and magical girlfriend. The storyline had a lot of potential but sadly, it was wasted with half-baked conflicts. It became a romance for romance's sake. Kissing should be considered a crime here. I don't mind (x10) the excessive mushiness but the story could have been better. The art, the boys and the frivoulous court clothes were all lovely. This is the first manga that I've completed . I've finished "Hot Gimmick" earlier but I'm still waiting for the translation of the couple of volumes I've skipped.

Hua Yang Shao Nian Shao Nu 15 episodes based on Nakajo Hisaya's manga, "Hana Kimi" Hana Kimi vs Hana Kimi From what I've read in the reviews before I believe this is more faithful to the manga which is about a girl disguising as a boy in an all-boys school. But I confess I prefer the jdorama "Hana Kimi". Probably because the Taiwanese drama is the first adaptation and the jdorama had the advantage of improving or for better term, improvising the material. I'm biased that I got tired with the pacing. I really should read the manga. Bottomline, if you want to watch both then watch this first. Yi Quan or Sano's character is more expressive with his feelings but was not given justice by the acting. I know they're all in their twenties but he's the least believable high school student. Ella who plays Rui Xi is much more convincing to pass as a boy than her Japanese counterpart. She always make this weird, ungraceful faces to make her

Angelique OVA-3 episodes Broadcast Date: Mar 17, 2004 to Mar 23, 2005 From the same creators of "La Corda d'Oro" and "Harukanaru Toki no Naka de", "Angelique" is the most successful adventure dating game by Neoromance that spawned animes, mangas, novels and spin-offs. It is also considered as the very first otome game. The queen candidates, Angelique and Rosalia, are given a comsos to cultivate with the help of the uber-handsome guardians. I guess to truly understand and appreciate this you should be familiar with the game to which I'm not (I stopped playing a long, long time ago). This is a prequel to the game so you'll be left hanging. Related: Angelique: Shiroi Tsubasa no Memoire (Angelique: White Wing Memoirs) OVA 2 episodes Mar 25, 2000 to Jun 27, 2000 Angelique: Seichi yori Ai o Komete (Angelique ~From the Sanctuary with Love) OVA-3 episodes Jan 25, 2001 to Jun 27, 2001 Angelique Twin Collection OVA- 8 episodes Ma

Legend of Basara- 13 episodes- based on the manga "Basara" by Yumi Tamura The story is set in the future which resembles the Dark Ages. It is about Sasara, a girl who just wanted to protect her village from those who are in power. Sasara will learn the dangers and cruelties of fighting and amidst that, she will find her love. Beware, this is not your usual romance fare as this is also an action-adventure anime. The quality of animation in the nineties doesn't quite give you the futuristic feel. But nevertheless, the twists are like from a soap opera executed effortlessly. Just expect the unexpected. This one would leave you wanting more. Seriously, I'm having second thoughts about this anime which is better: to give spoilers or to be very vague.

Redi Jōjī (Lady Georgie) - 45 episodes based on the manga, "Georgie" written by Mann Izawa and drawn by Yumiko Iragashi status: dropped Georgie learns that she is an adopted daughter and that both her brothers have fallen in love with her. She flee Australia to look for her real father and her lost love in England. I've only seen a couple of episodes of the dubbed version in our local channel I guess around 5 years ago. It was a jolt in my head when I suddenly remembered the story and I have to look up for the title as I've forgotten it. This might be one of the earliest form of reverse harem. The manga debuted in 1982 while the anime aired the following year.

The protagonist is a female? Check! The supporting cast are predominantly males? Check! Romance? None! Almost a reverse harem, but not a chance. Here are some of the successful titles that didn't bank on the universal theme of love. By ayreesa 1. Gokusen- (abbreviation of Gokudo no Sensei,which means Gangster Teacher) Yamaguchi, a Yakuza heiress, fulfills her dream and becomes a teacher to delinquent highschool boys. Though there are some characters who are in love with Yamaguchi in Kozueko Morimoto's manga, it wasn't distorted in the anime and the live series at all. I was disappointed with the doomed 'Shinkumi' pair that I didn't even finished the anime and the drama. I'm now trying to finish the anime and then maybe the dramedy. By ayreesa 2. Azumi Azumi is raised with her childhoods friends to become assassins. It is based on Yu Koyama's manga, but the original storyline are girls being trained to become killers. Being a slashe

By ayreesa As for the moment these are my dream team. They're all from reverse harem series. Their character descriptions are in white since some are spoilers. 1.Senya- His real name is Sa Sakujun from "Saiunkoku Monogatari". He's pure evil but for the first time he had a reason to live when he falls in love with Shuurei. And in own twisted way, he will die for Shuurei as well. I want to see him again in season 2. 2.Ryuuki- The emperor from "Saiunkoku Monogatari". He's childish and spoiled but he's very perspective and responsible. He's very cute when he acts crazy and bold over Shuurei. 3.Rimudo- One of the celestial guardians in "Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden". He transforms to Uruki, as a woman to control the wind. He's very protective to Takiko not just because he's a guardian to a priestess, but because he is just a man and she is a woman. I can sense another ill-fated lovers. :) 4.Shin- The Plant Leafe Knight from "Pretea

Hana Yori Dango- 9 episodes based on manga "Hana Yori Dango" (Boys Before Flowers) by Kamio Yoko. Since I havn't read the manga I can't compare which between the two, "Meteor Garden" or "Hana Yori Dango", made a better adaptation. My inspiration in watching this is that I get to see Ikuta Toma in the sequel. It was dragging at first because I already knew the plot..poor girl getting the red note from F4... yadda yadda...enemies to lovers...but before I knew it I was caught in up in their world again. And I got teary-eyed like three times, when she and then her family have to endure hardships. Hana Yori Dango Returns- 11 episodes Makino now had to prove their love against all odds. The drama is heavier. It was an exhausting, emotional rollercoaster ride that I just want to give them a smack on their heads. If not for Shun Ogiri I wouldn't be able to finish it. But still, it was way better compared to "Meteor Garden II" in

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e or Hana Kimi (translation: For You in Full Blossom)- 12 episodes based on Nakajo Hisaya's manga Ayashi poses as a boy in hopes of convincing her hero into jumping again. "Hana Kimi" is not just a romantic comedy, it is a hilariously, heartwarming series. I'm planning to watch the whole thing again. It's very rare that I rewatch shows or movies. This is my very first jdorama that I've actually followed through until the end. In fact, this one got me into watching Asian soaps again after "Meteor Garden". The actors are very good and I'm smitten over Ikuta Toma (Nakatsu). He's not on the picture though. I like the way they shortened the wait by producing the shortest yet powerful opening that I've ever seen with a nice, upbeat music by Orange Range. Babyyyyyy!

Meteor Garden- Season 1 30 Episodes and Meteor Garden II- Season 2 31 episodes based on the manga, Hana Yori Dango This is the first live series of "Hana Yori Dango" but set in Taiwan with Chinese character names and a different title. Even with all the variations from the manga, it still followed the same plot and conflicts. Shan Chai is the poor girl that goes up against the F4 and it's ringleader, Dao Ming Si and the rest is history. "Meteor Garden" paved the way for asian dramas in the Philippines back in 2003. I caught the fever as well. It's hard to compare two versions that you've watched at an entirely different time. I cringed now at my unwavering fanaticism to "Meteor Garden" then but it was a first of it's kind that I've seen and I did enjoyed it while it lasted. As I matured (perhaps), one thing that didn't changed is that I still like the opening and closing songs of the first season. Follow Reverse Harem

Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden by Yuu Watase 6 Volumes- ongoing This is the prequel of "Fushigi Yugi". It shows the origin of the book and the adventures of the very first priestess, Takiko. I was sad after "Fushigi Yugi" ended and I wished it could go on forever. The OVAS were also disappointing. This time I have high expectations that Genbu Kaiden will be worthy successor or erm a predecessor (im confused now lol) of the Fushigi series. I even bought my very first manga after the scanlations run out. I'm just not too keen with the ending since it's already a giveaway. Please check updated review here . 

Gokuraku Seishun Hockey Club (My Heavenly Hockey Club) by Ai Morinaga 3 volumes- ongoing Hana's hobbies are sleeping and eating but her idyllic world crumbles when she was tricked into joining an all-male hockey club. This is the first time that I've read a manga scanlation and the translations are until chapter 3 only. It took me for a moment to realize that I should read it from right to left.^_^;; The plot and the characters are very similar to "Ouran High School Host Club", but I wouldn't mind buying the 2 volumes that I saw the other day in the mall. I'll just wait for the bookstore to run a discounted sale.

Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers or Boys Before Flowers) 52 episodes! based on Yoki Mamio's manga status: plan to watch The same manga also inspired the Taiwanese drama "Meteor Garden" and jdorama "Hana Yori Dango". I havn't watched this as well but they basically follow the same plot. Tsukushi is a poor girl who captures the attention of the notorious F4. The group consists of the most powerful boys in their elite school.