Hare-Kon.
Harem Marriage

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Harems are a dime a dozen in the world of anime and manga, portrayed as the ultimate male fantasy and often played for laughs, it’s a trope that is riddled with issues while not portraying polygamy with any real accuracy beyond gratuitous sex. For some, polygamy is an alternative lifestyle that can be fulfilling and painful for others.

Polygamy has been a vehicle for numerous abuses all over the world, and it is generally misunderstood by many that see it as free reign to cheat on partners. The truth is, there are committed polygamous relationships, but rules are set by those within the relationship in the ... same way that they are set by those in monogamous relationships.

This series is pretty large, spanning nineteen volumes, the reader follows the ups and downs of a hare-kon family. In response to Japan’s declining birth rate and low marriages, a pioneering town decides to make polygamous marriages legal. With this, the readers are introduced to a marriage between a man and three completely different women, each one representing some favored romance tropes. Despite this, Hare-Kon faces the question of polygamous relationships head-on, showing the absolute worst sides of this kind of family set-up along with the joys and kinship that is possible with a large family.

To say that this series is frustrating is an understatement, there are many issues with the way that the story is presented spearheaded by a husband that is unabashedly detestable at times. Ryuunoske could be charming and funny, but he is also extremely selfish and manipulative. Koharu “falling in love” was also extremely weak, she goes overnight from hating that she feels forced into a sham marriage to suddenly deciding that her unhappiness must mean that she’s jealous and in love.

Understandably, reactions to this series have varied wildly with many people swinging from hating characters to loving them. Honestly, what made me keep coming back was the gorgeous artwork and a genuine interest in seeing if the series actually goes anywhere. It starts off extremely weak, but the middle volumes become stronger and even enjoyable with some genuinely heartfelt moments. Despite the issues, many of the characters are engaging whether they are likable or not, and the author did a marvelous job in stirring up conversation about harems in the medium that glorifies them the most, an achievement in and of itself.

This manga REEKS of sexism and patriarchy. It is the perfect example that just because it was written by a woman doesn't mean it's feminist. Unfortunately women can adopt sexist views as well.

*Spoilers*

I read a couple of reviews before writing mine and it seemed that no one stated what was obvious to me. Forget about scores, characters , art etc for a moment. There is a scene where Koharu is starting to have suspicions about Ryuu seeing another woman outside the Hare-Kon and is tempted to pry his cell phone. Ryuu sees her holding his cell phone and does what? He takes her pants ... down and forcibly has his way. DOES ANYNONE REALIZE THIS IS A BORDERLINE RAPE SCENE? And more importantly that is passed down as "husband punishment that turns to erotic play"? Koharu repeatedly tells him "I didn't look" but the feeling of guilt she has makes it enough to accept her "punishment". In simple words, in the mangaka's mind it is ok to sexually abuse others if it's punishment and to make matters worse , if you are the victim (wife) you must accept it.

I pointed out that scene because it disgusted me the most out of all the other ones. Having said that there are so many other views and ideas expressed through this manga that are appalling. How it is okay for a husband to have sex whenever he wants even without consent, how the road of happiness for women is strictly through marriage and children etc. The sad part is that suppossedly this manga is open minded because it shows a polygamous relationship and through a modern perspective of a young woman. Sorry nope. Everything that constitutes Koharu are the traditional Confucianist ideas of hierarchy and formalism ('Since he's my husband he has every right" ) that are super conservative.

I finished the manga only to see if there was a chance for turning the story upside down but of course I was wrong. As everyone agrees the art is beautiful and it's a shame that it was put in such a repulsive story. Would recommend it only for sociocultural studies.

I feel like everyone who has read this manga stayed up really late to read it, like myself... It's a curse. I've read the reviews and known what I was getting myself into but wow... it was worse than I thought.

The polygamous relationship peaked my interest and curiosity at the beginning and tbh it was pretty enjoyable up until a certain point. (For me, it was around chapter 105.) The author really forced this idea of keeping a polygamous relationship when it really didn't need one.

The story felt like it was empty. Nothing was ever solved but more or less pushed to the side. ... It felt like the story was going somewhere but it really just looped a full 360. I won't lie tho some scenes were cute but MOST of the time they were out of place..

The art was amazing honestly. Can we just have an applause for the artist? The art is what saved the manga.

Character development for Koharu was good at first but when she started accepting everything that came her way, it got ridiculous. There really was no character development because it all just came back to where they first began.

Again it could've been good....but it wasn't at all.