High School DxD
Alternative Names: Highschool DxD
Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Ecchi
Episodes: 48 (4 Seasons)
Stream available on: Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video (partially)
Issei Hyoudou is the typical high school creep – he hits on women and dreams of having his own harem one day. His first date goes only so “medium” – as the pretty woman turns out to be a fallen angel who kills him on the spot. Shortly thereafter, he is revived as a servant by Rias Gremory, a high-ranking demon in human form.
From then on, he must serve her and learn to fight in order to survive in a world of devils, demons, and angels – while simultaneously hiding his new identity from family and friends.
What to expect from High School DxD: Okay, okay. You knew that a series like this had to appear here. Most people will have heard of High School DxD – even those who are denying it now.
However, High School DxD actually has a fairly solid and exciting story. It just hides behind jiggly breasts, panty shots, and sexual innuendos by the dozen. The fact that the series continues to enjoy great popularity even years later is undoubtedly a testament to it – which is probably mainly due to Rias Gremory. It was not so easy to find a somewhat family-friendly image of her…
It is not surprising for most that this anime also comes in different variations with “bonus scenes” or a significantly increased degree of explicitness. But even with the normal version, it is certainly not something you want to watch with the family. Unless you want to suffer again or impress your parents grandly by showing them that they can expect nothing from you anymore.
Nisekoi
Alternative Names: Nisekoi: False Love
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 20
Stream available on: Currently no streaming provider known. Only available for purchase.
Raku Ichijou is the sole heir of a large Yakuza family, but wants to have little to do with it. However, when the Yakuza get into a fight with an American gang and a gang war threatens, the adults resort to drastic measures. As a sign of reconciliation, Ichijou must date the daughter of the American gang boss – something both of them have absolutely no desire to do.
As if the situation wasn’t already annoying enough, Ichijou’s childhood friend also shows up almost simultaneously…
What to expect from Nisekoi: Nisekoi follows the somewhat cliché principle of “Two people must pretend to be in love,” but wonderfully mixes it with a hefty dose of humor and interesting characters.
The story always stays quite “light-hearted” and avoids excessive drama. However, you can’t help but hit the “Next Episode” button after each episode because there are some interesting twists whose outcomes you always want to see.
Bonus: Romantic Killer!
Alternative Names: /
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Supernatural
Episodes: 12
Stream available on: Netflix
To be happy, Anzu only needs 3 things: video games, chocolate, and her cat. She can’t make much of romance – at least until now. Suddenly, a magical mascot springs from a dating game, turning Anzu’s life upside down: The creature named “Riri” not only robs her of her 3 favorites but also ensures that she now constantly stumbles into situations with potential dream men.
Anzu has to expend all her willpower to avoid these “fateful” encounters and gets hardly a breather before Riri brings forth the next calamity.
What to expect from Romantic Killer: Romantic Killer is a “reverse harem” – that is, a protagonist pursued by many men. Even if you’re not that into it, it’s worth a look because the series also serves as a parody of harem anime. All the bizarre coincidences of such series are explained here through magical intervention.
But Romantic Killer is much more than just a parody and shows how the genre can work without relying solely on old clichés. This is mainly due to the strong and convincing characters, who are much more complex than in most traditional harem anime.
Do you know any other harem anime that you can recommend? Or ones you’ve heard about through friends of friends and that you have of course not seen yourself?
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