HaremKingdom is a pure-love comedy in another world! Amidst magical hijinks and five adoring brides, what kind of harem will you choose to build?
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After Sugar Style heavily disappointed me in characters, humor, and structure, I was afraid of HaremKingdom since it seemed to be going both a nukige (which im not big on) and isekai (I do not like this genre at all) route. However... HaremKingdom definitely surpassed my expectations, likely being my favorite (moe)nukige and isekai series now.
So what makes HaremKingdom stick out for me? I'd say the humor and characters easily. Even lighthearted isekais Ive tried like that Slime anime have really boring characters and humor so it was a slog to finish S1 even watching with friends. HaremKingdom goes all in on SMEE's degenerate weird humor style and arguably alone makes its selling point.
There are definitely a lot of jokes that work by SMEE basically making fun of the isekai genre, like how the initial world warp was (initially) unexplained [thank god there was no truck], the "dickdick" animals, Staffs of creation and stuff, and even just the concept of the king needing a harem specifically to get energy to keep a kingdom alive. Compared to more 'grounded' settings in previous SMEE VNs, its almost like the comedy writer was able to let loose and have even crazier/hilarious situations than usual. I'd almost argue it's the most consistently funny SMEE to date, but I'd have to think about that.
The route structure was... interesting. Where the type of harem you choose how the MC or heroines chooses to act, as well as the final chapter of the route solely focusing on the heroine who gave the original harem idea.
However, the surprising aspect... was how surprisingly wholesome and likable the characters and their development were. Even in the common route, I really liked seeing how the MC was able to get all 5 heroines to mutually consent to join the harem. Which was nice since a few characters in particular were basically originally forced by their families to join the harem. But since MC helped them out individually and gave very good reasons (for the most part) for all of them to legit love him enough and not just feel like a job, it made the harem aspect... actually appealing?
And thankfully once all the heroines join in, just about all of them are pretty likable. Sophia is naive princess but just wants to be herself, Char is the surprisingly deep "imp" character, Kiki being very shy due to being a former slave made sense, and Marrou was a nice mature older character who can joke around.
However my absolute favorite character was Hikari easily. She was basically the closest thing to my favorite kind of eccentric weirdo character. She's a very goofy, blunt, sometimes even openly degenerate tomboy-ish girl who's constantly hilarious. She's usually the one most willing to make a goofy remark, make the loud SMEE-like retort, and the one most likely to say some good ass Engrish. Her role as a childhood friend almost felt like it was parodied as much as the isekai genre. A childhood friend duo being close, know they like each other, both being awkward about romance, and just being terrible at getting together up until the end of college is quite the extreme. However, there were some certain twists that made their relationship... oddly sweet? With a mix of Marrou and Hikari's flashback we got to see how they met, how they became freinds and in love early, how MC tried to save her after she got hit with an arrow, how Hikari remembered the stuff MC forgot, and did her best to play along while also feeling bad, etc. Basically, I loved her flashbacks and revelations alot.
Now with all that said, I'd say this VN is still just a good, but not great VN. Despite it being wholesome for a harem moenukige, I still would have preferred each heroine have their own individual route. I still would have preferred these characters' personalities in a non-isekai setting. If there was gonna be a harem aspect, I wish all the characters' development, backstories and the paths the MC took were more unified in 1 route For example, I want MC to take charge more in 'Me' route, but I also wanted the option of easy Japan access he thought of in 'Earth' route!, but I also wanted the revelations of Marrou and especially Hikari from their routes. While I liked 4/5 of the routes for being interesting and/or comfy, sadly I wasn't a fan of most the Fire route, the heroines ended up being too savage to one another. Basically this was a case of I liked this VN DESPITE these base issues I had.
That said, I still overall quite liked HaremKingdom. While it didn't quite reach Making Lovers level (mostly cuz I prefer the down to earth adult age setting and Mashiro Tsukino), it might actually be my 2nd favorite SMEE currently. Beating out Fureraba (HK had overall better humor and characters), and easily beating Sugar Style (which I couldn't even finish).
If you guys just want more SMEE comedy and like/don't mind harems and/or isekais, I actually highly recommend HaremKingdom.
So what makes HaremKingdom stick out for me? I'd say the humor and characters easily. Even lighthearted isekais Ive tried like that Slime anime have really boring characters and humor so it was a slog to finish S1 even watching with friends. HaremKingdom goes all in on SMEE's degenerate weird humor style and arguably alone makes its selling point.
There are definitely a lot of jokes that work by SMEE basically making fun of the isekai genre, like how the initial world warp was (initially) unexplained [thank god there was no truck], the "dickdick" animals, Staffs of creation and stuff, and even just the concept of the king needing a harem specifically to get energy to keep a kingdom alive. Compared to more 'grounded' settings in previous SMEE VNs, its almost like the comedy writer was able to let loose and have even crazier/hilarious situations than usual. I'd almost argue it's the most consistently funny SMEE to date, but I'd have to think about that.
The route structure was... interesting. Where the type of harem you choose how the MC or heroines chooses to act, as well as the final chapter of the route solely focusing on the heroine who gave the original harem idea.
However, the surprising aspect... was how surprisingly wholesome and likable the characters and their development were. Even in the common route, I really liked seeing how the MC was able to get all 5 heroines to mutually consent to join the harem. Which was nice since a few characters in particular were basically originally forced by their families to join the harem. But since MC helped them out individually and gave very good reasons (for the most part) for all of them to legit love him enough and not just feel like a job, it made the harem aspect... actually appealing?
And thankfully once all the heroines join in, just about all of them are pretty likable. Sophia is naive princess but just wants to be herself, Char is the surprisingly deep "imp" character, Kiki being very shy due to being a former slave made sense, and Marrou was a nice mature older character who can joke around.
However my absolute favorite character was Hikari easily. She was basically the closest thing to my favorite kind of eccentric weirdo character. She's a very goofy, blunt, sometimes even openly degenerate tomboy-ish girl who's constantly hilarious. She's usually the one most willing to make a goofy remark, make the loud SMEE-like retort, and the one most likely to say some good ass Engrish. Her role as a childhood friend almost felt like it was parodied as much as the isekai genre. A childhood friend duo being close, know they like each other, both being awkward about romance, and just being terrible at getting together up until the end of college is quite the extreme. However, there were some certain twists that made their relationship... oddly sweet? With a mix of Marrou and Hikari's flashback we got to see how they met, how they became freinds and in love early, how MC tried to save her after she got hit with an arrow, how Hikari remembered the stuff MC forgot, and did her best to play along while also feeling bad, etc. Basically, I loved her flashbacks and revelations alot.
Now with all that said, I'd say this VN is still just a good, but not great VN. Despite it being wholesome for a harem moenukige, I still would have preferred each heroine have their own individual route. I still would have preferred these characters' personalities in a non-isekai setting. If there was gonna be a harem aspect, I wish all the characters' development, backstories and the paths the MC took were more unified in 1 route For example, I want MC to take charge more in 'Me' route, but I also wanted the option of easy Japan access he thought of in 'Earth' route!, but I also wanted the revelations of Marrou and especially Hikari from their routes. While I liked 4/5 of the routes for being interesting and/or comfy, sadly I wasn't a fan of most the Fire route, the heroines ended up being too savage to one another. Basically this was a case of I liked this VN DESPITE these base issues I had.
That said, I still overall quite liked HaremKingdom. While it didn't quite reach Making Lovers level (mostly cuz I prefer the down to earth adult age setting and Mashiro Tsukino), it might actually be my 2nd favorite SMEE currently. Beating out Fureraba (HK had overall better humor and characters), and easily beating Sugar Style (which I couldn't even finish).
If you guys just want more SMEE comedy and like/don't mind harems and/or isekais, I actually highly recommend HaremKingdom.
Full video review: https://youtu.be/YvHtWPrIOXs
Within the visual novel medium, I can’t say I’ve actually seen too many isekai stories. We get a ton of anime and novels based in that genre, so it’s honestly a bit surprising that this is only like the second VN I’ve played with that base.
Story
HaremKingdom starts off in the real world, but you’re quickly thrown into this fantasy realm, along with your childhood friend, and just as quickly crowned king of an entire kingdom. The “harem” part of the title comes from the fact that – in order to maintain his own life – our protagonist must build a harem and maintain constant emotional AND physical contact with each of its members. This is all thrown on you early on – the story wastes no time in setting itself up and getting you introduced to all of its characters.
This fast pacing is something the game never really lets up, even into its character routes. You’re thrown from scenario to scenario with very little drama or other gimmicks to drag down the experience. It is a no-nonsense harem story all the way through and what little drama that is introduced is resolved just as quickly.
I liked how refreshing it was to get right into the meat of the story without an overly long buildup, but it does come at the cost of some character development and worldbuilding. For being an isekai story, the whole “fantasy” setting is hardly explored beyond surface-level concepts like “oh, there’s magic”, for example.
A bit disappointing, but this is kinda expected coming from SMEE. They don’t really do settings outside of reality and generally don’t do the whole “serious” story thing, instead focusing way more on the comedy and characters. And yes, this expertise can be seen in HaremKingdom.
Right from the start, you are bombarded with the studio’s signature over the top comedic writing. Exaggerated character quirks, absurd plot developments, and even text that shapes itself to the tune of the game’s own jokes. It’s all there and, what normally would just not work in other VNs, manages to work so well here simply because the game does not take itself seriously.
18+ Content
This one differs from their past works though in that it has a much heavier 18+ focus. The Steam version comes unpatched, but there is a free patch to add back in these scenes and yeah, there’s a good bit of them – like almost every in-game night. They’re not necessary for the story, but they are there for those that want the full experience.
Route Structure
Each heroine is given her own route, but they only feel slightly different than the common route. The harem thing is still a major focus and the only thing the character routes change are a bit of backstory for said character and more H-scenes. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same feeling as the common route: a bunch of random character events loosely linked together with comedy as the main focus.
The common route was my favorite part of the game, so this seemed great on paper, but it also means that the story doesn’t spend as much time fleshing out the characters. It’s disappointing, but I also understand that that is not really the point of this game. The comedy and slice of life stuff is the main player here and that is what it does well – putting the usual character development and serious plotlines on the backburner.
Characters
I didn’t outright dislike any of the characters. They each fit their specific archetype sure, but they’re all enjoyable in their own way. It was tough deciding which route to go down first and even after completing the game (about 20 hours long), I honestly cannot tell you who my favorite character was – it’s like a three-way tie between Hikari, Kiki, and Marrou.
Protagonist
The protagonist is just… okay. It’s one of those renamable protagonists and that is usually a red flag for a self-insert type, and while that’s not too far off a description, he does at least have some personality. Great comedic timing if anything, but again, his backstory is just as basic as the rest of the cast even if the story does try to throw in an interesting twist or two there.
Art/Music
The character designs are not too far off from the typical SMEE visual novel, but they don’t really need to be. The studio constantly puts out solid character designs and this one is no exception. There’s also a decent amount of animation – eye blinking, multiple poses, and even the occasional zoom or cropping to emphasize a joke. My only complaint here would be the boring backgrounds and 720p lock, although that latter one is pretty standard for the medium.
Localization
Shiravune has also done a nice job with the localization. I can’t speak for the actual Japanese to English translation, but I maybe noticed 2-3 typos or grammar issues throughout the entire thing and they did a great job adapting the jokes to work in English. Given the speed at which this publisher has been releasing these English translations, it’s honestly impressive.
Overall
For being a bit different from the usual SMEE visual novel, HaremKingdom still maintains what makes their visual novels enjoyable. Great comedy, fun characters, lighthearted romance – it’s a nice all-around package even if the story may not be anything beyond that comedy and slice of life stuff. If you’re looking for a short, yet fun comedy VN that gets right to the point – this is one to look out for. If you’re looking for a serious, well-told story, then give it a pass.
Within the visual novel medium, I can’t say I’ve actually seen too many isekai stories. We get a ton of anime and novels based in that genre, so it’s honestly a bit surprising that this is only like the second VN I’ve played with that base.
Story
HaremKingdom starts off in the real world, but you’re quickly thrown into this fantasy realm, along with your childhood friend, and just as quickly crowned king of an entire kingdom. The “harem” part of the title comes from the fact that – in order to maintain his own life – our protagonist must build a harem and maintain constant emotional AND physical contact with each of its members. This is all thrown on you early on – the story wastes no time in setting itself up and getting you introduced to all of its characters.
This fast pacing is something the game never really lets up, even into its character routes. You’re thrown from scenario to scenario with very little drama or other gimmicks to drag down the experience. It is a no-nonsense harem story all the way through and what little drama that is introduced is resolved just as quickly.
I liked how refreshing it was to get right into the meat of the story without an overly long buildup, but it does come at the cost of some character development and worldbuilding. For being an isekai story, the whole “fantasy” setting is hardly explored beyond surface-level concepts like “oh, there’s magic”, for example.
A bit disappointing, but this is kinda expected coming from SMEE. They don’t really do settings outside of reality and generally don’t do the whole “serious” story thing, instead focusing way more on the comedy and characters. And yes, this expertise can be seen in HaremKingdom.
Right from the start, you are bombarded with the studio’s signature over the top comedic writing. Exaggerated character quirks, absurd plot developments, and even text that shapes itself to the tune of the game’s own jokes. It’s all there and, what normally would just not work in other VNs, manages to work so well here simply because the game does not take itself seriously.
18+ Content
This one differs from their past works though in that it has a much heavier 18+ focus. The Steam version comes unpatched, but there is a free patch to add back in these scenes and yeah, there’s a good bit of them – like almost every in-game night. They’re not necessary for the story, but they are there for those that want the full experience.
Route Structure
Each heroine is given her own route, but they only feel slightly different than the common route. The harem thing is still a major focus and the only thing the character routes change are a bit of backstory for said character and more H-scenes. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same feeling as the common route: a bunch of random character events loosely linked together with comedy as the main focus.
The common route was my favorite part of the game, so this seemed great on paper, but it also means that the story doesn’t spend as much time fleshing out the characters. It’s disappointing, but I also understand that that is not really the point of this game. The comedy and slice of life stuff is the main player here and that is what it does well – putting the usual character development and serious plotlines on the backburner.
Characters
I didn’t outright dislike any of the characters. They each fit their specific archetype sure, but they’re all enjoyable in their own way. It was tough deciding which route to go down first and even after completing the game (about 20 hours long), I honestly cannot tell you who my favorite character was – it’s like a three-way tie between Hikari, Kiki, and Marrou.
Protagonist
The protagonist is just… okay. It’s one of those renamable protagonists and that is usually a red flag for a self-insert type, and while that’s not too far off a description, he does at least have some personality. Great comedic timing if anything, but again, his backstory is just as basic as the rest of the cast even if the story does try to throw in an interesting twist or two there.
Art/Music
The character designs are not too far off from the typical SMEE visual novel, but they don’t really need to be. The studio constantly puts out solid character designs and this one is no exception. There’s also a decent amount of animation – eye blinking, multiple poses, and even the occasional zoom or cropping to emphasize a joke. My only complaint here would be the boring backgrounds and 720p lock, although that latter one is pretty standard for the medium.
Localization
Shiravune has also done a nice job with the localization. I can’t speak for the actual Japanese to English translation, but I maybe noticed 2-3 typos or grammar issues throughout the entire thing and they did a great job adapting the jokes to work in English. Given the speed at which this publisher has been releasing these English translations, it’s honestly impressive.
Overall
For being a bit different from the usual SMEE visual novel, HaremKingdom still maintains what makes their visual novels enjoyable. Great comedy, fun characters, lighthearted romance – it’s a nice all-around package even if the story may not be anything beyond that comedy and slice of life stuff. If you’re looking for a short, yet fun comedy VN that gets right to the point – this is one to look out for. If you’re looking for a serious, well-told story, then give it a pass.