Being a shoujo fanatic (more like a romance genre enthusiast, and again, it bears repeating), I’ve seen romance stories developed in various ways. One was too quick for comfort. Others had so little development. Some were slow-burn romances (and I liked them). But there’s one thing common among them: we all know who the love interest is. And sometimes I find the predictability unchallenging.

I know romance stories are not just about relationships; characters are important too. But what if it’s a reverse harem?

I know that in stories, it is imperative to establish characters (even the side characters). Even if it is a romance, the relationship isn’t the only aspect it needs to flesh out (as and it should be); characters are very important. Very much so. I love well-created characters; their charisma to lure me in (and mess with my emotions) just shows brilliant writing. But when it comes to romance, one that is supposed to deal with multiple love interests, isn’t it too much to ask not to know who the heroine will end up with?

It’s the predictability that sucks all the fun out of shipping, and I’m all for rooting for the underdog who’s not a sure winner.

I dig reverse harem! I enjoyed 桜蘭高校ホスト部 even though I knew from the start what Haruhi’s end game was. The fun story kind of made it all acceptable. But I admit, I’m also kind of sad about Kaoru and Hikaru’s one-sided love. And while it didn’t fail to highlight their young (failed?) love, the predictability brought it down a bit, since we knew it wouldn’t be fruitful to begin with. It wasn’t a waste, don’t get me wrong; it was needed for their characters, but the knowledge beforehand sometimes felt like a ploy, just a small step going forward. And that’s why, if it’s a reverse harem, I would prefer not to know. Let them be the best contenders to win the girl’s heart (Bachelorette style?)

Ignorance is bliss; shipping the couple not knowing if it’s the end game is kind of fun!

Multiple love interests will require massive development, and sometimes writers don’t have the luxury of time to do this, so this is perhaps wishful thinking on my part (but here I am airing my whims), but if 私がモテてどうすんだ did it, I think this kind of romantic development ain’t all that impossible. I was happy that the guy I rooted for in Kae-chan was the same guy she ended up marrying. It was a nice ride, not knowing who the last guy standing was. There were red herrings, and I almost fell for them, but that was part of the thrill I was seeking. And it was kind of fun; this time ignorance was truly bliss. So how about not making the love interest too obvious? ” Because I love the challenge!