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Silly question, but how many people do you need at minimum in a love-triangle (or love-polygon, whatever) for something to be classified as a harem manga/anime? If "only" three people are involved, and not even at the same time, would that already be a harem?

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    This is much like asking "how many fight scenes need to be in a movie for it to be classified as an action movie?". – senshin Dec 20 '17 at 17:24
  • Is the answer 3 or more? – кяαzєя Dec 20 '17 at 18:57
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    3 IMHO is not a harem. It's just a simple love triangle. At least 3 female is required in a harem and yuri-harem, 3 male in reverse-harem and yaoi-harem. Also, historically, harem involves hundreds of woman and one man (usually King or Emperor). See, [here](https://books.google.co.id/books?id=WHY7q1u8mP4C&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=david%27s+harem&source=bl&ots=9ZNiz991rC&sig=ZqcyGeGQVvHDg-O5I-hPxoTFuus&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjG3vbSo5vYAhUiSY8KHXoZDnIQ6AEIQTAE#v=onepage&q=david's%20harem&f=false") – 絢瀬絵里 Dec 21 '17 at 14:29

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From Wikipedia:

Harem (ハーレムもの hāremumono; "from harem") in anime and manga is an emphasis on polygamous or love triangle relationships characterized by a protagonist surrounded amorously by three or more members of either the same and/or opposing gender, sex, and/or love interests

So three people is enough to be classified as harem

Darjeeling
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    Even after reading the referenced article, I'm dissatisfied with the arbitrary number. Surely in the last ten years we've established more than simply conjecture by now. – Makoto Dec 20 '17 at 16:02
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Not counting the protagonist …

  • … if it’s one person, it is a simple love anime.

  • … if it’s two people, it’s a love triangle.

  • … if it’s three people, it can become a love polygon, but calling it a harm is simpler.

Jan
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