Decided to give this a chance. The most disappointing thing is that I found myself asking more questions after every single thing I read. The questions were either answered in a way that may have been implied or were never answered. NON (mangaka) wanted to create a meaningful read but with so many unanswered questions, even though it was put in on purpose, the manga instead turned out to be very shallow. Here are some questions/comments I can address (even though I have A LOT more):
First off: The idea to write about this topic was interesting but it was not justified. Throughout this entire manga, NON was not able to prove that the purpose of a harem marriage is beneficial. It would have been more powerful if there was more contradicting friends, family, and bystanders so that they can prove their relationship and give it more meaning. This marriage was highlighted to be the main story and NON was desperate give it meaning by adding small facts like Ryuu has a "dark past" which was never expanded on.
Second: Madoka had intentions to steal Ryuu away from his family but it was very brief and ended up making Madoka look like a homewrecker instead of making viewers see that she is someone who truly believes in monogamy. She made a good temporary "villain", something that this manga did not have until the moment that Ryuu recruited her to be his manager. It had great potential to be emotionally powerful yet loving, but the arc had to stop so that Koharu can "shine". Disappointing.
Third: Every character had beliefs, which was what made them so lovable. However, NON focused more on the humor and light-hearted side of them while leaving all of their dark-sides/pasts behind (with a few fair mentions of their backstory). After awhile, the manga dragged because it focused on an unjustified marriage the focal point was petty jealousy with the other sister-wives. There were a few events in the story that I felt were underwhelming and would have enriched the story if there was more "meat to the bones." Great examples include:
Koharu's father's death & funeral, Koharu runs away from the marriage, Rinn's birth, the Date harem wedding, the return of all of the wives at the end, etc.
Subpar buildup only to have the actual event be thrown out the window with a few panels indicating that the event happened.
At best, Hare-Kon is a manga that gives an average outlook of what polygamy may look like in a marriage: the insecurities, as well as the love, that accompany a relationship with sister-wives and a single husband. At its worst, the manga shows a pitiful relationship only glued together by nonsensical humor, a false reality, a shallow promise of "family," and sex scenes. The realities outside of the marriage and the scrutiny it would have faced are left completely unexplored. Still a good read and character development is still something to enjoy but just don't expect to read about a deep emotionally-torn story. Good luck.
@ZoddGuts, I love how you think that people who rated poorly did so because the main character's gender is female. By assuming this, you automatically let us know that you didn't read any actual decent reviews and simply looked at "bad" ratings to justify your own.
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