World’s End Harem – Episode 1

Content warning: Sexual coercion, heavy fanservice

What’s it about? In a world where technology has advanced enough that people no longer need to work anymore, humanity’s still vulnerable to deadly diseases and at risk for extinction.  While humans are put to a cryosleep until AIs can find a cure, it turns out men are the ones most susceptible to new viruses and only a few have been treated.  Enter our hero, Mizuhara Reito who must now have sex with as many women as possible so he can pass on his immunity to the next generation of men.  

It was only a matter of time until I reviewed a harem anime, and you know what? I ain’t mad.  If anything I was surprised to find out that this show takes itself WAY TOO SERIOUSLY!  I was honestly expecting to be laughing my way throughout this premiere, because who read the synopsis and didn’t laugh?

Jokes on me, I guess.  I’m not kidding when I say I was ready to sing this show’s praises for at least being honest about what it is and then telling AniFem readers this is a definite “no” from me and move on with my day; BUT here I am ready to take this show’s weird tone to heart. But then I had to sit through the whole thing.

Putting aside the stupid situation Reito finds himself in, it felt extremely meta watching this show deal with its own global pandemic.  Even though we have vaccines to help us deal with new COVID-19 variants, the sense of fear that these variants could develop into something worse hasn’t gone away.  The reality is COVID-19 has affected our socio-political and economic systems globally, and I hate that I find this aspect of the show relatable. *grumbles*  

Reito himself isn’t an interesting protagonist and is mostly horrified of what he is asked to do for the sake of humanity.  It’s almost hilarious how every time I asked a “logical” question like “ok, what about artificial insemination? That can be a thing right?” the show immediately had a nonsensical answer for everything.  In case you are wondering, the answer is no.  For some strange reason, inseminated embryos die and there isn’t an actual explanation for it, which means…yeah, sexual intercourse is the ONLY way to repopulate the Earth.  So you’re telling me that despite technological advancements (to the point that people don’t need to work) there aren’t ANY alternative ways to procreate? Meh, maybe we don’t deserve to survive.  

As you would guess, the depiction of women isn’t great either.  While the usual close ups of big boobs and short skirts was expected it wasn’t pleasant seeing them be so servile to Reito since he’s one of the few boring dicks they have seen in 5 years.  Also, since 99% of men are extinct there are plenty of women in prominent positions of power so the #girlboss crowd can find something to celebrate here.  

Also what is this?

What is the point of censoring all the nudity? You know what you are so why bother to hide it? What was the executive decision for this? Forget it, I don’t care.

It’s late in the game to mention this, but there are notable names attached to this series such as Nobuta Yuu who directed The Faraway Paladin and Takahashi Tatsuya who was the series composer for I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. I don’t think this combination would’ve made any difference considering the source material, but hey! Now you know.  

It’s worth noting that this show was actually supposed to come out during the fall season, but got delayed due to production problems.  It’s anyone’s guess how long it’ll take before the quality begins to drop and honestly, I wouldn’t blame the animators if they decided to walk out.  It’s becoming extremely noticeable that various shows are experiencing production delays and we know it’s because animators are exhausted.  Thankfully, animators are becoming more vocal about demanding higher wages and better working conditions, but considering how slow animation studios are responding to their demands, I don’t see things getting better in the foreseeable future.  

Will I keep watching World’s End Harem? Nah. This show is definitely not for me and if the clumsy censorship persists in future episodes then it’s going to lose its target audience too.