Although the anime adaptation of LINK’s and Kotaro Shono’s World’s End Harem got postponed, we can still look into the manga and prepare ourselves for what’s to come. The previews for the anime were really something, but is there more to the plot than meets the eye?
World’s End Harem is a manga series written by LINK and drawn by Kotaro Shono. It’s currently being published by Shueisha and, as of now, has 12 volumes in circulation. The anime adaptation of the manga was supposed to start airing on October 8, 2021, but was delayed to January 2022.
The story is as follows:
The Man-Killer Virus: a lethal disease that has eradicated 99.9% of the world’s male population. Mizuhara Reito has been in cryogenic sleep for the past five years, leaving behind Tachibana Erisa, the girl of his dreams. When Reito awakens from the deep freeze, he emerges into a sex-crazed new world where he himself is the planet’s most precious resource. Reito and four other male studs are given lives of luxury and one simple mission: repopulate the world by impregnating as many women as possible! All Reito wants, however, is to find his beloved Erisa who went missing three years ago. Can Reito resist temptation and find his one true love?
Seven Seas Entertainment
To get a rough idea of what we may see in January, I’ll go over the manga’s first 3 volumes. Don’t worry, the whole article is spoiler-free.
If you are expecting World’s End Harem to be an adult anime in disguise, you might get disappointed. Although the series has plenty of spicy scenes, there’s more to the story than you might think. The most important part of the story is the world-building, politics, and schemes that are ever-present. Yes, there is a lot of nudity in the manga and we’ll probably get to see the same amount of it in the anime. The show will have two broadcasts, one censored and one uncensored, after all.
The manga does a good job of introducing protagonists and explaining their circumstances. We also get to understand how “desperate” some of the living women are. Since the story begins with a 5-year time-skip, the protagonist is as clueless as we are. That allows us to understand him a little bit more.
The character designs are also a thing to look forward to. The original character designer, Kotaro Shono, has a story with adult works as he created a number of adult manga. Some of his works even received an adult anime adaptation.
Across the first three volumes, three alive males are introduced to us. Each of them assesses the current situation differently, showing us how the world treats the world’s remaining males. As for the story, it progresses smoothly. We can really see that the author wants us to get to know each of the main characters. Of course, the main protagonist’s struggles are the focal point of the manga, but it doesn’t shy away from letting us know that males really can ask for whatever they want.
As you can see, the anime might not be the exact thing you may be looking forward to, but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth the watch. It’s just that, even if it looks that way, the adult part of the manga isn’t the main focus. While reading throughout the story you see ecchi scenes frequently, but most of the time, there’s something more than nudity to them.
©LINK・宵野コタロー／集英社・終末のハーレム製作委員会