Welcome, all, again. This summer has provided many fun and interesting anime series, while also hitting me with some bitter disappointments. Not to name names or anything, but somebody really does need to be punished in the name of the Moon, and punished severely… But I would much rather talk about something that I have enjoyed. And so, for the second column in a row, I will discuss a series from a genre which I usually loathe: harem. This month is given to Invaders of the Rokujyoma!? Or, even, the Rokujouma, as there seems to be some question of spelling. Whatever its title, I have enjoyed this show immensely!

Harem is a genre which is easy to dislike, predicated as it so often is upon tired stereotypes exhibiting predictable behavior. But one of its strengths is how inclusive it can be, as evidenced by this series. Seven female characters hover around the male protagonist, Kotaro Satomi, but only one of them–Harumi Sakuraba–expresses a direct interest in him. As it happens, she is also the only one of the girls without a direct tie to the apartment in which he lives. Of the remaining six, Shizuka Kasagi is actually Kotaro’s landlady (and schoolmate). And the final five girls seem to be in competition for the apartment itself rather than the attentions of its male resident. These are: Sanae Higashihongan, a spirit; Kiriha Kurano, from the underground race of Earth People; Yurika Nijino, a magical girl; and Theiamillis Gre Fortorthe (Tulip), a princess from the planet Fortorthe, who has the help of her servant Ruth (Ruthkhania Nye Pardomshiha).

The plot is superficially simple: five individuals all want the same cheap apartment, Room 106 of Corona House. Their reasons for wanting it are quite diverse, however. Kotaro wants the apartment because it is cheap (just 5,000 Yen per month!) and because the landlady had already agreed to lease it to him. Sanae already resides in the apartment, haunting it, and wants to keep it for herself. Unfortunately for her, Kotaro and Shizuka are both initially unaware of her presence. Kiriha claims that the room is the previous site of a shrine built by her people, which she must restore. That, and some little something about invading the surface from there. Yurika wishes to control the magical energy which she says is in the room, defending it from use by evil magical girls (of course, her seeming poverty might also drive her interest). Lastly, Tulip must conquer Room 106 and its resident[s] in order to prove herself worthy to ascend her planet’s throne. And so, despite having already promised the room to Kotaro, Shizuka shows herself to be either the world’s most gullible or most sadistic landlady by agreeing to allow all interested parties to claim the room and compete–civilly–to remove the other residents. (This highlights one obvious weakness of the plot–the realization that, although the title references a six-tatami-mat room, only Kotaro, Sanae, and Yurika actually need the apartment as a place in which to live.)

Strategies and alliances are adopted and discarded, and the viewer is quickly made aware of what the characters must discover–that they are more friends than enemies. They advise one another, protect and support each other, and are even willing to rescue any of their little group who fall prey to an outside enemy. Arguments, dissent, and competition might continue amongst themselves, but they will tolerate no external interference. Furthermore, these are some of the most cognizant characters to have graced a harem show in a long while. They tend to be both self-aware and aware of their surroundings, particularly their fellow Room 106 claimants, thus freeing the viewer from the customary harem distraction of wondering how the lead could be so oblivious and dense. And, yes, each of the girls–even Ruth–begins to develop an attraction for Kotaro based upon the way in which he complements her distinct personality. For his part, Kotaro wants to help the girls achieve their goals (well, maybe not the Earth People’s surface invasion), although his own crush on his senpai remains intact and unaffected. (As an aside, I admit that I will be disappointed if Sanae is not the one to ultimately capture Kotaro’s affection. I think that theirs are the most compatible personalities, and that the ease with which they interact reflects this and their own quiet recognition of it. Furthermore, a certain intimacy is evidenced by Kotaro’s allowing Sanae to experience physical sensation through his body; note that she is even sleeping beside him towards the end of the series.)

Invaders of the Rokujyoma!? began as a light novel series by Takehaya, published by Hobby Japan. Its ongoing run began in 2009. The manga adaptation, also by Takehaya and also ongoing, began in 2013 and appears in Hobby Japan’s Comic Dangan. The studio Silver Link produced the 12-episode anime series, which began its run on Tokyo MX in July, 2014. Crunchyroll simulcasts the program on Fridays at 12:30pm Central Standard Time, which can be found here.