Harem (ハーレムもの, hāremumono, "harem works") is a genre of light novels, manga, anime, hentai, and video games originating in Japan in the 1970s but exploding late 1980s and 1990s with dating simulator games and focused on polygynous or polyandrous relationships, where a protagonist is surrounded by three or more androphilic/gynephilic suitors, love interests and/or sexual partners. Harem works are frequently comedies that rely on self-insertion protagonists allowing the audience to project themselves unto, and on having relatable and interesting ensemble cast of characters. A story featuring a heterosexual male or homosexual female protagonist paired with an all-female/yuri harem series is informally referred to as a female harem or seraglios, while a heterosexual female or gay male protagonist paired with an all-male/yaoi harem series is informally referred to as a male harem, reverse harem, or gyaku hāremu (逆ハーレム). Although originating in Japan, the genre later inspired variants in Western media.