Why Quintuplets outshines the rest of the harem genre

So obviously, this manga is a harem series, which by typical harem series rules means that there is a good chance you may dislike it right off the bat if the characters aren't the specific tropes you're looking for. Now, while this is a very reasonable statement, I want to try to show that Quintessential Quintuplets is a good read for people who don't even care for the harem genre, much of which is attributed to the relatively better writing seen here than in most harems. So let's get to it.

To give a brief plot summary, a group of quintuplets hire an antisocial, prideful smart guy to help them graduate from high school only to slowly fall in love with him as the series goes on. Very basic but it gets the job done. All of the girls start off following fairly basic tropes in the genre, like the 'ara ara' older sister type, the quiet type, cheerful upbeat, etc but they soon start to branch of and grow into more, multidimensional and fleshed out characters. And here is the first thing that this manga does that sets itself apart from others in the harem genre: there is character development for all the main characters and they have goals and dreams that extend beyond just getting into a relationship at the end.

As a person who loves to see great character development, my unholy desires to read harem manga often leave me wanting so much more because there always seems to be lost potential in all of these stories. Yet Quintessential Quintuplets is able to capture all the things that I've wanted from harem series within the five main female leads. When I read it, I found myself caring more about whether or not each girl will get to do the thing she loves to do by the end of the story instead of what each girl can do to win the attention of the MC. I'm invested in the plot (imagine that in any other harem) because the efforts each girl puts into their studies shows a reflection of how much they want the things that lie behind graduation. The girls' determination also gives the story focus, so a lot of times I felt like I was reading a more traditional story that just happened to be harem on the side. Each girl has a different aspirations for their future and you find them working just as hard to reach those alongside trying to win the MC: none of them are one note characters. And this is why I think a lot of people find all of the quintuplets to be likeable (to an extent). They feel closer to traditionally well written characters than the cardboard standouts that most harem series usually have, which makes the manga stand out.

And another point that stands out are the overall themes present in the story. Granted, there's not too many, but having one actual theme is much better than none right? And that one major theme is that of family. Having all the characters be sisters was actually such a genius idea (and not just because it makes it sound more saucy) because it allows for so much more story to be told than if they were all unrelated. Having this theme present allows for separate plot lines revolving around the sisters as sisters, independent of the MC. It allows for more character motivations and tension to build up for more satisfying conclusions (ex: is it worth pursuing the same person if it could potentially break up the family). It also gives the reader something else to focus on if they aren't interested in the whole harem thing, so instead of reading to find out who the couple will be, you read it to see how this affects the family dynamic as a whole. So now, you're not just looking at a one dimensional story with interesting characters, you're looking at a multidimensional story with multidimensional characters.

And these two factors are really just a big part of what makes good stories good: good characters and themes that lead to a captivating plot that's very much enjoyable. Now, I'm not going to talk about any of the other things that this manga does well (like the art, planning and story structure at parts) or what it did poorly (debatably the ending) since other people have already done that, but after saying all of that I want to remind you that this is in fact still a harem manga. So that means you still get your bath house scenes, your 'who is gonna win' moments and your dense MC because that's what you came here for right? But Quintessential Quintuplets gives so much more than you wanted, and really elevates itself above so many other harem manga that have come before it.

So is it worth reading? Definitely. Even if it's just to see if a harem manga can have actual substance, I'd recommend you check it out for yourself.