Poly Anime needs to diversify

Back when I first defended In Another World With My Smartphone season 1's Poly plot twist as an inherently progressive step forward I also said that we need other types of Poly representation in Anime as well.  And now that we have two Polygamous Anime airing in the same season it's time for me to restate that.

I'm enjoying both Girlfriend, Girlfriend season 2 and 100-Girlfriends so far.  This is not me condemning either of them, I find Weeb Revolution's overly cynical analysis of them rather annoying.  It is simply me demanding more. A Harem that takes a Non Mogamous Resolution will always get points from me over the most that don't.  Cat Planet Cuties is a show I wish I'd known about sooner.

The first alternative likely to enter one's mind is Polyandry.  Post 2017 Anime already had an opportunity to drop some Polyandry rep and rejected it in how the 2019 Anime adapted the first Boogiepop and Others Light Novel.  But even that would have been among side characters to the main plot, Shoujos and Otomes deserve the same wish fulfilment fantasies that these Shounen and Seinen Anime are providing to their target audiences.

But more importantly then that I want scenarios where it's not just 1 person with multiple other binary gender partners.  One thing firmly baked into post Haruhi Anime culture is the idea of a show built around a core cast of 5 with 2 guys and 3 girls.  How about one of those where it's also a Pansexual Polycule, I recently watched Gamers from 2017 and it feels like it should have just gone there.  But also the mainstream Binary Genders shouldn't be the only ones in on the fun either.

But even going back to the topic of Heteronromative Harems that take the "marry them all" option, there are a lot of assumptions involved in assuming they can only appeal to someone projecting onto the one guy or girl and not the other gender involved.  In the world of online Erotica I've seen a lot of evidence that people of either Gender can be into the idea of sharing the object of their affection, and I don't just mean in the Cuckolding fetish type way either.  One old Meme is that written porn is for women, well I've read a lot of written Porn that is Polygynous.

It's frustrating how many criticisms of Non Monogamy as a concept still assume the alternative has to be Polygyny in it's worst most blatantly Patriarchal forms.  I watched one Youtube video recently where some guy felt it made sense to refute Gen Z Polyamory culture by talking about Bride Price and stuff going on in Africa.

But returning to the topic of recent Poly Anime I think about that scene where Shino asks Naoya if he's thought about how he was gonna support two people, and how at no point did anyone think to question the assumption that it has to be the guy alone providing the financial support.  Because even in how to do Monogamy Japan is still fairly old fashioned in it's default thinking.  When Marriage is still being defined by a Patriarchal starting point actually doing Polygamy is a lot more viable for the wealthy.  But obviously a Communist Polycule is going to take a more Collectivist approach.  From each according to their ability to each according to their needs.