With the Sheikh in His Harem, follows the story of a teenage girl, Sanagi who comes from an impoverished family. Her mother passed away and her father is drowning in crippling debt. Sanagi is fiercely independent and will support her family any way that she can. She happens to meet a prince who immediately falls in love with her courage and tenacity. He proposes marriage and in exchange, he will help her family financially. While she refuses at first, her father made a risky and unfortunate financial decision that had lasting and dire consequences. She is all but forced to marry the prince and is whisked away to his kingdom.

The tone of this story is always really light-hearted from moment to moment, even when discussing heavy topics like death, suicidal ideation, and poverty. It tends to strike the same tone as manga series like “Ouran High School Host Club”; there are serious moments sure, but they don’t really last. The narrative basks in silly hi-jinx.

I honestly can’t say that I personally enjoyed this story. While I think the protagonist is plucky, determined, and lovely to read about, I do take issue with her being depicted as a high school student. While it’s not expressly stated how old these characters are, the prince is continuously referred to as a “man,” thus I assume he is older than Sanagi and it’s inappropriate for her to be coerced into marriage. I also find its representation of Arabic culture baffling at best.

Honestly, I just found this underwhelming, even as some sort of wish fulfillment manga for young people who just want to read something silly. The art was nice, but I don't think there was anything particularly spectacular about it. In a future volume, I hope Sanagi ditches the prince and opens her own small business, or acquires some sort of success on her own. Unfortunately, we all know that won't be happening. While I like the main character, I won’t be continuing this series.

Wow this story was everything I wanted it to be and more!

We have a young woman who comes from humble circumstances. Her mother has passed away, and her father has a mountain of debt, but can't seem to find work. She does everything she can for her family. One day at work, a beautiful young man needs to escape a crowd of people, so he offers her money to take him to the roof. When they get up there, she realized that he intended to jump. She throws the money back at him, making sure that he knew in no uncertain terms that his life was worth so much more than money.

What she didn't know, is that he is the second son in a kingdom where royalty are considered gods, and him in particular, as he looks like the first god. He proposes marriage to her, and in exchange, he was willing to help out her family and make sure that they are protected.

From here, I think you can sense where the story is going to go. I am truly excited to continue this one, and hope that we get a physical publish of it.

Sanagi, our MC, is a bit obsessed with her money! But we quickly discover why: her mother has died and her father has fallen into hard times and is unemployed. To keep her family afloat, Sanagi works. During one of her jobs, she is whisked to the rooftop by a mysterious figure who then says that he's going to jump. Sanagi gets upset for obvious reasons, but shocks the mysterious young man, who ends up being a sheikh! So taken is Prince Lui that he comes back and proposes to Sanagi (saying that he'll take care of her family's troubles). Feeling like she has to save her family, Sanagi agrees to marry him without really knowing what she's getting herself in to.

Of course, shenanigans occur after she's taken back to Prince Lui's country. Lots of potential threats face them, inside and outside of the castle. And it's shaping up to look like quite a scheme-filled story! This is definitely on the sweeter side of shojo--don't let the "harem" in the title fool you!

Backstory time! Anyone who has even thought about romance novels in America has heard of Harlequin serial romances. They are cheap, pulpy, 60k word stories with loads of melodrama, and often feature cowboys, billionaires , and sometimes cowboy-billionaires. But did you know, dear reader, that some of those books get turned into manga? As in, they will get translated and adapted by a mangaka for a Japanese audience. And, did you know that some of those get translated back into English and sold in America? They read like a telenovela with Google translate subtitles*. Dear, beloved reader, these books have been my secret passion for years!

The reason I bring this up is this book reads like the natural child of those types of manga but better. Because this is an original story, we only have one layer of cultural appropriation to get through which lends itself to a more comprehensible story. There is still the problem of orientalism, which is a weird thing to say about a Japanese story, but it does play into problematic stereotypes of Eastern African and Middle Eastern Arabian countries that is normally seen in Harlequin serials as well as other media created for a "Western" audience. What saves it for me is that the made up country and culture is barely recognizable as being inspired by any real nation or people. The country is made up. The culture is made up. The loan words like "sheikh" and "harem" are used more as short-hand for the audience to indicate this place is supposed to be somewhere near the Red Sea because the people and places they are reflecting do not fall under the strict definition of those terms.

This series also benefits as an original story designed to be a manga off the bat by not having the pacing issues I often associate with adaptations. Instead of trying to fit a 60k story into a single volume of manga, we are given a series where the characters and story are allowed to breathe. Somethings move a little too fast for my taste still but nothing major.

My favorite part so far, besides the fox, is the main character yelling at the love interest. First, she yells at him to save his life, and second, she yells at him for frivolously spending taxpayers money. Brilliant both times.

Our main character is Sanagi, a high schooler who works to support her father and little sister. She runs into a sheik prince at work and helps, him escape up to the roof of the hotel to lose paparazzi.

The prince casually mentions this would be a good spot to end his life and hands her a wad of cash. She passionately argues she would never take money after a comment like that, and instead asks that he value his life.

The prince is taken with Sanagi and shows up at her school the next day to ask for her hand in marriage. He pledges to take care of her and her family’s debts. Embarrassed and confused Sanagi lashes out asking him to leave her alone.

When she returns home with her sister to find her dad under threat by debt collectors she offers to do their bidding to pay the debt. The prince shows up and steps in, reiterating his wish to marry and care for her.

In this volume we begin to learn about the prince and how he fits in at home in his palace as the second heir. Sanagi, ever the independent girl, asks for work to complete around the palace to pay back the debts she’s accumulated with a plan to return home. Despite all his proclamations she’s still not sure why the prince wanted her to be a part of his harem.

I haven’t read anything by Rin Miasa before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The art is really lovely, classic but very clean. The story and characters are a trope heavy – I get big Maid-sama/ Ouran High School Host Club vibes.

Sanagi is reminiscent of Misa from Maid-sama, and Sanagi’s little sister reminds me a lot of Misa’s little sister. The prince is a bit of Tamaki from Ouran mixed with some Usui from Maid-Dana.

I’m interested to see where this story goes. Huge thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this volume for my unbiased opinion.

I am very amused by the fact that in the manga the sheikhs (or other representatives of the Arab world) are often depicted as very white or very blond people, or both at the same time xD This is so far from reality, but it is so widespread . (I think the most normal Arabs I've seen in anime recently were the Ibrahim brothers from Great Pretender, but it doesn't count, because Netflix observes these things carefully).
This manga is one of the titles that looks inspired by the classics like Skip Beat! or Boys Over Flowers, however, have only come to inspiration. The heroine, who must be combative and brave (and, of course, only to show her feminine weakness in front of the sheikh, because he is soooo beautiful), is not to my taste. The sheikh is a slightly more passive character, sticking entirely to the mold of "a mysterious, rich man who falls in love with a beggar for no good reason." I see the beginnings of a reverse harem, I'm not sure it helps. I secretly hoped that the action would take place in some historical period, but the story is actually about the present.
I'm afraid there are much better titles in the genre. Yes, the sheikh is "sooo beautiful" that he saves the situation in terms of art (the girl is too chibi for me, they haven't used them for years, I think), but in general the drawing is not something "wow", it's just nice and nothing more.

The opinion is in original Bulgarian, sorry for the translation errors. I am adding a link.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rin Miasa, and Kodansha for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sanagi stops a stranger from attempting suicide. It turns out he is the second prince of a prominent Arab nation. The will to save his life and other aspects of Sanagi's personality bring Prince Lui to ask for her hand in marriage. Sanagi has always worked for what she needs, so having money thrown around carelessly or in her direction is not something that sits well with her. If she can ever manage to pay Prince Lui back, perhaps she will return to Japan, but the situation is against her. At least she is the only woman in Lui's harem! And of course there is his older brother, the crown prince, who might just be plotting against him in political and romantic regard. That is to be seen in Volume 2!

I am very sure I requested this book based off the cover alone without reading the description. For some reason I thought it would be a bit more fantasy based. Though I dove in not knowing what to expect, this was a phenomenal first volume. The only thing that truly bothered me was that Sanagi was always in her school outfit and never had a change of clothes or hair style. This was an enjoyable read perfect for fans of shoujo romance. I look forward to continuing this series!

I'm completely surprised and delighted because it did not go the way I thought it will go. I loved the main characters and how both of them are so funny and adorable in their own ways. The main girl is very relatable for someone like me who grew up in a poor family and uses scholarships to fund my studies, this hits home. I can't wait to read the next volume and know more about this country of Armadia and the political machinations going behind the scenes.

I thought this was a cute story, and I enjoy the concept.
I'm definitely excited to see where the romance between Lui and Sanagi will lead, and how Lui's brother Adil will play into it.

While working her part-time job as a hotel maid to save money for her family, Sanagi runs into a man intent on getting out of the hotel and away from the masses who have come to see the second prince from Armadia; a country rich in resources and finances. As Sanagi helps the mystery man to the roof, she learns that there may have been an ulterior motive for him to choose this location. Just as she believes him to jump, Sanagi prevents him from doing anything with a heart-warming speech about how life is more important than money.

What Sanagi doesn't realize is that with her words alone, she's changed the life of the second prince Lui, and hers, and hopefully for the better.

I would not recommend this book for students. It was confusing Arabia with some sun-worshipping people that do not go together. I did not understand how the concept of "sheikh" and Japanese culture were forced together. The emotional and financial blackmail is not something to joke around with, and this book does not set a good example for young adults.

I went into this book with incredibly low expectations, like already 6 feet under low.

In reality I was pleasantly surprised, and once I set asside thinking about it to terribly deeply I found myself enjoying it.
It overall has some very Ouran Highschool Host Club vibes. In the fact that Lui is basically a copy paste of Tamaki with some extra spice added to him. Just as Sanagi is a femm Haruhi.

It's got the evil (step?)mother. eminent love triangle.

I may pick up the next volume, but I'm not sure honestly.

4.5 stars

A little wacky, but with a couple deeper notes and some serious adorableness. Looking forward to the next one.

Recommended.

I enjoyed the story as whole even though the start seemed a bit unbelievable. The art was gorgeous and the characters were entertaining. I couldn’t wait to see what they got upto next. Cant wait for the next issue.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A poor girl who in order to save her family from debts has to work after school then she meets a mega rich prince, by accident, at one of her jobs and saves him. After that, she shows how honorable she is by refusing his payment for her help because she doesn't care about his money which ,in reality, she desperately needs it . Wow! Such a good girl says the prince to himself and decides to marry her. Can you imagine the rest of the story?( Yes, of course)

Nothing new with this kind of plot in such a type of shojo manga. It is entertaining but a little bit boring. Anyway, it was average fun.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I am a huge fan of the author/artist Rin Miasa. I really enjoyed one of her previous series, Liar Prince and Fake Girlfriend, which has unfortunately not been licensed in English yet. It was a seriously funny and dramatic romantic comedy, and it is still one of my favorite mangas. When I saw that this series was being published in English, I added it to my wish list right away. Thank you again to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book ahead of its release date!

With the Sheikh in His Harem, Volume 1 by Rin Miasa is about a regular Japanese girl named Sanagi who is proposed to a real-like Sheikh. After running into him at a busy airport and saving him from paparazzi, he shows up at her school and proposes to her. Since she needs money to support her family, she decides to agree to it for now and see what happens. They move to Armadia, a Middle Eastern country, and the Sheikh introduces her to the rich and lavish lifestyles of royalty. This book reminded me a cross between The Princess Diaries and Crazy Rich Asians. It's a bit unrealistic, considering the male love interest is supposed to be from the Middle East but has blond hair, but what romantic comedy isn't at least part-fantasy?

Overall, With the Sheikh in His Harem is an adorable love story that will appeal to fans of shojo manga like Fruits Basket and romantic comedies like The Princess Diaries. If you've ever dreamed of being proposed to by a prince, then this book is for you! If you're intrigued by the description above or if you're a fan of shojo manga in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book. It came out yesterday!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this manga.

I love reading manga and it´s great that NetGalley has some manga titles, hope we will see more.

The first volume of "With the Sheikh in His Harem" reminded me to all those shoujo mangas I used to read as a teenager (and I still read them, like Kaichou wa Maid-sama). This is a cute romance in a exotic land, with a girl who has struggled in her life and suddenly she meets an Arabian prince, who sees in her something valuable and kind.
Can't wait to the second volume!

4.5 stars

This was on the "edgier" side of manga compared to what I usually read, but this was a lot of fun! It's probably the first manga I've read where we have an exotic location and I'm here for it!

I was nervous at first with having an "in His Harem" title that we would have some wives/concubines, but I'm thankful that was NOT the case. Things probably would have gotten a lot steamier then an occasional "heated" scene here or there. (Definitely nothing above PG-13, and if that.)

I think one reason I found this to be such a compelling story is not only do we have the exotic location, but Sanagi is a very hard worker. I absolutely love how that even if her situation changes, she still seeks to be true to herself and work hard. I really thought that to be awesome!

Prince Lui is a fun character and enjoyed how he is discovering the beauty and joy in life with Sanagi. I liked how passionate he is and how he not only wants the best for Sanagi, but that he will also do whatever it takes to keep her around (and safe).

The mangaka included mini traveling guides and I LOVEDDDD that! It was a very fun feature to the manga and definitely "bumped up" my enjoyment of this story.

With the Sheikh in His Harem is one of the few digital manga titles I can say I would actually want to subscribe to and read the volumes as they release. I really enjoyed this story and think it's going to be a fun escape and enjoyable story.

Recommended to anyone who enjoys shojo, but is looking for something with a good romance and exotic location!

*(I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

This is a cute slice of life desert romance with a prince and a high school student who is hard working. I love how it showed how hard working and money loving she is but it is for a good reason which is to help out her family who are very sweet to each other.

How the female lead and male lead come together was also pretty sweet, though the marriage proposal really came out of the left field for me but still cute. Though I don't like the body guard that keeps coming in between the female lead and the male lead, but it helps progress the story.

I will love to continue to read this manga.

Review to come May 10th on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.


A cute and fun desert romance which at times had me reminded of Ouran High School Host Club. Yep, really. I mean, the sheikh is just 100% Tamaki. Impulsive, likes to spoil the girl he loves, is silly, but also serious at times if he needs to be that, protective. And oh yes, a typical thing I would see Tamaki do is make sure that someone stays with him. Sanagi has told him that she will stay with him until she has paid off her debt (sounds familiar, right), well our prince is making sure of that by adding some extra costs. Yes, it sounds a bit harmful, but I also think it is cute? I mean he really cares about her and wants her to stay. Including making sure she can go to school.
And Sanagi, with her money-savvy-ness and her strictness and her down to earthness is so Haruhi (plus also because of some other things).

There were some things I wasn't sure off. I mean, the proposal was cute, but I found the prince a bit forceful (and also how he just bought the school). The fact that no one got the girl some normal clothes that weren't too expensive. Throughout the volume Sanagi just wanders around in her school uniform and sleeps in a gym outfit. It just stood out and made things very weird. I also thought it was slightly rude of Sanagi to not even do one ounce of an effort to learn the language, instead fully relying on a translator system. I mean, if I was whisked off my feet to a Middle East desert place, I would definitely try to at least learn a handful of words and maybe even more. Because what if, and that does happen in this volume, your translator disappears? You need to make sense. You need to know what HELP is.

We also see that the Queen and the crownprince aren't all that nice (or well, at least the Queen is a bitch). I am kind of curious about that and I am sure we will see more of it in the upcoming volumes. I hope that our prince can stand up and do something about the queen.

There were some cute moments, and I am happy that the prince respects Sanagi's boundaries. Instead of having a wedding night as one often does, they play card games. He does hug her at times, but nothing too much. I do hope that the romance does spark between the two, as I do think they would make a good pair.

Oh, and I hope that Sanagi's strictness will tame the prince a bit, at least in regards to how he throws around his money. I hope she learns him some responsibilities and get him to be a bit more mature and fitting for the prince role.

The art was really fun, though I was surprised when the prince turned out 17 (I thought at least 19) and Sanagi is in high school... but at times looks more like 14. Haha.

All in all, I definitely want more of this one.

<i>With the Sheikh in His Harem</i>'s relationship to the real Middle East is roughly equivalent to Fancy Feast's relationship to human food - there are recognizable bits, but you wouldn't want to eat it for dinner. That said, it's well within its rights as the progeny of Edith Maude Hull's 1919 romance novel <i>The Sheikh</i>, which jump-started the whole so-called "desert romance" subgenre, along with some of romance's less savory elements. So just remember - as problematic as you may find this, Hull's book is roughly 900 times worse.

And actually, both within the romance and shoujo groups, this isn't all that bad. Probably its biggest failing (apart from setting issues) is the use of the insta-love trope, wherein Lui, the eponymous sheikh, falls madly in love with heroine Sanagi minutes after she spurns his money and convinces him not to jump off a roof. (It turns out that that is what he was trying to do, and the late-volume return to that point is a good moment in terms of understanding Lui.) He then proposes to her, saves her family from drowning in debt, and whisks her away to his fictional country, where his (step?)mother decides that Sanagi must die for Reasons.

Honestly? It's kind of fun, and it definitely falls under the heading of "old-fashioned shoujo fluff," which is always a nice kind of book to read. It may strain your credulity, but it's aware of the fact, and somehow that cures a lot of ills, real or imagined, that this volume may have.