Why have modern reverse harem anime gone so dark? This question ties in part to the otome (girls) video games on which they're so often based.

While the appeal of male-targeted bishoujo visual novels may be more straightforward, the psychological underpinnings of dating games for girls might be harder to understand. The player characters often play victims to forceful and cruel boys, usually vampires or other supernatural baddies who've somehow lost their innocence. These stories use threats of violence to keep the girl protagonist tied to her ensemble of bad boys.

This fall anime season brought Dance with Devils, a unique musical entry, into the reverse harem anime genre. So what do girls like about this?