Season one of Himouto! Umaru-chan was one that I found rather amusing. An anime series based on the manga of the same name, the series follows high school girl, Umaru, who appears to be the definition of perfect with her stunning good looks, exceptional grades, and multiple talents. That is, until she returns home, where she resides with her older brother, Taihei. In an instant, Umaru reverts into a lazy, messy, layabout who depends on her brother for almost everything.
The series is wacky, somewhat ridiculous and aims to provide amusement and humour to viewers. Himouto! Umaru-chan is unlike any other anime I’ve seen in a long while, being the perfect watch for a lazy afternoon or while attempting to wind down after a long, hard day.
The entire anime is filled with Umaru’s various personalities and we watch on as she deals with daily life through each one. Watching Umaru turn into a lazy monster at home who does nothing but play video games, eat junk and be a spoiled little brat can be both entertaining and frustrating. I, personally, wasn’t exactly taken with watching Umaru roll about all over her home and scream endlessly until her brother gives in to her demands. As an older sibling myself, there were several moments where I wished I could grab Taihei by the collar and shake some sense into him.
The dynamic between Taihei and Umaru is one of the aspects of the anime which gives it its charm. Despite being a spoilt brat at home, Umaru does have some decent character traits, which earns her some good friends. The struggle to maintain her secret as a layabout from her friends becomes another aspect of the anime that is bizarrely entertaining.
The entire season saw me laughing my way through each episode. The character development is certainly well done, as I began the anime disliking Umaru’s bratty personality but slowly began warming up to her as the season progressed.
Despite there not being any particular ‘set’ story or narrative, each episode is still watchable. The anime’s visuals are nothing fancy and certainly doesn’t compare to the likes of other graphically heavy anime. However, coupled with a catchy soundtrack, the anime gives off the sense of an enjoyable, humorous cartoon.
Himouto! Umaru-chan was a challenging anime to sit through and really focus on initially but slowly captured my interest as each episode passed. The characters became more relatable and the humour was just so slapstick at times that it made watching the anime a delightful experience. Just be aware that this anime comes with very little to no substance.
