Himouto! Umaru-chan R

After a first anime adaptation of the “干物妹!うまるちゃん” manga by Sankaku Head aired two years ago, its sequel “Himouto! Umaru-chan R” began this autumn. Tremendously enjoyed “Himouto! Umaru-chan” which proved to be an excellent if somewhat typical comedy anime, hence did not hesitate to pick up this second season.

Featuring a main character that appears to the outside world as the ideal student who is polite, reserved and hardworking, but at home turns into a slob who does nothing but play games, watch anime and have her older brother dote on her, “Himouto! Umaru-chan” expertly succeeds in striking the perfect balance between these contradicting sides for Umaru.

Characters like Umaru could easily come across as abrasive, cheeky brats who have little to no redeeming values, yet somehow still manage to be loved by the story’s other characters and the viewers. Luckily “Himouto! Umaru-chan” succeeds in walking the tightrope where some franchises have not succeeded, Kirino from “Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai” comes to mind.

Noticed in these first few episodes of “Himouto! Umaru-chan R” that there’s more skits or subplots that parody other anime or genres. They also seem to focus more on the four girls hanging out together as friends, making the build up from the first season where we saw Umaru befriend Ebina, Kire and Sylphyn well worth it.

Although “Himouto! Umaru-chan R” is an episodic series that seems to lack an overarching core plot, but instead features different skits or stories each episode, it is splendid to see that various events and character interactions from the first season were integral to build up the friendship between these four girls.

While it might not be the best comedy out there but instead a mere decent, yet forgettable series, “Himouto! Umaru-chan R” remains a solid show with reliable production values that any fan of comedy anime is most certainly going to enjoy.
You can watch the first season “Himouto! Umaru-chan” on Crunchyroll while this sequel is available on Amazon’s Anime Strike in the US.