Anime Hajime Review: Himouto! Umaru-chan R

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Himouto Umaru-chan R. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Never judge a book by its cover. Case in point Umaru Doma (voiced by Aimi Tanaka).

While out in public, Umaru is a shining beacon of sophistication and perfection. There seems to be nothing she can’t do. Blessed with every advantage imaginable, the truth behind her is a little shocking.

When at home, Umaru reverts to her natural state. She is a lazy, couldn’t-be-bothered-to-do anything video game, junk food, and manga addict. There are few who know this side of her. And there is only one forced to put up with her on a daily basis, her older brother Taihei (voiced by Kenji Nojima).

Despite her lack of caring, Umaru isn’t a lost cause. She has an ever-growing group of friends who care about her. And who she cares for in return. Taihei may have difficulties with getting his sister out of bed, but that is a burden only granted to him.

And though Umaru has an odd way of showing it, she is thankful for all that her brother does. If he were any other way, it would be impossible for Umaru to enjoy the things she likes.

Series Positives

Of the Fall 2017 anime season, Himouto Umaru-chan R was high on my “to watch” list. Part of that had to do with me enjoying the first season. Actually, I will go further and say that was a major factor in my anticipation. But another huge element was how much this series needed a second season.

And if you only know the basic synopsis of this show, I can understand how that’s hard to believe.

Please don’t misunderstand. Himouto does not have a gripping story. There weren’t many, if any, “edge of your seat” moments. Events and developments never took unexpected twists or turns. This never went beyond the scope of what you think a typical slice-of-life anime comedy should be.

Nevertheless, this show has managed to build a sense of intrigue.

The first season had a lot of set up. Sprinkled throughout the original series, tiny nuggets of depth poked their way through. These moments made their presence known enough to grab your attention. But these moments always came out of nowhere. It got to the point where these instances were jarring with how “out of place” they were.

Did this type of set up ruin the first season? Not in the slightest. The original Himouto remained funny and a ton of fun. Yet one can’t help to get a little concerned when a series takes this type of gamble. The gamble being a second season getting greenlit. This is not something I would encourage because losing this game leaves everything in a bad spot. When this happens, a show then has questions that won’t ever get an answer. While you could always go to the source material, that doesn’t fix the holes in the adaptation itself.

Regardless, Himouto got its chance. Therefore, how could I not get excited with the prospects of seeing where this series planned to go? Granted, I’m only saying this show got the chance to tie up its loose ends. Whether it did or not is a discussion we will get to in a second.

And all this is coming from a series about a derpy little couch potato in a hamster hoodie.

Anyway, that whole spiel was about what I would have liked to have gotten from Himouto R when starting it. So, then what about what this season actually had to offer?

To begin with, I’m not going to compare Himouto R to its predecessor because I’m not in a position where I can do that. I saw the original two years ago and have since forgotten a few things. I know that I liked it. I know that I thought it was funny. I also remember certain highlights that make me confident in recommending it now. Unfortunately, things like general tone faded from my memory a long time ago.

Thus, what I’m about to say I hope puts this entire series into perspective. If the first season was like Himouto R, then this show’s golden. Knowing I enjoyed the original makes this installment as good as its predecessor. If not better.

One last thing before we get into the details of this show. Himouto, as in the whole series, is perfect for marathon viewing. This season referenced the first quite often. This was great because it helped remind me of what happened before. Not to mention, this was a nice way of making everything feel more interconnected.

And that interconnection is at the core of what made Himouto as solid as it was.

The Characters

This aspect was true for the first season and Himouto R elevated it. This was no doubt a continuation. This was the next step for this show and more specifically, its characters. And nowhere was this more apparent than with this series’ main group. I am, of course referring to Umaru, Nana Ebina (voiced by Akari Kageyama), Sylphynford “Sylphy” Tachibana (voiced by Yurina Furukawa), and Kirie Motoba (voiced by Haruka Shiraishi).

For starters, the fact that these four took priority indicates a shift from season one. In the last installment, Umaru and Taihei were at the center of everything. It was their relationship that was the driving force behind that season. While this didn’t go away, it was no longer the main focus.

And I say that was for the better.

Everyone felt like they were in the right spot. No one’s role diminished per say. Rather, everyone’s role was a more efficient fit. This gave this season a lot of heart. I can’t say I was expecting that.

Himouto R was funny, and these characters drove that humor. This was because everyone had more defined personalities. There was much more going on than trying to be silly all the time. No one felt the same. We got an excellent look at how everyone saw the world and what was going through their minds.

For instance, we learned why Ebina would get so flustered around Taihei. If you think that answer is obvious, like I did, that means this show has you where it wants you. We also saw how Kirie viewed the world and how it affected her current relationships. Plus, Sylphy had a reason behind her bombastic personality and why she put a lot of stock in her “rivalry” with Umaru.

I first planned to detail Ebina, Sylphy, and Kirie individually. More so than what I already did. Though there is plenty to say, I kept coming back to a single point. There were moments that impressed me with each girl. Except it was how they interacted with each other that made this season great.

To begin with, Umaru may have been the center of this show, but she was not the leader of her group. No one was. Granted, everyone became friends through Umaru, but that was only a first step. Everything afterward is what’s worth talking about.

From season one, Kirie initially saw Ebina as competition for Umaru’s affection. Here in R, Kirie was willing to go out of her way to help Ebina get closer to the person she had a crush on. Along with that, Sylphy enjoyed bringing the reserved Kirie into her antics. And to the complete the circle, Ebina was quick to read the atmosphere. When she saw one of her friends trying to avoid a topic, she would jump in to support them.

More often than not, Umaru wasn’t part of these interactions. As such, she was free to go where this season needed her to go without any limitations. This did wonders to help boost her own character. We will get into that in a moment.

From my season one review, I said each of these characters was memorable. This is why I'm saying Himouto R took everyone to the next level. What’s the fun in repeating something we’ve already seen? Sure, it’s easy to redo something that has already proven to work. But I’ve always found it, in the long run, more fun to wonder “what’s going to happen next” and not “let’s do that again.”

Yet it’s important to keep the same spirit of something that worked in the past. If a series fails to do this, we’re not getting something different, we’re getting something else. Himouto R managed to avoid the latter through Taihei.

From season one to season two, Taihei’s role changed. Or to give more credit where it’s due, Taihei’s role evolved. As I said, the relationship between Umaru and her brother was a major element of the last installment. This makes sense because there was nothing else. This series was still building the connections between Umaru, Ebina, Kirie, and Sylphy. But then came Himouto R and the circumstances had changed.

Umaru no longer needed to rely on Taihei for everything. That’s not to say she stopped trying to exploit her brother’s goodwill. While that remained the case, Umaru now had other pillars of support. Her genuine desire to be with her friends outweighed her more childish tendencies. So then, what was there for Taihei to do?

In Himouto R, Taihei was no longer a caretaker for Umaru. Instead, he became more like an actual guardian. Though he has always done his best to be there for his sister, the full scope of what he has done has become more apparent. And every character could see this, but nowhere was this felt more than with Umaru.

This was impressive since Umaru has never undervalued what her brother has meant to her.

Up to now, I’ve brought up how this season has continued with what the first started. In addition, I’ve argued Himouto R not only maintained the spirit of its predecessor, it moved it forward. These are all things any series should do but there is a limit of how much can from this. That’s why throwing in entirely new things and situations are important as well. This keeps everything fresh and heightens the sense of not knowing what is going to come next.

Himouto R did this too in the form of Hikari Kongo (voiced by Inori Minase).

I have a few things to say about this character. The main one being, I did like Hikari. She was fine. I didn't have a problem with her. I’m glad she is a part of this series. I’m emphasizing this so that you keep it in mind when I air out my grievances later.

Hikari was super cute and a perfect foil to Umaru. These two complement each other so well. Both had their academic and lazy sides. And they knew about them. I want to say Hikari became a challenge for Umaru, yet the same was true the other way around. Neither could get the leg up and neither were at a disadvantage.

Of the things I want to see explored more, Umaru and Hikari’s relationship is high on that list.

Except the fact I’m even saying that shows you the biggest problem with this season. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Umaru

Although I’m having trouble remembering everything about the first season, I know I’m not forgetting anything when I say this. Umaru was so much better during this go around.

I’m not going to pretend that Umaru was never a spoiled brat. This has been her character. A strength of this series has been its ability to take this as far as possible without becoming insufferable. Adding to that, her laziness has only ever been one side of her personality. Other aspects of her have helped counterbalance this otherwise character destroying trait.

In Himouto R, even with the multitude of outlets Umaru had to be a couch potato, we got a much more enduring lead. Moreover, what we got more of as well in this season were the three personas of our main character.

For the ease of discussion, this is how I’m going to refer to the three sides of Umaru.

When I use Umaru’s actual name, this is the character Ebina, Kirie, and Sylphy saw when they were together. This is the respectable honor student that the world knew. When I say Komaru, this is me talking about Umaru’s indoor mode, with the hoodie, the junk food, and everything else. Last, there’s UMR, the person Umaru needs to become when she wants to hide her gamer self when out in public.

Each side of Umaru was great and was stronger in season two.

The Umaru everyone thought of was a perfect, could do no wrong being. Except this was nowhere close to what was going on. The actual Umaru put little effort in trying to be the best at everything. In fact, she always worried about disappointing everyone. That was why it was difficult for her to form true friendships since most were only seeing an image. As such, she cherished Ebina, Kirie, and Sylphy because she saw what each of them was going through. She knew all four of them were struggling with interacting with people.

Komaru was as laid back as she was because she no longer felt the pressure Umaru was under. Is it any wonder why she would be a lot for anyone to handle? Despite that, this was the closest of the three Umaru’s to being the real thing. Komaru didn’t show up only when it was time to laze around the house. She would appear whenever Umaru was happy. When there was nothing to worry about or there weren’t any distractions, Komaru would be there.

Then with UMR, she was an interesting mix of Umaru and Komaru. She had a sense of responsibility as well as a roughness that made her who she was. Without UMR, Umaru and Komaru would have had a rough time coexisting. But she was not our actual lead since she came from a sense of secrecy. UMR was the bridge between the other two Umaru’s. A bridge that will need to go away if this series does want to continue continuing.

And while Umaru had three different characters in her, they weren’t separate. If one was on screen, the others did not go away. If it was Umaru talking and interacting, Komaru and UMR poked through every now and then and vice versa.

There is more than meets the eye with this series. But never was any of this heavy-handed. While watching, Himouto was a lot of fun. There was a ton of silliness. But that wasn’t the only thing going on. I suggest people give this show a shot.

Series Negatives

I feel the need to encourage people to stick with this series because otherwise many won’t feel the need to do so. And those who do think that have every justification to do so.

Last season and this season both had bad first episodes. Please stop doing this Himouto. These openings were filled with bad jokes, cringe-y humor, and did not represent what would follow. And it was only these first episodes that did this. Or at least to this extent.

I review anime. For better or worse, I am going to get through the rough patches of any show. Most people don’t have the time or energy to watch a series just because it exists. The importance of a first episode cannot be understated. If a story doesn’t hook someone in right away, why should they stick with it?

Can a first episode be fantastic, and a series get worse afterward? Yes, that happens more often than I would like to be true. But losing investment is a harder point to reach than getting invested.

So, with either season, if you have any interest, watch the first two episodes. Then decide whether to stick around. While I have enjoyed this show, it has put me in an awkward position when trying to recommend it.

If there ever is a season three, please don’t keep this tradition.

Speaking of a potential season three, this leads me to the biggest problem of Himouto R.

It’s All Set Up…Again

Any series that gets another season has received a gift. This doesn’t always happen. This is never a guarantee.

I said Himouto season one dropped tiny hints of intrigue. And it always did this in awkward, hard to miss ways. For example, Umaru and Taihei’s mother.

When starting this series, I didn’t need a reason why brother and sister were living in the same house. I accepted it for what it was, and I didn’t need anymore. Then Himouto gave more. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make me think “alright then, show, please explain yourself.” That never came. So, in my review of season one, I said this was fixable should there ever be a season two.

Well, here we are and what do you think I’m about to say?

Not touching on this was annoying enough. What made it worse was when Himouto R threw in its own little curveballs. Season two planted the seeds for a season three.

I have a few things I can point to, but why not go straight to the biggest culprit, the introduction of Hikari.

Once again, I liked Hikari. She’s not the problem I have. However, this season dampened what potential she could have had.

A character like Hikari is perfect material for a new season. So then why did we first meet her in episode seven, Umaru and the Amusement Park? This was way too late. Himouto R had almost no time to explore who she was. Other than setting it up so that a third installment could take care of it.

This series got lucky once. It needs to stop assuming it's going to keep getting lucky. I will admit, perhaps there are already plans for another season and I’m making myself look like a jackass. I honestly hope that is what I am doing.

I would love a season three. I would love it for this series to continue. But I’m not foolish enough to think it’s for sure going to happen.

Final Thoughts

Fingers crossed for a season three; for more reasons than one.

Ignoring that bit of annoyance, I had a great time with this season. Above everything else, this installment knew how to take what was good about this series and enhance it. The characters were better defined. Everyone was a lot more fun. Umaru herself is as good as she has been.

One last time, if you’re not feeling this season right away, push through to the second episode and you’ll be glad you did.

Himouto Umaru-chan R gets the recommendation.

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