Himouto! Umaru-chan R

Himouto! Umaru-chan's second season could be one of the more underappreciated comedies out there.

It's safe to assume anyone who's considering picking up this anime has already seen the first season. My biggest gripe with the first season of Umaru was that the character herself was, for lack of a better word, a complete cunt. Even though her brashness gave the anime its spirit, the second season does a much better balancing act with the many faces of Umaru. The rest of the characters are as entertaining as ever. I certainly wouldn't have made it through the first season if it wasn't for Ebina and Kirie, for example. Himouto!'s second season truly earns a perfect rating in the character department.

People love to diss any type of series for lack of development, and this was especially true for the first first season. Does the second season do anything to remedy this? You could say the show ends the same way it started, but some things undoubtedly changed along the way.

While the first season introduced us to these characters, the second season is much more focused on exploring their friendships and group dynamics. It was quite rewarding to finally see these lovely people properly hitting it off and bonding together. I was especially surprised by the change in the overall tone, as for every goofy scene there seemed to be an equal amount of emotional ones. In particular the feeling of nostalgia was heavily explored. The 2nd season made me feel a range of emotions. The end result was as tasty as eating chips and chocolate with the occasional sip of cola.

On the flipside these emotional moments never truly lead us anywhere. The story of Himouto! (if there is one) is fractured and all we get are random everyday events. The scenes are usually loosely connected, but never in a meaningful way. This kind of structure is natural for a comedy, but it certainly doesn't let the series tap into the full potential of the more serious moments of Himouto!. Still, this could change by the end of the series, which is why I'm definitely keeping an eye on possible continuation.

Overall, Himouto!'s second season was a very refreshing take on comedy. If you enjoyed the first season you should definitely check out this one as well, as it has all the strengths and less weaknesses. The characters are better realized and still extremely endearing. They even gave us a banging ED, so go check it out.

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Umaru is one of those series whose main problem lies in having a premise that appeals to a target demographic (that of older teenagers and young adults) but is actually most enjoyed by another (young parents and siblings with bigger age gaps).

I am actually impressed at how much I ended up liking this series despite having low expectations and reading some of the reviews of the original series. While not always having laugh out loud moments, each episode delivered and I always ended up with a heartfelt smile.

*Semi-spoilers and Personal Analysis*

Many people describe Umaru as bratty and annoying, but upon closer inspection I believe she is actually trying to make up for a strict and perhaps unhappy childhood. While it is never actually stated, we see some hints here and there that the siblings parents are not actually engaged in their children's lives, meaning that they are either dead (in case of the mother) or uninterested in them (in case of the father).

We know from the first season that Umaru only actually developed his 'indoor' persona after a year of living with her older brother, and while we do see her throwing tantrums with some of her friends she doesn't really act in a mean way other than with her brother. Even then she is shown to express guilt when pushing things too far and feelings of loneliness whenever he is not around. To me this is actually a sign of the deep emotional attachment she has to him as well as her emotional development.

You see child prodigies with strict childhoods tend to develop child-like traits later in life. Add to this the fact that their age difference is 10 years, and it is clear that the relationship they have is not of siblings but that of a parent/child. Some examples in Taihei's commitment to cooking so that Umaru can eat healthy food, teaching her responsibility while playing an addicting game, and being strict when he really needs to.

Young parents should relate to this 'look at me' attitude of small children and I think this is what will make this series enjoyable for them. For the rest of the cast I also enjoyed the teams of social developments, such as Kirie dealing with social anxiety, Sylphyn 'be loud to make friends' attitude and Ebina's awkwardness at being a country girl living in the city.

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This is my first ever review on an anime show. Here we go! `(^.^)´

When I read that there would be a sequel to Umaru-chan I felt very happy and excited. Now I could look forward to meeting the characters again and hopefully get to know more about Umaru-chan and all the others in the upcoming sequel. Though I was a bit worried about how this show would be different to the first one, my worries was blown away after finishing Himouto! Umaru-chan R.
I can gladly tell you that this show was even better than the first one!

If you are looking for something easy and light to watch, with a dash of humor in it, this is hopefully what you are looking for. The art is very good, I have nothing to complain or point out about it. The only thing that I wish this show would have is a stronger story. I love the simplicity of Himouto! Umaru-chan R, but I think it could have been even better if the studio went deeper into exploring some of the main plots. Now they are only scratching on the surface and it annoys me a little. I want to know more.

To put it simple, this is a show for those who wants a light hearted, enjoyable, sometimes hilarious slice-of-life show. For me, the main thing about this show is the developing of the characters who I came to like very deeply and identify with.

I hope we will be re-united with Umaru-chan and all her friends soon, and I also hope this review was helpful for someone.

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PLOT: Season 2 continues off with the momentum! This time, Umaru decides to take a leap of faith & be more outgoing with her friends. Her adventures gets more interesting with the encounters they deal with in every episode. Not a lot has changed to be honest...

CHARACTERS:
Umaru: Sweet, kind, funny, adorable, cute, lazy, intelligent & a total foodie. She still loves video games and anime. Surprisingly, I'm still impressed on how she can have so many personalities while her friends noticing & still maintain good grades.
Taihei: Caregiver & older brother of Umaru. He's responsible & does a lot of cooking in the house. We get to see him with his friends at work more this season.
Slyphin: Umaru's rival & UMR's friend, she loves Japanese culture & is very competitive. She is also very kind & caring when it comes to her family & friends.
Ebina: Umaru's friend & neighbour, still shy & adorable, but has growing feelings for Umaru's brother.
Kirie: Umaru's friend & (technically) Chibi Umaru's Master lol, she's kind & caring too but at times can have a bit of an intimidating look. She is an aspiring artist & has a complicated love-hate relationship with her older brother.

OVERALL: Even though not all has happened this season... It is still a fun anime to watch. Umaru is still adorable where a lot of us can relate to her, her personality & mannerisms. I just hope one day she can reveal her identity as UMR & her himouto (chibi-self).

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