Let's start this off by jumping in at the DEEP end.
Umaru-chan is actually a show that contains some poignant messages. The main one being that it is okay to have niche hobbies and be passionate about them as long as the rest of your life isn't negatively affected by them. It's a modern illustration of the time-honored advice "everything in moderation". This may seem strange when talking about a show like Umaru-chan but just as the great Stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca taught us, Umaru-chan also shows us that moderation is key to living the good life.
Umaru's level of obsession with her games, anime and lazing around when she's at home would seem excessive or even problematic to any random observer. People would think that such a person would have trouble functioning as a member of society. They would be concerned for Umaru's wellbeing and even think that the presence of such a person would be bad for society.
However, in Umaru-chan's case she has her life under control. Her school-grades are top-tier and socially she's well adjusted and popular. When in public, she's the perfect member of society. For her, what she does is in perfect moderation and as a result we can see in the show that her life is smooth-sailing and happy.
Umaru's brilliance is that she shows otaku/NEETs/hikki's who's life has somewhat gotten derailed that there is another way. You don't need to reject society to enjoy what you like or to live an unconventional lifestyle. The reality of life is also that you need society to survive and thrive. It's therefore preferable to be a respectable and upstanding citizen, both for your own wellbeing as that of the people around you and society as a whole. You can do whatever you want but don't let it consume you, this is the trap that many who reject society fall into.
Rejecting society, isolating yourself and indulging in what you enjoy most will not make you better off as you might think at first and Umaru knows this. Over time your greatest pleasures and joys can consume you if there's nothing to balance them out. Umaru's outside persona acts as that counterweight that prevents her himouto way of being from going off the deep end.
Umaru has achieved perfect happiness and balance through the duality of extreme self-improvement and being the best she can possibly be on the one hand and on the other hand unapologetic indulgence in what she truly enjoys. Umaru herself is an allegory for how to lead a good happy life. She's therefore an inspiration and role-model to the viewer. With this I of course don't mean that people should try and emulate her literally. It's the concept she embodies that can be applied in your own life.
There's a scene in the anime that illustrates this balance of Umaru very well. In this segment Umaru fakes having a fever by playing a trick on the thermometer so she can skip school to stay at home and laze around. Although her plan succeeds and her onii-chan urges her to stay home for the day, the things that would normally amuse her seem different and she can't really enjoy herself. She feels like there's something off and feels guilty. Her himouto-side had gone too far, what she did was a dangerous precedent and could cause harm to herself and the people she cares about. In other words, the balance was disturbed. Umaru quickly realized her mistake and decided to go to school for the rest of the day, symbolizing the restoration of the balance.
The way the anime visually portrays her two ways of being almost as two different characters can be seen as a way to emphasize the balance, stability and strength that come forth from the duality of her existence. We might ask, why does she keep her two ways of being so separate? Why not show an Umaru that's both type of person at once? One reason is probably to drive down the above mentioned point about balance by showing such a stark contrast in character. Another is to show that keeping some things hidden from society is not necessarily a bad thing. It can even be a trait that points to being well adjusted in society. Umaru knows that her behavior at home could be negatively perceived by outsiders. Even though it doesn't cause negative consequences for her or anybody else. This is the way society can be, generalizations often lead to unjust judgments. Although the general judgment that excessive indulgement in pleasure is harmful is correct, the perception of what is "excessive" is highly subjective. It's therefore wise (for Umaru) to hide certain things from public or certain individuals to avoid misunderstandings that could come back to haunt you.
Another striking impression I got while watching Umaru-chan was the message that improving yourself to become the best possible person you can be is also the best way to (perhaps not even intentionally) be good to others.
Throughout the show we see Umaru meet and befriend a small number of girls that end up very dear friends to her. Ebina-chan for example is a classmate of Umaru that has come alone from the countryside to go to school in the city. When Ebina-chan moves into her apartment she meets Umaru and her onii-chan who also live in the same apartment-block. They quickly get along and Umaru's presence becomes support for Ebina who knows nobody so far from home.
Next we have Kirie-chan, a social outcast from Umaru's class. Kirie wants to be friends with umaru but can't because of her social anxiety. When Kirie-chan ends up on Umaru's doorstep through circumstances she meets Umaru in himouto-form. She however doesn't recognize Umaru and is led to believe that she met Umaru's sister. Through this meeting they end up becoming friends and from then on Kirie comes by often to hang out with Umaru in her apartment. This helps Kirie-chan to slowly gain some confidence and being friends with Umaru also makes a social outcast like her very happy.
Last but not least we have Tachibana Sylphinford (aka TSF). She's an ojou-sama type girl that initially always bothers Umaru at school by competing with her in literally everything. Umaru doesn't mind this though. When Umaru goes outside to compete in a gaming contest in disguise she is surprised to find TSF among the competitors. From then on they run into each other at other times (while umaru maintains her disguise) and Umaru discovers she has much in common with TSF. She also finds out that TSF seems kind of lonely in her hobbies. So Umaru and TSF meeting makes them both enjoy each others company and share their passions together. Slowly Umaru starts to see TSF as her friend and goes out of her way to have fun together.
From these examples we see that Umaru is a force for good in these girls' lives without actively trying to be. If Umaru wouldn't have balanced her life (symbolized by her outside form) she would have never met these people and impacted their lives in such a positive way. It's because Umaru also works hard for and on herself outside of her himouto form that she can be good to others. And this also brings good back to Umaru herself. Because while Umaru-chan might be popular because of her seemingly perfect outside-persona, she didn't have any real friends. People that accept both sides of her and not only the seemingly flawless Umaru, are rare in her life.
When different aspects of Umaru's secret self get out to her new friends she learns that she isn't rejected by them. Things about herself that she initially hid she can now show to her friends. Although most don't realize (yet) she's the same Umaru as the perfect outside Umaru, she learns that it is okay to open up to her friends about her hobbies and the things she likes. And this is what true friends are: people that care for you and accept you for who you are. Umaru's pursuit of a good and happy life for herself through a balanced life has brought not only life-joy to herself but also to others and even more, it has brought Umaru true friends.
As this is actually a full review and not merely an analysis, I want to touch upon some other aspects of the show too. As for the experience of watching an episode of Umaru-chan; it feels like a mix of slice of life with comedy. While there are certainly better examples of both genres, Umaru-chan's premise maintains a certain uniqueness that certainly entertains. Also contrary to some people's first impressions, this show is not about pandering to the audience. There's virtually no fanservice here. It's actually quite a wholesome show, both in what's visually shown on screen and the portrayed characters and their relations.
The walls of text written above may perhaps give the impression that Umaru-chan is a dramatic, deep and plot-heavy show but this is not the case at all. While there is a plot in Umaru-chan it won't be enough for people who are specifically looking for a plot driven show. Himouto! Umaru-chan is best described as lighthearted, fun, charming and occasionally moving.
Also worth remarking is that there are a few scenes in Umaru-chan that evoke a particularly strong awareness of the world and of being alive in the current moment. I was honestly surprised and taken aback because these scenes seem to come from seemingly nowhere and suddenly hit you. An example of this is when Umaru goes out at night to buy some cola in a convenience store. On her way back when walking along the dark deserted roads she remarks "It's so silent, like the world is holding its breath.". Experiencing such moments is rare and evoking them in people is not an easy feat. That Umaru-chan can evoke "Mono no aware" emotions is testament to the care and thought that the staff put into this anime.
The music of this show deserves praise in my opinion. First of all, the ending song "Hidamari Days" is just beautiful and emotionally moving. The ending's lyrics in particular. Take these lines for example: "Soon enough we'll bid childhood farewell, but even when that day comes, we'll always, always be the best of friends.". I found these lyrics quite touching, especially combined with the music and in the final episode.
Umaru-chan's soundtrack also didn't disappoint and has some great tracks. The OST is composed by Yasuhiro Misawa who has also composed the Yuru Yuri soundtracks. I like Yasuhiro's style of composing a lot. He uses relatively simple compositions that use a limited amount of instruments and have a strong rithm. This gives them a very "clean" or pure feel. Most importantly, the tracks evoke the right kind of mood well which is really what counts most in any show. Some tracks are also quite memorable and will get stuck in your head. TSF's character song "TSF in Nippon" is also very catchy, I recommend to check it out.
My final conclusion is that Himouto! Umaru-chan, while nothing groundbreaking, is an enjoyable anime that can teach you some important things if you pay attention and look beneath the surface. Personally, I'm very glad I watched this. Desu wa~
