Himouto! Umaru-chan

I never watched anime but now that I’m mostly burned out from manga and games I decided to put my Japanese to some other use and anime is pretty much what’s left for me as far as escapism goes. I’m going pretty much blind here and the first title I picked up more or less at random is Himouto! Umaru-chan. I managed to watch the whole thing through so it wasn’t a bad pick, I think. I like the episodic nature of it. You can enjoy a whole story in 10 minutes or less.

The main character, Umaru is the perfect student and athlete, excelling in everything at life without even trying. At home she’s an otaku, fast food junkie and an annoyance to her brother, Taihei. Most of the show is made of jokes on her double identity, sort of. To be honest I didn’t find it funny, more like amusing. It’s an easy, relaxing watch. The important thing is to take it for what it is, light hearted stories about characters that really care for each other.

What I liked the most about it though is the actual hero in all of this, Umaru’s brother, Taihei. I liked his wholesome personality, always trying to do the right thing, clearly trying to become a good adult. He’s a decent cook and manages to keep order in his house, despite Umaru’s being a toy hoarder and never cleaning after herself. Again, this is all setup for the jokes, but I enjoyed Taihei’s character beyond that. I also enjoyed the episodes around Kirie a lot, as she progresses from being basically mute to being able to make and maintain friends. I would like to see her finally coming into terms with her brother.

All in all, all problems those people have are superficial, it’s either there for a joke or to be easily overcome. Everyone has a kind heart and everything works out in the end. Good escapism, and a good start. Let’s see what I’ll stumble upon next.