It is hardly that of a secret that I adore anime with a fiery passion. And believe that anime is made of dreams.
Every season fans such as myself are constantly find ourselves encountering new worlds, characters and thrilling stories that we end up obsessing over endlessly. And moreover sometimes morn after a series has finished its run.
And this series was one of the first that I completely missed after the credits rolled on the twelfth episode. For the longest time this has been a series that I have wanted to write about, but had waited until the series dub was released. And come May 30th the dub, along with the home media release arrives for the one and (thankfully) only Himouto! Umaru-chan.
From the outside, sixteen-year-old high school student Umaru Doma seems effortlessly perfect. She is beautiful, smart and talented. But when Umaru gets home her personality takes a drastic one-eighty into that of a himouto. A slang term for a woman who acts proper in public, but lazy at home. In the privacy of her home Umaru lounges around watching anime, paying video games, reading manga and eating junk food. Leaving all the household duties to her older brother, Taihei. Whom does constantly attempt to reign in her laziness by any means necessary- or at least try his best.
Umaru is far from your typical, kinder and sweet protagonist. She is lazy, often driven self-serving means and a remarkable gamer. But push comes to shove, she cares deeply for her brother- even if she isn’t necessary willing to admit that- and her friends and is willing to forgo her own desires for their sake (from time to time, that is).
It is easy enough to find yourself wanting to scold her to then cheering for Umaru in even the span of a few minutes.
But that, along with the series in itself make this series both so self-aware, but relatable. There are so many times when I have even found myself turning red in the face remembering very similar instances to what I was seeing on-screen.
From going mad when the internet goes out. Getting too full off junk food that you cannot really enjoy never mind eat a bit of your favorite dish. Frantically having cleaned up to prevent someone from seeing the mess that is your room.
These are only a few examples of just how relatable the series. And it is that wonderful, light-hearted slice-of-life we all need after a long stressful day.
As for now the series is streaming as subbed (Japanese audio, English subtitles) on Crunchyroll, Hulu and The Anime Network.
Along with a complete collection DVD and Blu-Ray and premium box set slated for a May 30th release (If you ordered the DVD or Blu-ray from RightStuf or Sentai FIlmworks changes are your order already shipped.) , comes the long awaited English dub of the series. With Adam Noble as Taihei Doma, Emily Neves as Umaru Doma. Well, see for yourself!
And with the series set to get a long awaited and much desired second season coming this fall anime season, the adventures of Umaru and company forge onward.