12-Days of Anime, Day 11: Himouto Umaru-chan

Ohkay, so I dunno what forces compelled me to add this show to my list of shows that I should watch for this series of articles.

It must’ve been because I was drinking Coke during the time I was thinking of anime from this year that I should be watching.

Alright, whatever, let’s do this.

70a66e6e32bf7169d6bbe2432ceebe9a

What’s up, everyone, my name is Ken,from thebuttonsmashers.com, and today, I present to you Day 11 of the 12-Days of Anime, featuring my immediate two-cents on what a lot of people consider to be the most relatable anime of 2015:  Himouto Umaru-chan

tumblr_nskcb5QBBL1tkl1fdo4_540

Umaru is a 16 year-old high school girl who is the most perfect model student you can think of:  good grades, high athleticism, very pretty, and an overall nice person.  But when she comes home, she immediately drops that facade and becomes a chibi, lazy, freeloading otaku version of her self.  And yeah, that’s pretty much it.  Oh and she has a brother who does all the work for her, so there’s that.

The story really isn’t anything to speak of other than it is pretty unique.  We have an oddball character in Umaru, and the story basically just explores her everyday life living with her brother and trying to communicate to hamsters.  It’s a nice little story in an episodic slice-of-life format that isn’t anything heavy and is kinda like a light snack of sorts.

Now, let’s get this out of the way:  I don’t like Umaru at all.  I think she is a bratty 16-year old who always wants everything to go her way and is, by no means, relatable by any stretch of the imagination unless you’re a perfect student who can afford to lay-about at home and have a big brother who can attend to your every single need.  This character is the main reason why I was skeptical of watching the show in the first place and why I couldn’t enjoy the first few episodes to their fullest.

There, I said it.

tumblr_nqefwtnKNf1qa94xto2_500

With that said, however, I do like the little dynamic that Umaru and her brother both have.  Both have this nice chemistry that compliments each other’s characteristics.  Though it still doesn’t make me like Umaru’s character, it’s still something that I can appreciate.

You know what else I don’t appreciate about this show though?

Its comedy.

So far, the comedy didn’t really appeal to me and I thought that most of the antics that the main characters get into don’t really resonate with me on a comedic level.  There were times though where I genuinely thought that a particular scene was quite amusing, so I suppose this show’s comedy is all about preference.

99jcxdj

The animation for the show is nothing note-worthy, as well as the soundtrack.  Really, they both do their jobs, but nothing is really spectacular, kinda like the show itself really.

The opening theme is rather nice though.  And it’s not just the video game references.  It’s the nice bright animation coupled with that pace change at the refrain just before the chorus that really highlights both facets of Umaru’s personality.

Also it’s damn addicting.

So what recommendation do I give this show?

Check out the first few episodes.  Despite me not necessarily enjoying the show as much as I could’ve, I can still definitely see the appeal that it has.  As I mentioned many-a-time before, comedy is seriously hit-or-miss, and this anime just happened to be a miss for me.  But hey, if you enjoy where the show is heading so far and are ok with the characters, then you should like Himouto Umaru-chan.  For me however, I’d rather do other things with my time, like watch the next anime for Day 12.

Aaaaaaand, with that, I bid you all adieu.  This has been Ken for thebuttonsmashers.com Anime Reviews, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow for Day 12!