Himouto! Umaru-chan R is the second season based upon the manga series. This is a slice-of-life anime with various shorts in each episode, often having no unifying theme. Umaru has various personas. When attending school, she is the perfect girl, being extremely pretty, nice, smart and athletic. She even casts an aura so blinding that everyone can't help but admire her. Secretly though, she is a massive fan of anime and gaming. At home, she transforms into a chibi version of herself and lazes around playing games, watching anime and purchasing merchandise, often begging her brother to buy them.
Her brother Taihei has long since finished high school and is currently working. They live together in an apartment with Taihei being the one to cook dinner and often dote on his sister. He does try to teach Umaru self-control and to clean up after herself etc. The brotherly-sisterly affection is some of the best moments in the story as each looks after the other, feeling bad even after getting angry at each other. While Umaru looks like the perfect girl, Taihei himself is the real deal. He's nice, dependable and great at cooking. He's patient and affectionate, it's no wonder that a few of the characters fall for him. It does meant that his relationship status will never be resolved though.
While Umaru shines a lot during high school and is ever popular with everyone else, people are reluctant to befriend her as they feel that she is out of their league. The first season establishes the three main friends that Umaru has: Ebina, Kirie and Sylphin. The funny thing is that Umaru take son various personas to have befriended them in the first place, and it is interesting to see how this has evolved. She is her perfect high school self with Ebina, the lazy chibi Umaru with Kirie, and a disguised hardcore gamer with Sylphin. However, the season has a higher focus on the group of four friends spending time together instead of one-on-one interactions.
Thanks to the characters spending time together and becoming great friends, you can start to see their personalities change for the better. Kirie becomes less shy, Sylphin is less competitive and Umaru herself becomes more understanding of people's emotions. It gives a sense of progression and development to everyone, such that the anime doesn't feel like it is forever stuck in one place. One of the biggest (but funny) coincidences is the fact that all of Taihei's colleagues at work (and by extension, his friends) are siblings of Umaru's friends. This season completes the circle with Umaru meeting the last elder sibling of her friends as well as the last younger sibling of Taihei's work colleagues. It is indeed a small world in Umaru-chan.
The backstories of a few of the characters are gradually shown over the course of the season. From Ebina's brother and why Ebina moved to Tokyo, to Sylphin's reasons for moving from Germany. Again, it allows you to understand the characters a lot more and finally gives justification to some of their unusual personalities and quirks. Since the anime has shifted to Umaru's social life, there are fewer interactions between chibi Umaru and Taihei, which were often the funniest aspects. That being said, there is still a decent amount of scenes the two are at each other, and they are all great.
The animation remains slick and Umaru is as cute as ever, in whichever form she is in. Her high school persona is sweet and innocent, while her chibi self is so adorable. Everything about the anime is positive and colorful. It is all about giving out positive messages that makes the viewer feel good. There are a few scenes where it feels nostalgic, whether it be from the inevitable changes in the town or the bonds between siblings. Umaru frequently swaps between her two personas, even when she is in the presence of her friends who only know one of her personalities. It's funny when Umaru has her own inner monologue in the other persona revealing her true thoughts. Doubly so when she is currently in the perfect outward appearance and inside she is complaining.
Overall, Himouto! Umaru-chan R provides more of the same great comedy and it makes it extremely enjoyable. The dynamic between Umaru's two personas, as well as she relationship with her brother, is sweet and cheeky at the same time. While the ending is a little bit weak since there is not really a great way to provide closure to the events, it is a fun slice-of-life anime that's relatable.
--------------------------------------------
For other anime reviews, have a look at this page.