Himouto! Umaru-chan R: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Himouto! Umaru-chan R: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Himouto! Umaru Chan R is a comedy series with some charming elements for fans of the genre. Created by Sankaku Head, Himouto! Umaru Chan R will appeal to audiences who are seeking some laid-back fun with comedic elements. The series features animation produced by Hajime Kamata (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Tada Never Falls in Love). Under the chief animation production of Doga Kobo (Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA, Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater), Himouto! Umaru Chan R picks up from the original series and continues the comedic shenanigans.

Umaru Doma (Aimi Tanaka) seems like a textbook example of a perfect student at school – exceling with her grades and making sure to impress all of her teachers. Yet the “perfect student” identity at school is shaken off at home when Umaru dons a goofy looking hamster suit and delves in to her lazy side with video games, snacks, and all things otaku. Miss perfection isn’t so perfect after all and has a fun side, playing about with her anime and otaku world.

Umaru also has fun with her super-cool and useful brother, Taihei Doma (Kenji Nojima). Umaru also makes sure to try and be nicer to her other friends and spend time with Nana Ebina (Akari Kageyama), Kirie Motoba (Haruka Shiraishi), and Sylphynford Tachibana (Yurina Furukawa). What goofy and fun misadventures await her while slurping down on her next soda or flipping through the pages of an exciting new manga?

The coolest thing about Himouto! Umaru Chan R is unquestionably the compelling protagonist. Umaru Doma is a great lead character with a silly personality and a fun charm. These character traits are an essential element of the quirky anime realm and the contrast between the picture-picture character alongside the goofier and sillier version of herself.

These elements make the series more compelling on the whole. The character certainly is bubbling with energy and a sense of adventure. Enjoying her video games, sodas, and anime “otaku” lifestyle, Umaru Doma is certainly a relatable character for anime fans who enjoy soaking in some fun. This makes the series more comedic and manages to make it a better antidote to a rainy day.

The animation is colorful and engaging. Under the art direction by Masakazu Miyake (The Helpful Fox Senko-san, My First Girlfriend is a Gal), Himouto! Umaru Chan R is a compellingly animated series. A production that benefits a great deal from the efforts of the animators involved with the production. The series animation is certainly better than average and there is a lot to appreciate about the series aesthetic.

This is a colorful creation and that is something that is a wonderful backdrop for the comedy genre. One thing that always make comedic anime series more enjoyable is the brighter and cheerier aesthetic and this is certainly a series that exudes that element in spades. Audiences looking for a visually compelling series with a cheerier outlook will appreciate the style and it is a nice contrast compared to some of the doom (and gloom) aesthetics of some other genre fare.

The character designs by Aya Takano (Polar Bear's Café, Teasing Master Takagi-san) are one of the best elements of the series. The designs are certainly effective and manage to imbue the series with a more effective style. The design elements make the characters more upbeat and fun – the Chibi art style is a major aspect of the series and one of the reasons the production works as well as it does. These fun designs certainly are a step above most comedy anime series and the results stand out. The central character design for Umaru Doma is especially noteworthy and stands out as one of the most fun elements – hence the series plushies and toys with the character design being popular with fans.

The cinematography by Takafumi Kuwano (Engaged to the Unidentified, Plastic Memories) is one of the best elements of the production. Himouto! Umaru Chan R is a visually bright and colorful series with a interesting use of lighting. The style works enormously well. The cinematography highlights the series comedic sensibility well. The results are certainly worthwhile.

The score composed by Yasuhiro Misawa (Yuruyuri - Happy Go Lily, Love Lab) is compelling and fun. The score is charming and has a nice and airy style. The original score for the series adds a laidback and enjoyable sense of charm. These elements of the score help the series excel and that is something worthwhile. The production benefits a great deal from the music by Misawa.

Written by Takashi Aoshima (If Her Flag Breaks, The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura), Himouto! Umaru Chan R is a fun and charming anime series. Anime comedies are hit and miss with some missing the mark entirely. Himouto! Umaru Chan R is a more enjoyable effort and one that has a good sense of comedic charm. The central character has a compelling voice and the writing certainly helps with reflecting that aspect. A solid effort by Aoshima.

Directed by Masahiko Ohta (Brighter than the Dawning Blue, The Troubled Life of Miss Kotoura), Himouto! Umaru Chan R is a well stylized anime series and one that has a fun visual aesthetic enhanced through the directing of Ohta. Ohta has fun making the series more comedic and upbeat – helping to bring forth good energy from the cast of characters. These aspects make Himouto! Umaru Chan R a lot more enjoyable and comedy fans wanting an enjoyable and relaxing series to watch will enjoy this one.

Himouto! Umaru-chan R: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Himouto! Umaru Chan R is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series looks impressive in high definition. The encoding quality on the release is excellent looking and this makes the presentation more impressive. The colorful animation is remarkably sharp, crisp, and rewarding. The encode quality capably handles the animation and the art style of the series.

The presentation is certainly going to please fans of the series. One of the best merits of Blu-ray and why the format continues to be so superior to streaming services is the fact that the format offers video encodes with high bit-rates and sharper detail. The clarity of the animation is excellent. Streaming service options pale in comparison and even if the presentation looks decent it won't be as good as what one can find on the disc release.

Himouto! Umaru-chan R: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The release includes excellent audio quality. The encoding is excellent and one of the strengths of the release. The lossless audio provides a crisp, dynamic, and engaging audio experience. Dialogue sounds exceptionally crisp and the score is well reproduced. The lossless audio encoding offers a nice quality boost over streaming services. It is always important to remember that most streaming services only offer series with approximately 320kbps for audio presentations. The audio quality on disc is significantly higher with much more clarity and detail. These elements make the presentation all the more enjoyable.

Himouto! Umaru-chan R: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The one area of the release that is underwhelming is the supplemental package. The release certainly isn't compelling in this regard. The extras package is almost barebones. The set includes no making of materials, audio commentaries, behind the scenes, and art scans or galleries. Fans who would like to see these kinds of supplements included on the release will have to make do with a lackluster supplemental package.

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Why the Hell Are You Here, Teacher?! (HD, 00:31), Teasing Master Takagi-san (HD, 1:32), Kill Me Baby (HD, 1:37), and Waiting in the Summer (HD, 1:33).

Himouto! Umaru-chan R: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Himouto! Umaru Chan R is an entertaining and enjoyable comedy series. The series has a charming protagonist with the silly Umaru Doma providing the anime with plenty of comedic fun. Fans of the comedy genre who appreciate a more laidback and charming style of comedy will find this to be an enjoyable production.

The Blu-ray release provides a strong presentation of the series. The picture quality is excellent and the lossless audio encoding is top-notch. The Blu-ray release only lacks in the supplemental department. The release is almost barebones and there isn't much in this regard. Still, fans of Himouto! Umaru Chan R who value the best presentation quality and a nice set to add to their collection, will appreciate the release. Recommended.