Himouto! Umaru-chan

Himouto! Umaru-chan

Company type	Manga series / Media franchise
Industry	Entertainment, Publishing, Animation
Founded	2012
Founder	Sankakuhead
Successor	Himouto! Umaru-chan G (sequel manga)
Headquarters	Tokyo , Japan
Area served	Japan, North America, United Kingdom, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand
Key people	Sankakuhead (creator), Masahiko Ohta (anime director), Takashi Aoshima (scriptwriter)
Products	Manga, anime television series, video game
Owner	Shueisha
Parent	Shueisha

is a Japanese manga created by . After releasing two one-shot chapters in 2012 within Shueisha's Seinen manga publication Miracle Jump, the series was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from March 2013 until November 2017, resulting in a total of 12 volumes. A follow-up series titled Himouto! Umaru-chan G appeared in the same magazine from November 2017 through April 2018 and was compiled into a single volume.

The franchise further developed with an anime television adaptation that aired between July and September 2015. This was succeeded by a second season, Himouto! Umaru-chan R, broadcast from October to December 2017.

Premise

Umaru Doma is a high school student residing with her elder brother Taihei. She maintains an impeccable image at school—being attractive, academically outstanding, and gifted. Nevertheless, once at home, she reveals a childish, indolent side obsessed with snacks and video games, much to Taihei’s exasperation. Umaru leverages this contrasting behavior to build social connections and independently manage her expenditures, occasionally purchasing necessities for Taihei as well.

Characters

A second-year high schooler admired for her beauty and scholastic achievements. At home, she adopts a chibi-style alter ego clad in a hamster hoodie, indulging in otaku interests. Living with her brother Taihei, she is also a proficient gamer known as UMR at arcades, where she often conceals her true identity.

Umaru’s elder sibling employed at a company and residing in a 1DK apartment. He is gentle and systematic by nature and frequently scolds Umaru for her habitual laziness.

A reserved classmate of Umaru’s who lives nearby. Originally from Akita Prefecture, she battles self-esteem issues related to her physique but gradually develops feelings for Taihei. She became the central figure of the spin-off manga Akita Imokko! Ebina-chan after winning a character popularity vote.

A rival classmate competing with Umaru academically and athletically. Of mixed Japanese and German descent, she befriends Umaru’s public persona with an aim to outdo her.

A small-statured, timid classmate characterized by intense eyes who admires Umaru. Mistaking Umaru’s persona for that of her sister Komaru, she becomes devoted to her and vies with Ebina for Umaru's attention. She participates in swimming and tennis activities and aspires to become an author of picture books.

Kirie’s brother, nicknamed Bomber, known for his lackadaisical approach to work. He has been friends with Taihei since their high school days but feels awkward around Umaru’s various personas and finds it difficult to recognize his sister when she is in disguise.

Sylphynford’s brother who works in the same department as Taihei. Part German by heritage, he enjoys playing video games and is aware of Umaru’s dual nature. Formerly a recluse, he moved to Japan for employment purposes.

The supervisor of Taihei, Bomber, and Alex, described as both attractive and capable. She attended high school alongside Taihei and Bomber, harbors affection for Taihei while being irritated by Bomber’s antics, lives alone, and is the president’s daughter with a younger sister named Hikari.

Kanau’s younger sibling and the leading student in the Gifted Youth Program. She has previously interacted with Taihei and regards him as an elder brother figure.

Nana’s older brother who works as a chef at a restaurant and left home when she was seven.

Manga

Created and illustrated by , Himouto! Umaru-chan initially appeared as two standalone chapters published in Shueisha's manga periodical Miracle Jump on August 16 and October 16, 2012. The series was subsequently serialized in Weekly Young Jump from March 14, 2013, until November 9, 2017. Shueisha compiled the installments into twelve collected volumes, released between September 19, 2013, and December 19, 2017. After the original run concluded, a sequel titled Himōto! Umaru-chan G was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from November 30, 2017, through April 19, 2018, with a single volume published on July 19, 2018.

In the North American market, Seven Seas Entertainment secured licensing rights for the series.

A spin-off manga named Himouto! Umaru-chan S was serialized on platforms such as Niconico Seiga and Tonari no Young Jump from March 20, 2014, to July 27, 2015. Shueisha issued one volume compiling this spin-off on August 19, 2015. Another derivative work centered on Nana Ebina—who topped a character popularity poll—was released across several outlets including Tonari no Young Jump from December 7, 2015, until September 19, 2017. This spin-off was collected into two volumes published on November 18, 2016, and December 19, 2017.

Volume

{{Graphic novel list | VolumeNumber = 12 | OriginalRelDate = December 19, 2017 | OriginalISBN = 978-4-08-890821-2 | LicensedRelDate = January 5, 2021 | LicensedISBN = 978-1-64505-830-4 |}

Anime

The anime adaptation of the series was produced by Doga Kobo, with Masahiko Ohta serving as director and Takashi Aoshima as scriptwriter. Aya Takano provided character designs while Yasunori Ebina handled sound direction. The show was broadcast on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation between July 9 and September 24, 2015. The opening theme song "Kakushin-teki Metamarufōze!" was performed by Aimi Tanaka; the ending theme "Hidamari Days" featured Tanaka alongside Akari Kageyama, Haruka Shiraishi, and Yurina Furukawa. Original video animations (OVAs) accompanied the manga’s seventh volume in October 2015 and the tenth volume during the second quarter of 2017.

A follow-up season titled Himouto! Umaru-chan R was announced in 2017 with the original voice cast returning and aired in the fall of that year. Its opening theme "Nimensei Ura Omote Life!" was sung by Tanaka; the ending theme "Umarun Taisou" included performances by Tanaka, Kageyama, Shiraishi, and Furukawa.

Globally, the series was simulcast via Crunchyroll and licensed for North America by Sentai Filmworks. The second season became available on Anime Strike, Hidive, and subsequently on AnimeLab for audiences in Australia and New Zealand. Sentai Filmworks acquired licensing rights for Himouto! Umaru-chan R in September 2017. After Sony took over Crunchyroll, both seasons were removed from Crunchyroll’s platform on March 31, 2022. In the United Kingdom, MVM Films obtained rights to distribute the second season. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a Tagalog-dubbed version aired on Hero and Yey! cable channels.

Video game

A sister-raising simulation game for the PlayStation Vita, titled , was developed by FuRyu and launched on December 3, 2015.

Reception

By November 2015, the manga had reached a circulation exceeding 2.2 million copies, which grew to over 2.7 million by March 2017. In the first edition of the Next Manga Award for print works, the series achieved 16th place.

Works cited

• "Ch." denotes chapters from the Himouto! Umaru-chan manga created by Sankakuhead.
• "Ep." indicates episodes from the Himouto! Umaru-chan anime adaptation.