This Ugly Yet Beautiful World
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World By Andromeda High School student Takeru Takemoto works part time for his uncle’s motorcycle delivery business. One evening, while on a run to deliver something with his friend Ryou Nimomiya who also works for Takeru’s uncle, they see a strange light streak through the sky and falls into the forest. Curious as teenage boys are, they follow. Finding the spot, the two of them stumble upon a beautiful young and naked girl named Hikari. Takeru couldn’t help but to stare in awe. She looked just like the sketch Ryou had made while talking about his ideal woman. Did his dream woman suddenly appear? Naw, it’s got to be his imagination, right? At least Ryou doesn’t think she resembles the sketch, and he’s the one who drew it. But all isn’t mystical and beautiful as Takeru and Hikari meet one another. Soon the three of them find themselves in a fight against some monster they’ve never seen the likes of before. With the motorcycle destroyed, they flee on foot, trying to escape the creature, but failing miserably. And in this hour of need, when the damsel is in distress, her knight in shining armor appears. Okay, so there’s no armor, but Takeru becomes something amazing and saves the day. Or does he? Prehistoric space creatures, beautiful girls, nosy friends, and scientists. This is the formula for a great anime! Well, not really so far. Volume one of This Ugly Yet Beautiful World was a tad bit slow, but for good reason. The beginning episodes aren’t all action packed. They spend time with character development of all the key players. Takeru is laid back and tries to squeak out of responsibility when he can while his friend Ryou is helpful and tries to help others whenever he can. Other key players are Takeru’s cousin who has suddenly become jealous now that Hikari is on the scene and living in the boarding house. Then there are Takeru’s other male friends who have become jealous of him because of how gorgeous Hikari is. How lucky can a teenage boy get? Hikari’s presence doesn’t seem to affect Takeru’s female friends, but then again, they don’t have eyes for him. And even though they all know that Hikari is from outer space, it doesn’t seem to faze any of them. The dubbing for this series is wonderfully done. The voices fit so well with each of the characters. I congratulate ADV for their selections in voice actors. The artwork was bright and cheery, fitting with the story so well. Scenes like the night sky were drawn simply beautifully. Even though I found this first volume to be a little slow, I know that there are more surprising things waiting in volume two after having watched the trailer for it. I’m curious as to how certain things will fit into place and how certain people’s jealous will affect the friendships they have with Takeru. Licenser: ADV Studio: GAINAX Length: 100 mins Retail (U.S.): $29.98 Boxed Set- $39.98 Availability: 07.04.06
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World By Andromeda High School student Takeru Takemoto works part time for his uncle’s motorcycle delivery business. One evening, while on a run to deliver something with his friend Ryou Nimomiya who also works for Takeru’s uncle, they see a strange light streak through the sky and falls into the forest. Curious as teenage boys are, they follow. Finding the spot, the two of them stumble upon a beautiful young and naked girl named Hikari. Takeru couldn’t help but to stare in awe. She looked just like the sketch Ryou had made while talking about his ideal woman. Did his dream woman suddenly appear? Naw, it’s got to be his imagination, right? At least Ryou doesn’t think she resembles the sketch, and he’s the one who drew it. But all isn’t mystical and beautiful as Takeru and Hikari meet one another. Soon the three of them find themselves in a fight against some monster they’ve never seen the likes of before. With the motorcycle destroyed, they flee on foot, trying to escape the creature, but failing miserably. And in this hour of need, when the damsel is in distress, her knight in shining armor appears. Okay, so there’s no armor, but Takeru becomes something amazing and saves the day. Or does he? Prehistoric space creatures, beautiful girls, nosy friends, and scientists. This is the formula for a great anime! Well, not really so far. Volume one of This Ugly Yet Beautiful World was a tad bit slow, but for good reason. The beginning episodes aren’t all action packed. They spend time with character development of all the key players. Takeru is laid back and tries to squeak out of responsibility when he can while his friend Ryou is helpful and tries to help others whenever he can. Other key players are Takeru’s cousin who has suddenly become jealous now that Hikari is on the scene and living in the boarding house. Then there are Takeru’s other male friends who have become jealous of him because of how gorgeous Hikari is. How lucky can a teenage boy get? Hikari’s presence doesn’t seem to affect Takeru’s female friends, but then again, they don’t have eyes for him. And even though they all know that Hikari is from outer space, it doesn’t seem to faze any of them. The dubbing for this series is wonderfully done. The voices fit so well with each of the characters. I congratulate ADV for their selections in voice actors. The artwork was bright and cheery, fitting with the story so well. Scenes like the night sky were drawn simply beautifully. Even though I found this first volume to be a little slow, I know that there are more surprising things waiting in volume two after having watched the trailer for it. I’m curious as to how certain things will fit into place and how certain people’s jealous will affect the friendships they have with Takeru. Licenser: ADV Studio: GAINAX Length: 100 mins Retail (U.S.): $29.98 Boxed Set- $39.98 Availability: 07.04.06