Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai

This Ugly Yet Beautiful World

この醜くも美しい世界

ComedyDramaRomanceSci-FiEcchi
6.712 episodesFinished Airingspring 2004

Studio: Gainax, Shaft

Synopsis

High school student Takeru Takemoto works part time as a (motor)bike courier. During one of his deliveries, he saw a mysterious light passing him and fell into a forest. What he had found was a beautiful girl coming out from a glowing cocoon, calling herself "Hikari." While Takeru was quite embarrassed because of Hikari's nudity, a strange monster suddenly showed up and immediately attacked the two. Both Takeru and Hikari demonstrated the power of their other selves before Takeru had a clue of what's going on. (Source: ANN)

Characters & Voice Actors

Akari

Akari

Main

VA: Shimizu, Ai

Hikari

Hikari

Main

VA: Kawasumi, Ayako

Ninomiya, Ryou

Ninomiya, Ryou

Main

VA: Takimoto, Fujiko

Nishino, Mari

Nishino, Mari

Main

VA: Sanada, Asami

Takemoto, Takeru

Takemoto, Takeru

Main

VA: Mizushima, Daichuu

Asakura, Shinichi

Asakura, Shinichi

Supporting

VA: Kisaichi, Atsushi

Ioneos

Ioneos

Supporting

VA: Noda, Keiichi

Kuon

Kuon

Supporting

VA: Sanada, Asami

Kurebayashi, Amika

Kurebayashi, Amika

Supporting

VA: Hannah, Taylor

Matsumura, Daijirou

Matsumura, Daijirou

Supporting

VA: Patton, Chris

Ninomiya, Kimi

Ninomiya, Kimi

Supporting

VA: Haag, Hilary

Nishino, Sumie

Nishino, Sumie

Supporting

VA: Kotani, Tomoko

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Reviews

iamjoeiamjoe2

They sure got it right by putting 'ugly' in the title. This marvellous piece of crap is a terrible anime about aliens, boys who love them, and boobage. The story was bad, but who cares? Boobage! The art was poor and looked like it was recycled from the early 90s. But does it matter?? Boobage! Who can remember the sound? There were better things, I think. Boobage! The characters were flat, cliches, and underdeveloped. The boys seemed to be horrible clashes of several bad male characters, and the female characters had no personality and were nothing more than fanservicers. However, there were several pairs of things thegirls had that were developed. Boobage! This was a very bad anime. It was short, but it felt like an eternity that wouldn't end. There was very little that made it salvageable. Maybe the interesting title was the best thing about it. Boobage! Unfabulous. And that goes for the boobage, too.

Not Recommended
NotARandomNameNotARandomName7

This anime is definitely a gem, but like any gem in the rough, it's not without its flaws. A lot of them, unfortunately. Story The story is quite interesting, and fairly original. The quality of its presentation varies throughout the series, however - foreshadowing, for example, is plentiful and very well intertwined into the story, so that little details that you might notice but not think much of turn out to be intricate plot points later on. On the other hand, there're the cheesy "OMG! The sky is falling!" bits usually associated with fantasy series surfacing all around the second half of the series which definitelyhurts the suspense of disbelief. Another flaw is the climax being stretched into the last 3 episodes which could've easily fit in a single one. Art Not bad, but nothing to write home about. It's detailed and fairly pretty, but the sudden switches from ultra-contrasting (butterfly clouds, Hikari's hair and dreams) to ultra-pale colours (most secondary characters, slice of life sections) that happen every few minutes are annoying. The deformed butterfly logo is a definite plus though - very memorable. Sound The opening/ending songs are quite generic, but the last episode's ED is nice if only for the fact that it's meaningful in the context, which is a rare occurrence in anime. Background audio is hardly noticeable, but it completes the atmosphere well enough so that's good. Characters I'm a bit torn on this point. On one hand, the four main characters are very likeable and by the end I definitely cared about their fate. On the other, however, apart from Akari, all of the characters bring on a sense of deja vu; a reckless protagonist with a funky hairstyle, a troubled past and superpowers - check; a jealous childhood friend - check; a calm and popular big brother - check; a busty foreign drunkard who is actually wise and "cool" - check as well, and those 4 is just the icing. Enjoyment / Overall I've enjoyed the series, personally, but it felt like I had to go through all the silly action segments, plain stupid fan service, boring showcases of jealousy and unfunny jokes to get to the few excellent romantic scenes here and there. On the whole it was worth it, but it could've been much better if they didn't try to put in a little of every genre and concentrated on getting just one or two right.

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