With a title like “This Ugly Yet Beautiful World”, you would probably expect this recent series from Gainax (their 20th Anniversary work, to be exact) to be filled deep, philosophical discussions about life, death and the meaning of it all. Well, it does have that; heck, it even kicks off with a monologue about extinction, so you know that plays a factor. There is, however, also cute alien girls, romantic hi-jinks, guys who transform into armored, super-powered beings, rampaging monsters and a healthy dose of fan service. You know, pretty much all the things that got a lot of us into anime in the first place. And just like they did with “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and giant robots, Gainax takes these concepts and gives a whole new twist on them while putting a bit more focus on the characters.
The story's main character is Takeru, a slacker high school student who figures the world isn't going to change because of anything he does, much to the irritation of his classmates Sakurako and Amika and cousin Mari, whose family he lives with. While on a delivery for his uncle, Takeru and his best friend Ryo follow a mysterious streak of light into the woods where they find a beautiful girl calling herself Hikari, who seems to have no memory of who she is or where she came from. They are then attacked by a strange, alien monster, and during the fight Takeru finds himself transforming into a armored creature himself to save Hikari.
Things don't get easier from there, but not because Takeru has to fight more monsters to protect Hikari. First off, he has to explain Hikari to his friends and family after bringing her home with him, with Hikari showing some very open affection for the flustered Takeru. Then Jennifer Portman, a sexy blonde American scientist with a habit for heavy drinking and walking around barely dressed, moves in as a border and takes an interest in Hikari. Then Ryo finds another girl in the woods, Akari, who seems to have some kind of connection to Hikari and can't seem to remember anything about herself, either. And, of course, he takes her home with him, much to the irritation of his level-headed younger sister, Kimi.
Some folks might expect from the first episode that this show would be your usual “transforming-hero-fights-the-monster-of-the-week”, with Hikari being some kind of princess on the run with monsters after her. Well, thankfully, this isn't that kind of show, since the first episode's the only one with any fighting in it. The rest of the episodes on this disc focus a bit more on the romantic comedy angle of the series, complete with all the usual elements. From Hikari's open affection and devotion to Takeru, to the jealous reactions of this two idiot friends, to the jealousy of Mari who realizes her own feelings for Takeru, to Takeru's reactions to Hikari's affections and his friends' opinions on the matter, it sounds like a typical romantic comedy done many times before. Thankfully, Gainax does a bit more serious take on the whole idea. For one thing, Takeru isn't pushing Hikari away simply because he's a clueless idiot for comedy's sake, but because he has some personal issues to deal with. That sort of seriousness is something you rarely find in shows like this, making it a bit more true to life than others.
Speaking of seriousness, there are quite a few of those moments in each episode. Every now and then, characters sit down to have serious talks about various topics, whether it's Takeru thinking he should be doing more with his life or Kimi talking to Akari about the family situation she has with her brother. There's also some talk about Hikari and Akari and where they might have come from. Rather than simply accept that aliens look like cute human girls, Jennifer shows her brains in coming up with plausible theories about how they would travel through space and look human on Earth. I have to say it's one of the most realistic and serious ideas about aliens that I've seen in a sci-fi show, especially an anime one, which makes a bit of a rare treat. It's this type of serious stuff that makes “This Ugly Yet Beautiful World” a show that makes you think while watching. Luckily, it also makes you laugh, as there are plenty of other comedic moments throughout the story, like Kimi's freaking out when Ryo brings Akari home or Akari's companion Kuon, a little ghost-like being that floats, makes a slapstick-style getaway after getting caught stealing watermelons, so it makes for a nice balancing act.
