Things kick off in Episode 5, where Hikari joins Takeru and company at their school (with a little help from Jennifer to get the transfer to go through). Initially excited at doing something new, the ever-cheerful Hikari soon learns that school isn't quite what it's cracked up to be. Then, the group kicks off the start of summer break to go camping in the mountains, with a “test of courage” that has Takeru trying to figure out what to do with Hikari. It's off to the beach next, where the girls get decked out in swimwear and more struggling with affections on the part of Takeru and Mari (this is also where the second monster fight of the whole series takes place!). Finally, we get a “slice-of-life” episode where the gang gets ready for the Bon Festival, Hikari makes a new friend in a bell cricket, life lessons are learned and new secrets and mysteries are revealed.

The series has been great to watch from the start, but now things are starting to get interesting with this new batch of episodes. It mainly has to do with the fact that more about Hikari is being revealed, in particular a “dark side” of her, which may or may not be her “true” self, that was first glimpsed in Episode 1 and now makes regular appearances throughout the episodes on this volume. We also get a new character in the form of Ioneos, a mysterious robot with a strange attitude and connection to Hikari, calling her “Mistress” and reacting to her praise and admonishment. Oh, and he seems to be Jennifer's new drinking partner, Gainax once again brining new twists to anime standards with a robot that gets drunk (never mind the fact that he's a robot, which shouldn't get drunk, or that he doesn't have a visible mouth). I can't say much about some of the other mysteries and revelations that pop up without spoiling anything, but needless to say it finally does tie into the “extinction” theme first hinted at when the first episode started and what Hikari's real role is and what part Takeru, who has sworn with his life to protect Hikari, really plays in the whole scheme. Just from learning what's revealed, you KNOW things are going to go bad for our characters just as they start to get good, which can be typical of any kind of show.

Now back to the lighter side of things, which pretty much takes up the whole series (probably why this show is only twelve episodes, there are only so many ways this could get stretched out before it gets both repetitive and boring). As mentioned before, a lot of the romantic-comedy stuff seems pretty standard, right down to the “episode types” used, but it's still fun to watch it all go down. Takeru may act like the usual idiot who struggles with how to approach his feelings, but you get the idea that he doesn't want to screw it up (something a lot of us can probably relate to) at the same time you tell him “Just go for it, you weenie!” It's also fun to watch Mari struggle with her own feelings, especially with the fact that Hikari isn't your typical romantic rival and doesn't play the “game” according to the “rules”. Throw in Sakurako and Amika playing both sides in the little love triangle (giving advice to Takeru in how to deal with Hikari and to Mari in how to snag Takeru), little Kimi's dealing with Ryo and Akari's antics and the various bits of fan service floating around (especially in Episode 6, heh heh...), and this just continues to be a fun show to watch.

But probably the best part of series, in particular these episodes, is Hikari as a character. Watching her just go about enjoying life, even the simplest things it has to offer like the feel of the wind or the smell of the ocean, you can't help but like her. She even enjoys doing what most people might find boring, like work or school. And even when she overdoes it when she tries to help Takeru (like in Episode 7 when she tries to help out), it just seems so sweet because she wants to be with Takeru. It probably helps when Hikari's darker side comes out (noticable not only by a change in attitude but in hair color, no, really), who is the complete opposite of the “regular” Hikari, that she seems more lovable as a character. Given how creepy she acts when like this, that's not a hard idea to suggest.

The English dub on the disc works the same way as the previous volume, being on par with the Japanese track except in one way. The voice of Ioneos in English actually sounds more like a robot, all hollow and metallic like you'd expect a robot to sound like. Whereas in the Japanese version, he just sounds like a normal person. Sure, there's some technical stuff behind it, but I'm of the opinion that a robot should be made to sound like a robot. At least Hikari's two sides come off well in both versions, cute and sweet for the “normal” version and creepy and mysterious for the “dark” version. And yeah, the actors are still using the same goofy aliases in place of their real names (save for Monica Rial, who voices a shy classmate in Episode 5), but it still makes for a good dub on ADV's part.

Nothing much to say about the bonus material on the disc. Much of it is the same as the previous volume, the clean opening and closing animation, the ADV trailers, and the “Translator's Notes” that explain the various cultural bits that pop up in the series. There are a couple of extra goodies to be had, though. We get a music video for “Metamorphose”, the show's opening song, performed by Yoko Takahashi. It's a nice little piece, but it's about as long as the actual opener, making you wonder if that's the way the song was written and composed in the first place. There's also a Japanese promotional video, which is basically a glorified music video of clips from the show set to the opening song, only this is the “extended” version you would've thought the music video would've been. While nothing to really brag about, you still have something to watch and enjoy when the DVD is done.

If you've been waiting for things to start moving in this series, then Volume 2 of “This Ugly Yet Beautiful World” provides nicely. The final scene, especially, will definitely make you want to watch the rest of the series to find out how it all turns out, proving it gets better as it goes.

Released by: ADV Films

Rating: Age 16+

Running time: 4 Episodes, 100 minutes

Score: 8 out of 10

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.

There are some who might think that the show's a bit slow-going, after kicking off with a talk about extinction then going into some type of monsters and alien girls show. Especially since there's only twelve episodes to be had in the whole series. This, however, I think is a good thing, since it shows that the show is taking the time to properly set things up, rather than cram certain things into a couple of episodes just to get the story going, or throw monster attacks in for the heck of it. You don't get that kind of storytelling in anime a lot, so here's another thing that makes this series seem fresh.

Probably the only gripe I have about the show is Takeru in his transformed state. The good news is that it's not your typical armored transformation, with it literally growing out his body and looking like a part of it. But for some reason or other, he looks a bit more cartoony in design while in this state, almost like he was drawn by a different artist than the rest of the cast. I suppose it was a way to make his form seem more alien or whatnot, but I still think he could've been drawn to match the design and look of the show.

The show has a pretty decent dub track, with the English voices being good matches for the Japanese ones in terms of tone and dialogue. Though, for some reason, a lot of the dub cast are using pseudonyms rather than their real names, even though a lot of the voices are recognizable. And a lot the names just seem like real bad puns. For example, Luci Christian is easy to spot voicing Hikari, but in the credits she's listed as “Tabitha Hickey”. There's no reason as to why this was done, but it doesn't change the fact that ADV managed to do a good recording job.

Since there some Japanese jokes and terms that are hard to translate properly, one of the bonus features on the disc is a handy list of translator notes which explain a few things. For example, “Ryo-sama” (which is what the girls at school call him) is translated in the subtitles as “Ryo darling”, so the notes explain the meaning behind it for those less in the know. They may be hard to read because the small text doesn't appear well on a TV screen, but the notes remain handy little pieces of information. It's certainly the best piece of bonus material on the disc, since the rest is standard stuff like clean opening and closing animation, some Japanese TV ads for the CD soundtrack and DVD releases, some trailers for other ADV releases and a preview for the next volume in the series. Nothing major, but worth checking out.

Slow going or not, “This Ugly Yet Beautiful World” is still a series worth checking out, whether it be the sweet but somewhat deep story or the “old school” elements that many remember from they first started watching anime. Definitely quite enjoyable.

Released by: ADV Films

Rating: Age 16+

Running Time: 4 Episodes, 100 minutes

Score: 7 out of 10