Thursday, June 24, 2004 Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai
Introduction
Translated into 'This Ugly and Beautiful World,' Kono starts off with two sub-characters, Takeru and Ryou, who accidentally stumble upon two unknown girls, who are later named Hikari and Akari. Hikari and Takeru are affectionate with eachother, and Ryou and Akari choose to be 'family members' (though, we know that they're more than that). Lasting only a meer 12 episodes, Kono is a romance, action, drama and suspense shoujou* story that tells what would happen if the world were to wrinkle up and slowly die.
Characters
Hikari - The 'authentic' main character of the story, Hikari is torn between love and hate for Takeru, but ultimately chooses to love him. Hikari has orange hair, and dresses sophisticatedly. Takeru found Hikari in the jungle in episode one. Dramatic, extremely attached to Takeru.
Akari - "Sister" to Hikari, Akari was found by Ryou in episode one. Akari claims to be Ryou and Kimi's (Ryou's blood-sister) sister, but they are not blood-related. Positive.
Takeru - A sub-character, he has a growing desire for Hikari. Takeru transforms into a creature with extreme strength and agility when he needs to protect Hikari. Humorous.
Ryou - Takeru's best friend, and brother of Kimi and Akari. Ryou can use psychic abilities, and unlike Takeru, can unleash them whenever he feels the need to. Soft-spoken.
Note: There are more characters, however, for 12 episodes, they play a minor role.
Opinion
Kono was one of my favorite anime in the beginning and middle of the story. I am sad to say that Kono lost its place at around episode 9 or so. It almost seems as though all of the time put into the show was not equally balanced. It would seem as though the creator spent more time trying to perfect even breasts than he did in creating a decent storyline. I was not at all pleased with ending. I felt as though the story could have had consistency if there were more episodes. Both the characters and storyline seemed rushed. The ending could have been decent if the segments ranging from the climax to the denouement had been explained more and not so rushed. Overall, if you're looking for a story with respectable animations, beautiful character designs, and a quick 'I finished this anime!' to add to your list, this may be for you. However, if you're looking for a wonderful storyline and well-developed characters with a nice plot and sequence, you might want to think twice before you decide to pick up or download Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai.
Warnings
Blood - Very minimal. If you get grossed out by an inconsiderable amount of demon/creature blood, then you might not want to see this.
Sex/Nudity - Though there aren't specific sex scenes, there is a considerable amount of nudity. Genitals aren't shown, but if you're sensitive to seeing breasts on your computer (or television) screen, then I don't advise you seeing the series.
Violence - Not much violence at all. In fact, the battle scenes (the few that there are) are actually rather decent.
*Shoujou - (Anime)story that tends to be created for the general viewing of women, involving themes such as romance, drama, and comedy.
Note to Liz: This was a personal review, but you could put it on After Image. You really only need one page for this. I might submit character analysis and episode guides later or something. Oh, and if you like the format, I'll send you the coding. counted stars at
4:31 PM
