This Ugly and Beautiful World [Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai]

[nephilim]

my 2 c

the "evil hikari" only shows up when hikari is facing negative feelings dun u think? check ep1 (fear) ep5 (hate) ep7 (insecurity) i feel it's possible that the story is progressing whenever evil hikari shows up. while hikari's still normal hikari, the story's a bit of tribute to gainax's previous animes and some fan service.

ep 7 gave me a shock, becoz

Spoiler for episode 7:

hikari turned into a crazy girl totally in love with takeru, doing weird things, different from the girl i thought she is (straight-forward, but in a more subtle way)

why did aionis need to guard hikari's actions on earth? because it knows that hikari has potential for destruction? or to oversee the extinction process?

why did the monster target both girls if hikari's the only one with an evil within? if the monster only attacks hikari, more or less it means that akari is the good girl

sorry i thought of a lot of things. am wondering whether akari has a secret within her too... becoz she's basically just cast into the background

[CorneredAngel]

So, as I've been doing all along so far, another stab at deeper analysis.

Ultimately, Takeru's defining trait is that he does not want to grow up and assume the responsibilities of being an adult. In the beginning of the series, he can try to justify it by focusing on how the adult world he would enter is full of destruction and how little effect on anything he - or anyone else - can have. But the primary definition of growing up and becoming an adult is accepting your capacity to love (and on another level entirely, confirming that you are an adult via sex/physical affection). Hikari shows up, and by putting herself in front of Takeru, gives him a reason to consider growing up and accepting reality.

Except, as I just mentioned, this adult reality *is* one of destruction and individual irrelevance. By transforming, all he is doing is becoming the same kind of adult that have been fighting in wars for as long as there have been people. So it is a transformation that can only be viewed as positive if you accept that any change is better than no change, that destruction is better than impotence. This still leaves one question unanswered: does Hikari realize what she is doing? Is her goal to somehow harness Takeru's power, or is she there merely to make him realize that there don't need to be "reasons" why he has to grow up; it's an inherently illogical process but one he can't escape and shouldn't try to escape. In this way, incidentally, she would be very much like FLCL's Haruko. The other question that is yet to be addressed, of course, is why does Ryoh accept growing up so wholeheartedly, as evident when he kisses Akari without a moment's hesitation. It's almost as if he craves access to the same transformative power that Takeru has...Of course the final factor that needs to be considered is that Takeru's individual models of "adults" are highly negative: they come solely from the news, and from memories of his own parents who abandoned him. Therefore, he can't imagine the adult world to be in any way constructive; therefore, the only way he can enter it is through violence.

In any case, it's becoming clear that in the second half of the series, symbolism and subtext will become extremely important, especially since the rest of the series still sticks to fairly conventional images and plotlines. Which is to say that there is a distinct break between the ideas Gainax is trying to express and the visuals they are using to express them; perhaps this really would have worked better as a short story. Then again, nor is this anything new: five episodes of Gunbuster out of six, and easily a quarter of Evangelion are fluff...

[ZeppelinJ0]

Originally Posted by CorneredAngel

So, as I've been doing all along so far, another stab at deeper analysis.

Ultimately, Takeru's defining trait is that he does not want to grow up and assume the responsibilities of being an adult. In the beginning of the series, he can try to justify it by focusing on how the adult world he would enter is full of destruction and how little effect on anything he - or anyone else - can have. But the primary definition of growing up and becoming an adult is accepting your capacity to love (and on another level entirely, confirming that you are an adult via sex/physical affection). Hikari shows up, and by putting herself in front of Takeru, gives him a reason to consider growing up and accepting reality.

Except, as I just mentioned, this adult reality *is* one of destruction and individual irrelevance. By transforming, all he is doing is becoming the same kind of adult that have been fighting in wars for as long as there have been people. So it is a transformation that can only be viewed as positive if you accept that any change is better than no change, that destruction is better than impotence. This still leaves one question unanswered: does Hikari realize what she is doing? Is her goal to somehow harness Takeru's power, or is she there merely to make him realize that there don't need to be "reasons" why he has to grow up; it's an inherently illogical process but one he can't escape and shouldn't try to escape. In this way, incidentally, she would be very much like FLCL's Haruko. The other question that is yet to be addressed, of course, is why does Ryoh accept growing up so wholeheartedly, as evident when he kisses Akari without a moment's hesitation. It's almost as if he craves access to the same transformative power that Takeru has...Of course the final factor that needs to be considered is that Takeru's individual models of "adults" are highly negative: they come solely from the news, and from memories of his own parents who abandoned him. Therefore, he can't imagine the adult world to be in any way constructive; therefore, the only way he can enter it is through violence.

In any case, it's becoming clear that in the second half of the series, symbolism and subtext will become extremely important, especially since the rest of the series still sticks to fairly conventional images and plotlines. Which is to say that there is a distinct break between the ideas Gainax is trying to express and the visuals they are using to express them; perhaps this really would have worked better as a short story. Then again, nor is this anything new: five episodes of Gunbuster out of six, and easily a quarter of Evangelion are fluff...

Great analysis, sometimes I wish I could view a show entirely in subtext, I'm sure it would deepend my appreciation, but sadly I'm too shallow I just have to take it for what it is, and rely on you kind folk to give me my lifes lessons! :P

[ZeppelinJ0]

Originally Posted by nephilim

my 2 c


why did the monster target both girls if hikari's the only one with an evil within? if the monster only attacks hikari, more or less it means that akari is the good girl

sorry i thought of a lot of things. am wondering whether akari has a secret within her too... becoz she's basically just cast into the background

On this note here, I don't remember the point at which Akari was placed in to the battle... The monster came from the sea and clearly attacked Hikari, but suddenly near the end of the battle, Akari is on the tail of the monster... WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?! Did I totally miss it??

[I)ark-I)eath]

Originally Posted by ZeppelinJ0

On this note here, I don't remember the point at which Akari was placed in to the battle... The monster came from the sea and clearly attacked Hikari, but suddenly near the end of the battle, Akari is on the tail of the monster... WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?! Did I totally miss it??

yeah..akari just got captured for some reason wasent she still at the beach?! . Meh at least ryou blew air! XD..he didnt create that storm right..looked like either evil hikari or the monster did...

[Yuun]

To Shinova,
Oo is Hikari is itz?? She does look abit like Hisui in Shingetsukitan Tsukihime.

To ZeppelinJ0,
Aren't your avatar is from the FMA when the brothers in on training and couldn't get anything to eat and was force to go fishing?? Hahaha... thats the best part ever...

Oo...still downloading ep7 >_< too slow... it seems to me that this anime still got a long way to go or is itz? Could it be only 12 ep only like the others?? or 24 or 26? Hopefully is long enough...

Aiyah...so busy sturdying no time to even take a bath not to mention watch anime feel like crying (sob,Sob,Sob)

it seems to me that this ep7 gonna be interesting as most of you all mention the ecchi scene... ^^ i've better not miss it... by the way any girls here?? At my place mostly Guy only watch anime girls very seldom so i wanted to know whether there's any girl out there love this anime...

[Melazoma]

Originally Posted by Yuun

To Shinova,
Oo is Hikari is itz?? She does look abit like Hisui in Shingetsukitan Tsukihime.

To ZeppelinJ0,
Aren't your avatar is from the FMA when the brothers in on training and couldn't get anything to eat and was force to go fishing?? Hahaha... thats the best part ever...

Oo...still downloading ep7 >_< too slow... it seems to me that this anime still got a long way to go or is itz? Could it be only 12 ep only like the others?? or 24 or 26? Hopefully is long enough...

Aiyah...so busy sturdying no time to even take a bath not to mention watch anime feel like crying (sob,Sob,Sob)

it seems to me that this ep7 gonna be interesting as most of you all mention the ecchi scene... ^^ i've better not miss it... by the way any girls here?? At my place mostly Guy only watch anime girls very seldom so i wanted to know whether there's any girl out there love this anime...

All indications points to a 12-Episode Series--what with the show being aired on the BS-i Satellite Channel, 2-Episode per DVD release, as well as a total of 6 Volumes of DVDs. 2 X 6 = 12 (Episodes)

[Yuun]

i see... so is not that long after all...

I hope they got 2nd season after this seasons end... Is just too bad if this series end in 12 episodes...

Like those famous anime like...Saishuu Heiki Kanajou and Shingetsukitan Tsukihime... all also end at 12 episodes... Although i really hope they would continue the stories but is already end there...sigh...

I'm kinda like Inuyasha as the story goes very long... i got all 138 episodes so far... with 6 box set of it ^^ and is just don't end...

Actually a short anime will be nice and ends well while the long one would just...somehow makes the ending doesn't seems right...

Thus, i think if it would make to 24 or 26 episodes it would be just nice...
(I just couldn't get enough of Gainax Ecchi stuff...i hope they put in more of those stuff ^^ hehehe...)

[nephilim]

Originally Posted by ZeppelinJ0

On this note here, I don't remember the point at which Akari was placed in to the battle... The monster came from the sea and clearly attacked Hikari, but suddenly near the end of the battle, Akari is on the tail of the monster... WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?! Did I totally miss it??

who knows. it's possible that this is a loophole deliberately made by them, and they will show the truth towards the end of the show.

<-- starting with irresponsible ideas

[Yuun]

I've heard that a sea dragon has two personality, the tail and the head is 2 deferent being. Thus mayb when the head was busy kicking Takeru ass while the tail grab Akari??

Actually maybe Gainax just too lazy to produce a few more pages for that scene and cut it short?? Who knows...hehehe... aiyah somethings small like that don't need to be worry about.

[Spiggy]

Originally Posted by Yuun

I've heard that a sea dragon has two personality, the tail and the head is 2 deferent being. Thus mayb when the head was busy kicking Takeru ass while the tail grab Akari??

Actually maybe Gainax just too lazy to produce a few more pages for that scene and cut it short?? Who knows...hehehe... aiyah somethings small like that don't need to be worry about.

That would be a tad weird. So I take it that the green glowing thing was the essense of that sea monster? I'm guessing since it didn't get nuked by Hikari or Takeru that it can assume another form. Am I the only one who's beginning to like the "evil" Hikari. She's just so calm and decissive, but it's those eyes....I'll stop this post here.

[Yuun]

Originally Posted by Spiggy

That would be a tad weird. So I take it that the green glowing thing was the essense of that sea monster? I'm guessing since it didn't get nuked by Hikari or Takeru that it can assume another form. Am I the only one who's beginning to like the "evil" Hikari. She's just so calm and decissive, but it's those eyes....I'll stop this post here.

Dun worry...there's another fella that has the same taste with ya... and thats ME!!!
I just simply couldn't Resist the evil version of Hikari...man she's damn cool!!! Hey can be my bride?? (Looking at Nephilim Avatar)

Sigh... too bad she's an anime character....

[Melazoma]

Originally Posted by Yuun

Dun worry...there's another fella that has the same taste with ya... and thats ME!!!
I just simply couldn't Resist the evil version of Hikari...man she's damn cool!!! Hey can be my bride?? (Looking at Nephilim Avatar)

Sigh... too bad she's an anime character....

People, all I can say to this Hikari/Akari affection we are feeling now is: remember it. I'm very, very sure that we are closer to the Zen of Moe~

[nephilim]

heehee... everyone really has an affection with akari/hikari. ya too many times i found myself wanting an anime girl to come into real life.

i still prefer the normal hikari to her evil self. sweeter, cuter, more kawaii, and does not have the intent of destroying you

[dreamless]

EVIL is good! so I like evil Hikari

[Yuun]

Ahh...hahaha....i still think Evil Hikari still the best since she really catches my attention...If considering Cuteness..and others i think that'll be Akari since she is the cute version or Hikari in a way. Hopefully Hikari stays the Evil type long enough to rock the show....YEAH~!!

[Melazoma]

lol I was just skimming through 2chan Anime's lastest Konomini thread --even I don't know why, the whole place is hellish to navigate and some guy wrote:
Announcement from Next Year at the Gainax 21th Festival:
The Sequel to
Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai
~Motto Minikuku mo Utsukushii Mono~

[nephilim]

Originally Posted by Melazoma

lol I was just skimming through 2chan Anime's lastest Konomini thread --even I don't know why, the whole place is hellish to navigate and some guy wrote:
Announcement from Next Year at the Gainax 21th Festival:
The Sequel to
Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai
~Motto Minikuku mo Utsukushii Mono~

What does it mean? ^^"""

[Melazoma]

Originally Posted by nephilim

What does it mean? ^^"""

lol it's a joke making fun of Mahoromatic, which has it's second season named "Mahoromatic ~Something More Beautiful~"

Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai is "This Ugly and Beautiful World"
~Motto Minikuku mo Utsukushii Mono~ is "~Something More Ugly and Beautiful"

[brightman]

Originally Posted by Melazoma

lol it's a joke making fun of Mahoromatic, which has it's second season named "Mahoromatic ~Something More Beautiful~"

Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai is "This Ugly and Beautiful World"
~Motto Minikuku mo Utsukushii Mono~ is "~Something More Ugly and Beautiful"

lol! More like it's making fun of Konomini's resemblance to Mahoromatic though...