This Ugly Yet Beautiful World: Volume 1    by Ashita Morimi Order:  USA  Can TOKYOPOP, 2009 (2009) Paperback     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto This Ugly Yet Beautiful World is a strange bit of sci-fi with major fan service, yet has some elements that seem more shojo than shonen. When Takeru is taking his best friend Ryou home one night, a beam of light crashes to Earth revealing a hot, naked girl. She immediately latches on to Takeru, who names her Hikari and takes her back to where he lives with three other girls and his uncle (I never quite figured this part out). The girls all tease him except for Mari who becomes quietly jealous. Ryou, too, is jealous as he was always the more popular of the two boys with girls falling all over him. However, Ryou finds an alien of his own – Hikari's younger sister Akari. Together, the two girls learn about Earth while the boys learn more about the pretty aliens and women in general. While some of the details of Takeru's life might be confusing, the story itself is not and flows at a beautiful pace. The artwork, on the other hand, is not quite as cohesive as the story. The first chapter looks much older than the rest, especially in the character designs. By the end, however, it feels much more up-to-date. This Ugly Yet Beautiful World does have some cute girls in it for readers who like fan service with their aliens. Yet, it also has touching moments about love that will appeal to readers with a more romantic side, making it very hard to classify. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more SF books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews