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Hideaki Motosuwa. Hideaki is a country boy with dreams of being a freshman in college; dreams which are dashed as he is summarily denied entry into the school of his choice. Having decided to go to prep school in Tokyo, he soon finds himself living on his own in a small apartment trying to make ends meet. On his way home after a food run, he encounters what he first assumes is a dead body but what turns out to be a persocom left out on the trash heap wrapped in bandages which just barely cover her body. Amazed at his stroke of luck, Hideaki takes her home and turns her on. Upon power-up, it’s clear that this persocom, doesn’t have much going on upstairs, but somehow, she knows enough to smile and glomp [Like many fan girls I know…]. Further intrigued, Hideaki decides to keep her, giving her the name “Chi” [as that’s the only word she knows at first]. Upon analysis by resident middle school persocom guru Koushiro “Izzy” Izumi Minoru Kokubunji, it is determined that Chi possesses both highly sophisticated firewalls for protection and learning software which allows Chi to learn much like a human being. Hideaki then decides to take it upon himself to teach Chi about the world around her while he in turn learns about her, all the while managing his part time job at a local pub and his studies to get into college. As the series goes on, questions soon arise about Chi’s origins with the only clue being the legend of the “Chobits” persocoms, who, internet rumor has it, possesses the ability to exercise free will and show emotion. One thing that I liked about “Chobits” is the fact that it can be enjoyed on different levels; it can be enjoyed on a science fiction level, a romance level, or even a slice-of-life level; you get a lot for your money with “Chobits”. The story has a very decent flow to it, and there aren’t any real moments that slow it down or drag it on; each episode has a purpose that lends itself to the whole overall plot. The little side stories, where the plot deviates from Chi and Hideaki and focuses on the relationships of other characters, are enjoyable and tugs at the heartstrings. The ending would be perfect, were it not for two characters that were thrown into the fray at the last minute only to depart just as quickly. The ending would’ve done WAY better if they were either introduced at one point earlier in the series or omitted entirely. Other than that, “Chobits” is an enjoyable story that anyone can enjoy.
The characters of “Chobits” are a very special group. Each character has a unique personality and backstory that makes the story worth watching. Even the persocoms, which are, for the most part, mechanical objects, possess a personality and a character all their own. Our male lead, Hideaki, is pretty much an animated version of yours truly plus or minus a few traits. He’s awkward and a little naïve about the world he finds himself in, different from the farmlands of Hokkaido. He’s dense at times, but overall his heart is in the right place and he cares deeply about those around him, including but not limited to his persocom Chi. Chi is downright adorable and a perfect match with Hideaki. As she has no memory of her past or the current world she lives in, she’s also a little socially awkward and naïve, behaving more like a toddler than a computer, but over time, she grows and matures like Hideaki. Overall, I don’t have a real problem with any of the characters…except Yumi, the daughter of the owner of the bar where Hideaki works. I swear it was like Koishi Herikawa from “Please Teacher” all over again. Okay, let me get this straight: you fall in love with a man who is CLEARLY older than you, and then, when he marries his persocom, you develop a grudge and start fawning over another guy who is younger than the first guy, but still older than you are! What the heck is that about?! Ugh…my head is starting to ache again like it did with Koishi in “Please Teacher”…just take the points, Samurai…
“Chobits” doesn’t offer much in terms of musical prowess. Don’t get me wrong, the music is good, but it’s not that memorable. The opening theme song, “Let Me Be With You” by Round Table featuring Nino is bubbly and catchy, going well with the awesome animation. The end themes, “Raison d’être” (Reason to Be) by Rie Tanaka [On episodes 1-13], “Ningyo-Hime” (Mermaid Princess) by Rie Tanaka [Used in Episodes 14-25], and “Katakoto no Koi” (Awkward Love) by Rie Tanaka and Tomokazu Sugita used in the series finale all match perfectly and fit in the respective episodes that they’re used in. The incidental music is good without being overpowering, and its funny how sometimes the music takes on a techno-like feel to it one minute, and then take on a woodwind and strings feeling the next. It does the job and does it well.
