Chobits is a sweet story about an ordinary country boy and the extraordinary humanoid computer/robot that he finds. It plays with the idea of relationships between humans and robots and turns out as a lovely, slightly comedic, slightly romantic, and very deep story. It's worth the watch if you're willing to give it a chance and if you're willing to think a little.
Animation:
The animation in general was well done (CLAMP, also behind Kobato). The color palette is a bit dark, which fits the mood of the series and location (middle of the city). Despite the dark look, Hideki's room gives off a warm glow for some reason that appears inviting to me. Chi is gorgeous in general, in both personality and appearance. There is a bit of fan service in this seinin anime but it is definitely not the focus of the series. Expect lots of bloody noses nonetheless. The one bothering aspect is Hideki's eyes (reminds me of Kenta from Karin).
Sound:
The OP and EDs (done by Rie Tanaka) all fit the mood of the series very well, and also roll into the BGMs as well. Overall, the soundtrack in this series is outstanding. It isn't meant to be as relaxing as that in Air or as mystifying as that in Kanon, but it just gives off a comfortable vibe. I also really liked the "dark Chi" theme that played whenever Chi did something extraordinary, though this actually came from another anime (X TV). As for VAs, Rie Tanaka. Enough said. Chi is a drastic change from many of Tanaka's other more talkative/bubbly/confident characters and she does an outstanding job of bringing out Chi's innocence and eventual growth.
Story:
The story evolves slowly and so some people may get bored with episodes that seem to be filler. However, I found that these episodes tended to include a great deal of humor, enough so to warrant watching them. There are also summary episodes which contain no new footage and thus can be skipped.
As for the actual story line, I think it evolved quite nicely from discovering Chi to teaching her the rudiments of ordinary life to learning about her background. The story does get a little confusing near the end and may warrant a second watch. Be prepared, there is an extremely emotional cliffhanger near the end. The conclusion, though, was beautiful and made it worth it (and made me want more!). Definitely check out the manga if this is the case for you too.
Character:
Chi is kawaii. Since she has no memories at all (including speech other than "Chiiii") she is completely innocent. This allows for cute scenes such as her reading XXX manga and other such acts. It is also a weakness that is exploited by others in the series. Motosuwa is also an interesting character as he has to come to grips with the fact that he is slowly beginning to like someone/something that isn't human, something whose memories could possibly be wiped out in an instant. A rehash of this concept was attempted recently in Plastic Memories, but to a much less emotional extent. Most of the supporting characters have something to do with persocoms and help Motosuwa deal with his situation in one way or another. Personally, I think that the really rich kid (Minoru) and his persocom/imitation sister's story could have been more interesting but otherwise the other characters were well integrated.
Value:
This anime deals with many issues that are real and pertinent. Some predict that humanoid robots will be reality within the next two decades, and books have been writwn about falling in love with robots/AI. I find this take on the issue to be fascinating and very enjoyable. I watched this twice through (as well as reading the manga). It's not the funniest or most tear-inducing member of the genre, but it is a heart-warming tale nonetheless and a very good watch.
