I watched Chobits in the summer of 2012, when I was first getting into anime. I had no idea of where to start as to which shows I'd like or what anime sub-genres I'd be most into. I had heard of Chobits through word of mouth, found the show on Netflix, and thus decided to give it a watch.
As far as the story goes, there is quite a lot of originality. Many romantic stories don't highlight the dichotomy and character development of a young man and his robot. Hideki is a typical adolescent male. He has ambitions of going to college, yet he struggles to thrive in the competitive world of academia. As a result, he goes to Tokyo, where he studies at a nearby prep school in the hopes that he'll be able to get into an actual university. In the midst of this school struggle he faces, he is surrounded by "persecoms," which are essentially super computers that bear a human likeness. Hideki wishes he could have a persecom of his own to ease some of his troubles and bring about some personal enjoyment. He, strangely enough stumbles upon a persecom that was lying among a pile of trash bags and takes it back to his apartment flat. This persecom is given the name "Chi" because of its inability to say anything other than "chi..." Hideki soon discovers that he's not dealing with an ordinary persecom, but seemingly a person that acts in their own free will. Chi is, unbeknownst to herself and Hideki, an extremely powerful persecom that has the power to love, act on her own volition and ultimately change the fate of persecom-kind forever... (not going to spoil anything.) As a result of Chi's extremely cute looks, endearing personality and love for Hideki... the pair finds themselves falling in love. As one can imagine, this raises questions for Hideki. Are relationships like this okay? Can she really love me? Can I really romantically love a robot? How the show handles these existential and deeper philosophical issues pertaining love is beautiful and plays out layer by layer as the story progresses.
All the other components of the show are beautiful as well. The soundtrack is fitting for the genre, and each moment of the show has music that fits the said moment. Not to mention that the theme song is freaking catchy! It's not a bombastic extravaganza of color and sound like some theme songs are, but really captures a balance as the climax of the theme is shared between the lovers... Chi and Hideki.
The artwork is very good for its time, (2002.) However, after watching a great deal of anime since then, the color scheme hasn't aged as well as it could have. Chobits really isn't an extremely colorful show and as far as color scheme, its fairly low key and simple. The bright vibrancy of other anime I've seen since Chobits puts the show in a little bit of a weak spot as far as visuals are concerned. However, this isn't much of a complaint at all as the nature of the show doesn't demand a refined paint palette or cornucopia of color. The artistic design however is beautiful and Chi is absolutely gorgeous, easily one of the most beautiful girls in any anime.
Lastly, I'd like to address the overall entertainment value of this show given not only the elements I've already talked about, but also how it's shaped and pioneered the anime preferences I have now. I've always been a sucker for love stories. Whether it's the cute and romantic exchanges between a couple, or the extensive plot building and character development that takes them there... I've always loved a story that takes these components and perfects them. Chobits perfects them and then some. It has the romance, the humor, the depth and character development to satisfy any true fan of romantic comedy. This show isn't one dimensional in that a young man has a robot fetish and decides to take advantage of it for his own sexual gain. Instead it is a moral crisis spelled out in Hideki's relationships with fellow humans and his persecom. Many things are at stake and love isn't just something to walk into in the case of this anime. In fact, Hideki could be posed with fear of rejection, disapproval or conflict in the wake of feelings he potentially has for Chi... adding further interest to the story.
Overall, Chobits is my favorite anime of all time. And I don't think it will be trumped. Not now, nor in the future. A lot of this has to do with the story, characters and the anime itself, but some of it has to do with the nostalgia and the sheer joy it is to go back to this anime over and over again. I HIGHLY recommend Chobits, whether you're new to anime or a veteran. It is a masterpiece within the realm of romantic comedy and anime as a whole.
