There was a time where i used to be -what people would normally refer to as- a Naru-tard. I used to defend Naruto to the death, and go on about how it was the greatest anime of all time, and nothing could ever come close to it.
That was -until 2009, when i heard about an anime that i had known very little of, and had never seen before; that anime was called Chobits.
When i heard about it, it somehow managed to catch my attention, and became curious in checking it out.
Right from the opening, the song "Let me be with you" managed to grab me in; making me want to continue watching.
This all leads to my review...
Review:
The story of Chobits stars Hideki Motosuwa; who -after being rejected from getting into college- decides to move to Toyko to attend a Prep School.
While in Tokyo, he checks out these highly advanced machines called Persocoms; which are -to put it simply- computers who look, talk, and even move like Humans. Unfortunately, Persocoms are expensive, and Hideki isn't able to afford one.
However, as he is walking home from a convenience store, one night, he discovers a blonde-haired female Persocom in the trash. He decides to take it home; where he not only activates her, but also names her Chii, due to being the only thing she could say (at the time, at least).
I found the story elements of Chobits to not only be engaging; but also managed to strike my fancy- i.e. with it's Science Fiction element; questioning relationships between humans, and human-like machines.
The story introduces questions like:
- Can a Human fall in love with a Persocom?
- Can a Persocom fall in love with a Human?
- Can a Human be in love with a Persocom, instead of another Human?
- Can a Human ever love again, after the person they loved abandoned them for a Persocom?
- What will it be like if everybody fell in love with Persocoms?
- How deep can a person's love for a Persocom be?
This is probably the first anime I've watched, that not only made me think; but managed to grab me on an emotional level.
I'm not going to go to deep into that; but let's just say that Chii was a deeper character than i thought she was when they first introduced her; as her dilemma throughout the story, was one that i could relate to on a personal level.
HOWEVER. That isn't to say that Chobits doesn't have it's own share of humor; in fact, it has a lot of it.
Although Chobits' humor mainly revolves around sexual innuendo, it isn't too overdone, and can actually be quite funny.
I love how shy and embarrassed Hideki can get; whether it's him being nervous when seeing a woman half-clothed (or naked), or gets embarrassed when he makes a scene for himself. In the end, though; he's just trying to be a cool guy.
The characters are -Overall- probably the most memorable part of Chobits. Aside from Hideki and Chii, the other characters are a fantastic cast, that are not only very likable, but can also be cared for.
The characters aren't "Throw away characters" or characters who are "Just there"; each character has their own place in the Plot, and even have certain relationships with one another. Even a few minor characters have a place to be, and -in one particular case- one of them even affected one of the main characters (But I'm not going to tell how).
Overall, Chobits is Upbeat. Funny. But has a great, engaging, and emotional science fiction plot, and a fantastic cast of characters; that all combine to create my favorite anime.
Chobits EXPANDED my horizons, and made me realize that there are different animes to experience, and made me want to watch them.
I wish i watched Chobits sooner.
