Chobits- Anime Review

“Do you need a heart to fall in love?”

That is the central question to ask yourself when watching Chobits. The show aired in 2002 and is based on 8 volume manga written in 2000. It features the main character, Hideki, moving to the big city and enroll in cram school with the hope of getting into college. During his first week in Tokyo, he finds a Persecom (AI robot) in the trash. Hideki takes her home, boots her up, and their story begins.

Apart from Sailor Moon, Chobits is one of the oldest anime I’ve watched. Many don’t age and are a reflection of the time. It was odd seeing Artificial intelligence as a regular part of society, yet their internet connection is dial-up. An example being, when Hideki plays an online game but can’t start it because he is on the phone with Minorou.

The show has its quirks. Hideki is a borderline idiot. Ms. Hibiya is a co-creator of the Chobits with an underground computer lair equipped with the highest possible internet connection. Shinbo is secretly dating the prep schoolteacher Ms. Shimizu whose husband is in love with a persecom.

The last character worth mentioning is Chi. Who can deny this cutie…?

With a cute face and small body like this, she’s just asking for a hug. Please, Chi only takes all the love I have.

Throughout the series, Chi is mentally a child growing up in a robot body. Which isn’t a bad thing. It adds to the overall cuteness of the character. On the other hand, Hideki walking around like a forgetful idiot adds to the comedy of the show.

The majority episode works well on their own and can be casually watched without knowledge of the others. By the time the audience gets to the main plot of the show, there is enough information given to lead into the ending. The main story starts around episode 16; from then, all the easter eggs mentioned before begin to come together.

We learn Chi was the second Chobit created by Ms. Hibiya and her late husband. Ms. Hibiya (in addition to being a computer genius) wrote, published, and strategically placed books just for Chi to find. (I’m still trying to figure out where she had the time to do that.) Random Persecoms appear out of thin air to stop Chi from activating the ultimate program. Essentially there are a lot of things that happen that don’t make too much sense. But since we are here for the love story and we see how cute Chi is…. Just go with it.

The story matches with a lot of anime for the time it came out. The show is fun, entertaining with a sprinkle of drama. Development within each character wasn’t significant either. Chi’s was the most notable, but I personally believe its because she virtually starts off the series as a child. With that, you can only get better.

The show wasn’t bad; I enjoyed it for the quirky and funny moments. The drama added some flair but didn’t add a ton to the plotline. The ending left me with more questions than answers. I wondered if it would be possible for Hideki to love Chi, but my mind wandered to what would happen later on down the road. Apart from not having to consume food, she isn’t much different from a human, right? Does Hideki get into college? He was failing all of his classes for the entirety of the series, it would be shocking if he passed the college entrance exam.

For a score, Chobits is a solid 6/10. It is cute, comedic, entertaining at times and a cute love story. You can play it in the background while doing something else and not miss much. I would most likely watch this again if I got bored and need a quick laugh.

Stan Chi for all the cuteness she exudes. Question Hideki, for stacking his dirty magazines higher than his textbooks.