Chobits

Series Name: Chobits
Series Format: Graphic Novel; Printed in original Japanese Format & Anime
Series Length: 8 Graphic Novels // 26 TV Episodes
Artist: CLAMP
US Release: 30Apr02; Tokyopop – Anime Release; 13Mar03; Pioneer
Series Theme: Sci Fi; Romance; Teen

Review: Many CLAMP fans will notice that the art style of Chobits looks quite simplified, especially the eyes. But it does not deter from the charm and appeal of the story line. From the looks of it, CLAMP is experimenting again.

The main protagonist of Chobits is a 19 yr old Cram School student named Hideki Motosuwa. This is a surprise considering that CLAMP’s audience is usually directed towards young girls, so the main characters are usually 10 – 15 or female. (X is an exception to this rule. ;p ) But with the serialization of Chobits in the Japanese Teen Magazine “Young” it marks a new realm for CLAMP to work in.

This story also takes places in a futuristic Tokyo in which normal PCs and laptops have been replaced by humanoid shaped computers called “Persocoms”. This seems very reminiscent of Buttobi CPU (will discuss it in another review) but follows a very different storyline.

Basically, Hideki is a very broke teenager who works for a night club as a waiter to make ends meet, and is envious of his boss who just got this adorable new Persocom to do his paper work for him. So he walks home from work and bam! He finds a naked human-thing in the trash on the way home from work and so, he takes it home once he figures out it’s a Persocom. And then everything seems to go sour for our hero Hideki. His new CPU doesn’t seem to be working right at all, and he can’t afford to get her fixed or get software for her… The story seems to revolve around the mystery of what Hideki’s Persocom, Chii, really is and Hideki’s love life, and his feelings towards Chii.

Over all, I think the story is very cute, there are a lot of questions to be answered and I’m looking forward to how CLAMP is going to go about answering them. There are a lot of sexual situations in this, but not really enough to warrant a parental advisory on this. There also isn’t a lot of fan service in this. But there are plenty of cute girls and guys to fulfill the standard eye candy quota. The story is also unique enough and funny enough to want to see it through until the end.

Warning, reading this manga will make you want a Persocom of your own! ^^;;

Update: Almost a year later, with the conclusion of the Chobits manga released, there has been a massive fan response to this series. There are tons of Chobits cosplayers, items on E-bay and fansites now. ^_^ My recommendation is to not expect the TV Series and the Manga endings to be identical, I think it makes more sense in the Manga than in the anime.