Josh’s Anime Blog Podcast Episode #20 is now online! In this podcast, I re-review the Chobits manga series..
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Also, I have re-reviewed the anime Chobits, increasing it’s score from 93.5% to 95.5%.
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Name: Chobits Genre:: Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction Tankoubon: 8 Serialized In: Young Magazine Released: 2001 – 2002 Story & Art: CLAMP Published By (Japan): Kodansha Published By (US): TokyoPop
Chobits was one of the first manga series that I completed, and I have to say that even to this day it is the best one I have completed. As with most of the manga series I have read, I watched the anime version first and loved it. However, however much I loved the anime, I like the manga even better.
Hideki Motosuwa is a student in a cram school who is living in an apartment in Tokyo after his parents booted him out of his house upon graduating high school. Hideki is trying to get into a college in Tokyo, but was rejected in his first attempt. He amazes over the human-looking computers called Persocoms, but is too poor to buy one himself. However, one day he stumbles over a female one left in the trash and takes it home and names her Chi.
This begins the laughs, drama…and mystery. What is Chi? Who made her? What is her purpose?
It also poses several philosophical questions such as what does it mean to be “alive”? What does it mean to feel emotions? Can a very complex computer program such as those that Chi runs really give her emotions?
The manga doesn’t necessarily tackle these questions head on or in depth, so its not really heavy philosophical reading, but the questions are posed in one way or another.
The manga has complete and satisfying story lines, tying up all it’s lose ends. The art is impressive, even for a CLAMP work, and the story is very thoughtful and thought-provoking. Unlike most other CLAMP works I have read or are reading, this one is geared more for teen or adult males instead of teen or pre-teen females, though Chobits could easily be enjoyed by females as well I think as the social commentary applies to both sexes, even if the protagonist in Chobits is male.
There is some mild female persocom nudity, but nothing that I’d describe as gratuitous, and some harsh language, including the two big words, but again, I wouldn’t describe it as gratuitous. TokyoPop rates Chobits OT (Older Teen Age 18+).
First Read: February – May 2006 Do I Own: Yes Do I Recommend: Hell Yes
Name: Chobits Genre:: Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction Episodes: 28 (24 regular tv episodes, 3 recap episodes, 1 special) Released: TV: April 2, 2002 – September 24, 2002 Based On:Chobits manga by CLAMP Director: Morio Asaka Produced By: TBS, Pioneer US Distribution By: Pioneer/Geneon
Cast
Character
Japanese Cast
English Cast
Hideki Motosuwa:
Tomokazu Sugita
Crispin Freeman
Chi:
Rie Tanaka
Michelle Ruff
Hiromu Shinbo:
Tomokazu Seki
Tony Oliver
Minoru Kokobunji:
Houko Kuwashima
Mona Marshall
Chitose Hibiya:
Kikuko Inoue
Ellen Wilkinson
Yumi Ohmura:
Megumi Toyoguchi
Julie Maddalena
Takako Shimizu:
Ryoka Yuzuki
Wendee Lee
Sumomo:
Motoko Kumai
Sandy Fox
Yuzuki:
Fumiko Orikasa
Karen Strassman
Kotoko:
Yukana Nogami
Kari Wahlgren
Hiroyuki Ueda:
Yuji Ueda
David Lucas
Review
Chobits is a story about Hideki Motosuwa – a guy who failed his first attempt at getting into college and has thus moved to Tokyo to enter prep school. Once he moves there, he is introduced the persocoms – computers which look like humans. Hideki wants one (despite his lack of computer knowledge) but is depressed over their high costs. However, one day he finds a cute female Persocom in the trash and salvages it. This persocom, which Hideki names Chi, doesn’t seem to have memories of anything, however, and so Hideki must teach Chi just about everything, even the most basic of things.
This is one of those stories, other than being entertaining otherwise, is also a make-you-think story. Over the course of the story, some questions are posed, either directly or indirectly, such as What exactly are emotions?, What are memories?, and What makes a person a person?
As Chi grows and learns more things, the more complex her and Hideki’s relationship becomes. However, behind Chi’s seemingly innocent manner may lie a more sinister purpose. Chi’s uniqueness is apparent right away, but just how deep this uniqueness goes becomes more and more apparently throughout the series.
The supporting cast also illustrate several examples of how people may react in a society with human shaped – and human behaving – computers, from a characters who fell in love with persocoms, to characters who have inferiority complexes over them due to their view that persocoms are the ideal woman.
Chobits spans several genres, from sci-fi to romance to comedy to philosphical and hits them all perfectly, having enough of each to make the story intriguing, but not so much of any that it alienates fans who may not be fans of one of those particular genres.
Chobits also crosses over with the anime series Angelic Layer, though you may need a sharp eye to see where they cross.
The animation is excellent in the series, being sharp and smooth. There is some minor CG additions, but they all fit in smoothly. The music is also excellent, with various types of musical scores that hit all of the genre-specific moments right on. I also thought that the dub was pretty good as well. Overall, if you’re not opposed to a little dirty humor and a lot of laughs, Chobits is definitely a good watch.
Scores
Animation: 5/5 Story: 5/5 Music: 5/5 Dub: 5/5
Series: 5/5
First Watched: October, 2005 Do I Own: Yes Do I Recommend: Yes
Name: Chobits
Name: Chobits
Re-Review – Chobits
You can see the full review here.
The new scores for this series are:
Animation: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Dub: 5/5
Series: 5/5