Review of Chobits: Vol. 1

Introduction

The world today has become a technologically dependent one. With e-mails, mobile phones, computers and gadgets practically ubiquitous, it`s fair to say that most people have a love-hate relationship with technology. A useful phrase that, `love-hate`. Love in this case means need rather than desire, as we are hardly apt to develop feelings for a piece of electronics. That is what happens in Chobits though, as it takes place in a not too distant future, where computers and similar gadgets have evolved into Persocoms. Designed to be companions for people, they are technological devices in robot bodies that look completely human except for the ears, with a degree of intelligence and personality, and tailored to the needs of their owners.

Hideki Motosuwa is a country boy with big plans to move to the big city. Unfortunately his plans take a knock when he fails to get into university. The city still beckons though, as he`ll have to spend a year at prep school to retake his exams. Spending all his time in the fields has left him unprepared for the wide world, he`s apt to talk to himself (it was either that or talk to the cows), and the hustle and bustle of the city is overwhelming. He`s surprised to see the number of Persocoms in the city; it looks as if everyone has got one of the expensive items. He knows he`ll never be able to afford one, and settles for moving into his new apartment and getting to know his new neighbours. Then one night coming home from the shops, he finds a blonde girl wrapped in bandages, lying in the trash outside his building. It isn`t a murder scene as he first thinks, but actually an unwanted persocom.

This is the first volume of Chobits, and contains 4 episodes.

1. Chi Awakens
Hideki`s introduction to the big city is overpowering. Everyone has a persocom, and the idea of owning one is appealing, making phone calls, sending e-mails, surfing the Internet… Porn sites. It`s just that the luxury items are way out of his price bracket. Still, he has prep school to look forward to, and his apartment manager Chitose Hibiya is friendly and pretty. He also meets his neighbour, Hiromu Shinbo and his miniature persocom Sumomo. Still the idea of owning one is hard to let go, and it`s with an ominous serendipity that he finds one discarded in the trash. He manages to get her back to his room, but finding the on switch proves to be a delicate proposition. Pretty soon, he`s concealing a naked girl from his new neighbour.

2. Chi Goes Out
All that Hideki`s new persocom can say is `Chi`, so naturally that becomes her name. Hideki is concerned that she is damaged in some way, and Shinbo finds that contrary to all logic, Chi is operating without an OS. Shinbo suggests that Hideki take her to Minoru Kokubunji, a young expert in persocoms that could help find out more about Chi. Chi has an odd effect on other persocoms though, she blows their data, and it`s only when Minoru`s personal companion Yuzuki tries to access Chi`s memories that they find some clue as to what Chi is. Could Chi be one of the legendary Chobits series? Minoru offers to find out more, and also tells Hideki that while Chi may be a blank slate, she obviously has the ability to learn.

3. Chi Learns
Bills are mounting up and Hideki`s money is running out. It`s time to get a job. But first he has to start classes at prep school, and on top of that he`s trying to teach Chi. It isn`t all going to plan. It`s harder giving lessons to an android than he thought, and work is extremely scarce in the city. It`s by sheer luck that a spaced out waitress soaks him while he is trudging through the city. Donning the pub`s uniform while his own clothes are cleaned, he`s put to work waiting tables.

4. Chi Goes On Errands
Hideki`s got a phobia common to many teenaged boys; he can`t go shopping for women`s lingerie. This is problematic as Chi`s wardrobe is lacking in one crucial area. In fact, Hideki has spent so long outside the lingerie shop, sweating and nervous, that the customers and staff have him labelled as a pervert. This is something that Chi will have to do for herself, which leads to some difficult lessons and awkward moments for the teacher.

Video

Chobits gets a clear and sharp 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer. The stylised animation has a simple pastel palette, avoiding bright primary colours for a more muted gentle colour scheme that complements the story ideally. The character designs are simple but effective. I couldn`t find fault with the transfer.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0 Stereo English or Japanese. The subtitles are translated from the Japanese, and there is also an option to have just the signs translated. As always, I listened to the Japanese track, and it is accomplished well enough, with noticeable stereo separation. The English dub is serviceable, but not astounding, the biggest drawback of which has to be the voice chosen for Chi, which sounds monotonous and out of character. In a more and more common occurrence with anime, the music is excellent. I loved the opening theme, "Let Me Be With You" and my toes were most definitely tapping.

Features

Apple Mac style menus, the textless opening, trailers for Gungrave and Trigun as well as an art gallery containing 15 stills, and that`s your lot.

Conclusion

It`s a particularly adolescent fantasy, the idea of a perfectly programmable partner. Why bother with the realities of relationships and interaction, when a fembot (or manbot) could be built to your very own specifications just to cater for your every whim. Chobits explores that idea, and on the surface promises to be the kind of prurient anime that will perk up many a teen. But in reality Chobits avoids such crassness, and instead approaches its subject with a degree more maturity and thought. It still manages to be a little risqué, Chi`s reset button is in a place that assures the 15 rating, and Hideki is a typical teen, oozing hormones and with a healthy interest in porn magazines, or `yummies` as this anime delicately calls them. Chobits is definitely not for children, but it still manages to be sweet, cute and adorable.

Rather than go down the tawdry route, Chobits introduces a world where persocoms are ubiquitous, and their commonplace nature is taken for granted by the majority of people. Because Hideki is a stranger to the city, his sense of wonder as he encounters persocoms for the first time mirrors our own as we learn about them as well. It also means that he is more sensitive and gentle when it comes to dealing with Chi, because persocoms resemble people, he instinctively deals with her as a person where those accustomed to the devices would be more jaded. It sets up a mentor-student relationship, with Chi a blank slate and Hideki teaching her all about the world. But considering that he knows nothing of persocoms himself, he often comes across as more of a new father, rushing to ask Shinbo for advice.

These episodes are filled with gentle humour, with Hideki`s status as clueless farmboy in the big city providing sufficient culture shock silliness to keep the episodes thoroughly entertaining. That said the story does take a while to get going, with the first three episodes taking their time to set up the situation and introduce the significant characters. The final episode on this disc is the most madcap, with Hideki having to force himself to buy underwear for Chi. It`s juvenile, it`s silly, it`s even a little clichéd, but I wound up laughing all the way through it.

I love watching anime in widescreen, and it`s becoming a more common occurrence nowadays. Chobits looks great, the story grabs you, but it has a gentle pace, and the comedy is equally as tender. I enjoyed it greatly, but the nature of the show is that it takes its time to unveil its nuances, and there is a greater emphasis on character and their feelings. While I wholly recommend Chobits from the evidence of these four episodes, you should be prepared to invest in the long run to get the best out of the story.