Chobits (2002–2003) User Reviews

A light and fun anime with a serious undertone

[MissLaurelle · 8/10 · 22 October 2013]

Chobits was one of the first anime I ever watched (also first manga I ever read) and after watching quite a few other animes, I would still place Chobits in my top 5.

Chobits truly is a cute and fun anime to watch and starts out quite innocent, but the deeper you get into the anime the more serious and intriguing the story gets all while keeping it's cuteness factor through the roof.

I must warn, there are a few 18+ scenes in the anime but they are more silly than sexual.

Chii is probably one of the cutest, innocent characters you'll ever come across in an anime but her back story is a huge mystery and is the main intrigue of the story. All the other characters in the anime have their own interesting personas which makes the anime even more interesting past it's cutesiness.

Overall I would definitely recommend watching Chobits if you are looking for something light and fun with still a good story behind it.

Nicely Done

[Nicholai · 7/10 · 11 April 2007]

As I've said many times, I'm not really a fan of anime since it seems most of the series seem to go on and on without any definite conclusions, and forget trying to watch a random episode out of sequence since you won't know what the hell is going on without the proper context of the previous episodes. Also there's the fact that there are few variations in character design, the diabetes-inducing cuteness it can delve into, and the conspicuous lack of emotional subtleties when a character gets highly emotional and becomes distorted in some way.

All those negatives apply to "Chobits", but damn if it doesn't have an engrossing story. As the other posters have said, "Chobits" is about a farmboy from Hokkaido named Hideki Motosuwa who just recently graduated from secondary school but has become yet another victim of Japan's ridiculously punitive college freshman selection system when he finds out that he has failed the national college entrance exam. So he is forced to attend a post-secondary college preparatory school in Tokyo, a "cram school", in order to take another shot at the test. During that time he finds a nubile looking female persocom discarded in a trash heap. He takes her home and, after a while, figures out how to turn her on by going between her legs (get it? *winks*)

It turns out that the persocom lacks any programming except for an operating system that allows her to slowly learn stuff and it is up to Hideki to teach her the ways of the world. He has his work cut out for him since at first she is only able to say "chii", a word that would later become her name.

Basically, the series is broken roughly into two parts. The first part is a series of comic misadventures where Chi, a consummate blank slate, has difficulty doing simple things. Hideki tries to help, but he is hamstrung by his own cluelessness about computers and his crippling uptightness around women, even custom-made ones like Chi. The situation is made made even more awkward when Chi, in her sincere effort to please, buys pornography for Hideki (in lieu of granting actual sexual favors, one thinks) or copies the actions of the girls in those magazines. An episode representative of this dilemma is the fourth one, "Chi Goes On Errands" where Hideki just cannot walk in a store and buy panties for Chi, so he makes up a veritable search-and-destroy mission for Chi to purchase a pair in his stead. Obviously, this turned out to be quite messy.

The second half of the series gets to the nut of the problem presented by the availability of human-like computers who are able to interact like normal people. There will me many a lonely soul who cannot compete for the affections of those they love if anybody can construct and program their own personal Galateas to serve even their emotional needs. Then there are the persocoms: are they things to be exploited and tossed away when they are not useful, or do they deserve reciprocal love and companionship that they are programmed to provide humans? Chi seems to expect the latter due to her readings of a series of depressing "Lonely City" picture books she has purchased in which an anonymous woman seems doomed to search in vain for her one true love.

Finally, there is the question that traditionalists have been fighting against for centuries: is it right for humans and persocoms to even fall in love? It's an allegory that could be extended to homosexual relationships, polygamy, polygyny and other non-traditional relationships. The answer the series gives is that as long as the love is sincere and does not hurt other people, then it's sanctified.

Although the overall story is quite solid, especially the end where it almost made macho-me shed tears, there are some draw backs. Like the fact that they have no less than three clip shows for a series with only 27 episodes (plus a six-minute epilogue special). And there are some major plot holes, like how the hell did Chi get dumped among the garbage in the first place? The English dubbing is fine I guess, but you might as well just get the Japanese version with subtitles because, for one, the original Japanese voice actor Rie Tanaka does an absolutely endearing job of capturing the innocence and adoration inherent in Chi's character. The excitement and love present whenever Chi cries out "Hideki! Hideki!" would make anyone want to come home to such a welcome, the other events of the day becoming meaningless.

You are also probably going to miss some original puns and characterizations in the dubbing. For example there is a pun that has "sidedish" and "pornography" being the same word. Also a character, a persocom called Sumomo that is owned by Hideki's friend and neighbor Shinbo, is not properly portrayed in the English version. In the Japanese version, she has a habit of ending almost all her statements with the explanatory qualifier "'n desu", a phrase that I don't quite know the meaning of and that can't be translated without getting too technical. So naturally that part of her character was dropped in the English dubs.

But other than that, it's both a riot and poignant, and is recommended for anyone who has ever loved someone. Even though the anime does include some adult situations and heavy petting, all you horny teenage boys are outta luck with this one since you are not going to see any exposed aureolas or labias in any of the episodes. Overall three out of four stars *** out of ****

A Show About Motosewa, A Man Who Happens To Find A Persecom (Robot) But In Urban Legend His Persecom Is Known As A "Chobit" A Persecom Who Has Free Will To Do Whatever.

[connor_tate · 8/10 · 10 August 2008]

This Show Is Really Good, But Because I'm From The UK I Had To Watch It On Youtube, But It's One Of My Favourite Anime's Of All Time, It Has Lots Of Humour In It Which Makes It Very Amusing! I'd Recommend It To Mabye....14 And Over Because It Does Contain Some Perverted Scenes... I Would Strongly Recommend Watching This, You'll Like It. I Dislike The Dodgy Names In This Anime, They're Kinda Hard To Remember And Pronounce. I Still Wonder If Anyone Even Know What Chobits Is! I Mean, Six Years Ago! I Watched During 2008, Boy Did I Lose Out.... LOLOLOLOLOLO LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL OLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL OLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

Cute fun and laughter

[Rirath_com · 10 February 2003]

Despite my usual disgruntledness, people who know me know I'm a sucker for just about anything anime. Give me a good anime, and I'm in an annoyingly happy mood for quite some time afterwards. Chobits is a action, comedy, and romance series. It fits right in with shows like Ranma ½ and to lesser extents, Ah! My Goddess, and Sailor Moon. The jokes are hilarious, the characters are lovable, and the obviousness of the fan service rivals that of Evangelion.

I have to admit, I get very involved with anime. I cheer for the hero, at times the villain, mourn the loss of favorite characters, and take great interest in the lives and loves of the characters. Chobits is very easy to relate in this manner to. Hideki is as simple and honest as they come, yet human. Picture a cross between Tenchi, Keiichi, and Ranma as well. Chii is a great character, cute and innocent. She can be every bit as funny and interesting as Hideki, even when speaking a single word. She makes a great pair with Sumomo, a mobile persocon who belongs to Hideki's best friend.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me explain a little about Chobits since the majority of even anime fans probably don't know much about it. The gist of the Chobits story is about a farm boy turn city slicker named Hideki. He's in cram school, trying to get accepted into a college. When he gets to the city, he's amazed by "Persocons". Turns out they're everywhere. After making a few friends he learns that they are basically walking computers. looking human, acting human, but by their programming only. He dreams about how great it'd be for awhile, but ultimately knows he's broke. As he's walking home at night, he finds Chii. just laying on the curb in the trash. He saves her from the garbage heap, takes her home, and activates her. Turns out she knows almost nothing. No common sense, no language, nothing. He figures that's why she was thrown away to begin with, but why look the other way with such good fortune? He takes it upon himself to teach her about the world while trying to lead his daily life.

The show never ceases to stay interesting, and the stories range from serious to all out joke fest craziness. The jokes are certainly aimed at an older audience. They have all the appeal of Ranma ½. Hideki loves adult magazines and movies, and there are several very funny jokes about it. Unlike most anime guys, he's not blind to all the cute girls around him either. He's far less shy about it than Tenchi and Keichii, but he's still a good guy at heart. For the most part, the series is clean and lovable. There's extremely little out right nudity, mostly just a ton of cute fan service.

One thing I really like about Chobits is that it's very upbeat. Not just the humor, but the generally message of the anime. Going through Hideki's life, his job, his classes, his troubles and watching him fight through them all. CLAMP is great at this kind of overall upbeat anime, and Chobits is no exception. It's a great anime that I recommend to just about anyone old enough for the adult themed jokes. You might want to preview it before you have your younger siblings or kids watch it.

• Rirath_com

Interesting and fun

[masonfewel · 7/10 · 6 May 2021]

I liked this show, it had some funny moments and some not so funny ones, but I mostly liked the intrigue of the world and what all the implications are. The characters are pretty good too. This is an all around good show with a nice ending, so I would definitely recommend it. It's not really anything special, though, so don't go into it expecting a masterpiece.

Do u support them?

[jcpbjctk2 · 10/10 · 25 June 2008]

As those characters in the series keep mentioning about relationships between computers and humans, i asked myself a couple time - do i support them?

Despite chi's "specialness" and the fact that she is the cutest girl in the world, she is - although i don't want to admit, a computer. There will be no generation afterward, and as Hideki get older, Chi still stays the same, as cute as always..... Is that a good thing? Will the tragedy of Chi's boss happen again? god knows.. The story ended with a good ending, but i feel sad for both of them, maybe i over-thought it too much..

Overall, this anime is the best for no doubt, it definitely deserves a 10

Underrated

[fletcher114 · 9/10 · 11 June 2014]

This show is superb. I don't know how (currently) it has a 7.5. The show is funny when it wants to be and serious when it wants to be. The first few episodes are the funniest things I've seen in a while. The last episode could possibly make you cry. You will know by the first episode alone if you like it, so give it a shot. If you decide to keep watching, then you are definitely in for a ride! This show also has plenty of "D'aaaww" moments considering the show is about teaching a robot with the mind of a 2 year old how to do things in normal life. The show will definitely warm your heart. If not, I assure it will entertain you for 24 episodes. (26 if you count the filler episodes.) Any fan of anime needs to watch this immediately.

When a man loves a robot

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 5 June 2011]

I had heard of this series long before I got a chance to see it and when Funimation put the opening four episodes on their YouTube channel I decided to check it out. Even though I prefer my anime subtitled and this was the dubbed version I was quickly hooked and was left wanting more. Some time later the series was finally re-released here on DVD so I could watch the whole thing. The rest of the series was just as good as the opening episodes although the tone does shift somewhat midway through; the earlier episodes are light hearted and while never explicit often feature situations that suggest that that Hideki; the main character, is a bit of a pervert! Later on things get much darker when the 'person' he cares for disappears.

To summarise the plot; Chobits is set in a world where instead of using personal computers people use Persicoms; robots that fulfil the roles of computers but look almost human. Hideki moves to the city so that he can cram for his university entrance exam; he dreams of owning his own persicom but knows he will never be able to afford one. He is lucky though and one day finds one lying amongst some garbage. He takes it home hoping to get it working but it doesn't have an operating system installed. He manages to turn it on but all she can say is 'Chi'; and thus she is named. In the opening episodes he struggles to get her working, study for cram school and earn a living. As the story progresses it becomes apparent that Chi isn't like other persicoms; she may be a 'Chobits', this is a persicom capable of genuine emotion… if so other people may want to get their hands on her.

This was a really fun series with plenty of laughs as well as one or two genuinely tear-jerking moments. While I watched the whole series in Japanese with English subtitles I saw enough of the English dub to say that is sounded pretty good; so dub-fans shouldn't be disappointed. The animation was decent although I'm not sure why Hikeki's eyes were drawn in a different way to all the other characters. The main characters were fairly likable; I especially liked Sumomo; the small 'genki girl' persicom belonging to Hideki's housemate… she may be tiny but she has plenty of energy!

A great series! It'll put a big happy smile on your face!

[dee.reid · 10/10 · 12 March 2012]

Ah, the trials & tribulations of a boy and his... personal computer?

"Chobits" is an unusual Anime' (Japanese animation) series that I took a wild gamble with earlier this year, having never seen or heard of it before, but nonetheless liked the concept because I found it very interesting. "Chobits" is a romantic sci-fi/comedy series from the all-woman Manga-writing team CLAMP, who also did another Anime' series I've always liked: "X." Basically in "Chobits," you'll find yourself wondering if it's possible or not to have a meaningful relationship with your personal computer.

In its storyline, "Chobits" seems to borrow heavily from cyberpunk, the computer-tech and hacker subcultures, and the cult-classic science fiction film "Blade Runner" (1982). Set more or less in the present (the early 21st century, most likely between 2001-2002 when the Manga was still being serialized in Japan), the protagonist of the series is a socially clumsy/technologically inept 18-year-old country bumpkin named Hideki Motosuwa, who has just moved from his family's farm to the big city of Tokyo. He moves into a cramped little apartment in order to attend a cram school so that he can hopefully get into a good university. To help make ends meet, he gets a job at a local restaurant simply called My Pleasure.

So far, "Chobits" sounds a lot like any run-of-the-mill, fish-out-of-water comedy you've come across (whether it be in Japan or the United States), but I've only described what happens in the first 10 minutes of the first episode! On his way home from work one night, Hideki stumbles across a discarded "Persocom" in the trash, the human-looking androids made to resemble attractive young girls/women. Persocoms are so-called because the name itself is an abbreviation of the words "personal computer." Persocoms seems to have all but completely replaced desktop and laptop PCs in this revisionist universe of our early-21st-century existence, since they can do a lot of the things that normal computers and telephones can do: they can surf and download stuff off the Internet, answer the phone and record messages, play video games, perform simple household chores and in poor virginal Hideki's case, look for porn on the 'Net. (So yeah, they're basically an iPhone, PC, and telephone/cell phone all rolled up in one!)

Hideki thus names his new Persocom "Chi," after the only word she knows how to say. He discovers, with help from his new neighbor/classmate/best friend Shinbo Hiromu (who also has his own cute little "mobile" Persocom named Sumomo) and wealthy 12-year-old computer genius Minoru Kokubunji, that Chi has absolutely no data and only one program installed on her CPU. Kokubunji suspects that Chi is actually a "chobit," referring to an urban legend that states that certain Persocoms were programmed with free will and the ability to feel a full set of human emotions. Hilarity ensues pretty much as Hideki tries to teach Chi common sense, manners and how to properly act in the larger Japanese society, but he soon comes to realize that she is harboring a dark secret somewhere in the depths of her (supposedly) blank CPU - a secret that could prove dangerous if it's truly possible for a Persocom to ever truly find happiness by coming to love a human being.

"Chobits" is a nice romantic comedy series with a neat sci-fi twist that asks us an important fundamental question: Is it ever really possible for a person to love his computer? I guess it's time to justify my earlier "Blade Runner" reference when I mention that the Persocoms in the series are perhaps an upgrade from "Blade Runner's" replicants. The Persocoms here in "Chobits" are able to respond to, and emulate, human emotions, which replicants lacked and were forbidden from achieving in "Blade Runner" while also being used off-world as slave labor; so, you could call "Chobits" an anti-"Blade Runner." And I also suggest that it's a little unnerving that countries in Asia (namely China, Japan, and South Korea) are constructing extremely life-like robots that are capable of expressing, and responding to, the emotions of their human creators. (It sounds kind of scary, doesn't it? And "Blade Runner" seems even more prescient now that you think about it.)

For the first half of this 24-episode Anime' series, it's pretty funny and sweet with the interactions between Hideki, who despite his social and technological ineptitude, is a really nice guy who actually cares about other people and helping them out (he's another one of the many great shy-guys common in Anime'), and Chi. Chi is basically like a child who has to be taught proper manners and the such. But things start to take a dark turn in the second half, as the dark secrets surrounding Chi's past start to arise and the implications it has for her burgeoning love for Hideki, as well as all other Persocoms in Tokyo. It all begins with the arrival of some very well-thought-out cyberpunk elements in the story.

"Chobits" is a great Anime' series that will definitely put a big happy smile on your face. Despite some of the darker elements in the second half of the series, be rest assured that things end on a good note. ("Chobits" also has one of the most beautiful and cheery soundtracks ever composed for an Anime' series, with songs by Japanese music acts Round Table and Rie Tanaka.)

You really won't be disappointed at all with "Chobits."

10/10

It was ok but not engaging for me

[Irishchatter · 4/10 · 30 April 2018]

I thought the first episode was ok but at the same time, I just didn't find it eye-catching or the fact it didn't keep me interested. Yes we see a sexually frustrated guy finding a girl robot with cute elephant like ears among the trash bags outside of his student apartment . Yeah he saved her life but it's really for his fantasies. It makes you kinda think this is like a hentai or ecchi wanna be anime and I decided to just not bother watching the second episode. Yeah you may think that i should give the anime a second chance but for me, I give only the first episode a chance before watching the second episode and until I'm really satisfied that I can continue watching the series. Just how I roll and I'm proud of that!

Overall I would recommend it if you like cutesy robot inspired anime but for me, I wouldn't go back watching it again and rather forget about it. That's why I'm giving it 4/10...

An incredibly cute and charming Anime (Japanese cartoons for adults)

[prometheus00 · 16 November 2002]

The story revolves around a farm-boy, Hideki, who has come to the big city of Tokyo to try to raise his grades so that he may enter college. There he finds a Persocon - a computer shaped as a human - in a garbage-heap. And it is a cute female model at that! Though it appears to be broken (the only word it can say is "Chii") his hacker-friend soon discovers that the persocon (naturally named Chii by Hideki) may be much more powerful than appearances imply. It soon becomes obvious that Chii hides a great secret within that cute little body.

The series has a nice naivistic feel to it, sometimes the story-line of an episode is almost at grade-school level. At the same time there are quite a lot of very adult insinuations. Chii is a _very_ attractive robot, and doesn't mind taking her clothes off! (Though there is always an object strategically placed in front of the "camera"). Hideki constantly throws himself into fantastic fits of shame whenever he has (or believes he has) made a fool of himself - which is quite often. His problem with shamefulness is of course extra strong in sexual matters.

There are some deeper questions raised in the series too, such as the question if love of technology and might be keeping people apart. Another question is the fact that all young men in the series appear to prefer robot-girls (who robotically obey their least whim) to human girls. Persocon shops are filled with rows of attractive girls ready for anyone with money to buy. Interestingly questions like these are actually given at least a little bit of depth, rather than just picking one of the possible answers as the truth!

This anime series is more of a very long story, it doesn't meander around too much like series sometimes do. There is a clear beginning and an end (after 26 episodes) and the whole main story has obviously been thought out before the series was made. There doesn't appear to be any official version out, but a version subtitled by fans can be found on the peer-to-peer nets.

One of my favorite Anime show from CLAMP

[ja_kitty_71 · 10/10 · 17 June 2008]

All I had to say about this series was that the name sounded like "hobbits" with a "c." Actually, this great anime series, which is based on a manga, is about "persocoms."

Persocoms are attractive female-type robots who often look younger than they ought to. They act like personal computers and tend to be unquestioningly devoted to their owners-usually men. One man, named Hideki Motosuwa (the male lead character of the show), finds a cute persocom in the trash and decides to take her for himself. Upon turning her on, she instantly regards Hideki with adoration. The only word she seems capable of saying is "chi," so he names her Chii. That's about all I've got for you, folks. You would have to watch the series for yourself.

When my twin sister let me borrow her DVD box-set of the series to watch, and after I had watched all the episodes, I instantly loved it! Also, I love CLAMP, who worked on the original manga; they do very beautiful artwork. And I personally love Chii; she is just too flippin' cute! So overall, as I said, I really love this series.

Love

[karanshadow · 10/10 · 21 June 2020]

This any anime taught you that you can fall in love with anyone (persicon) i love character development and the story line classic and epic story better from now days anime

Sounds like a guy's fantasy...and it sure is funny.

[The_Light_Triton · 9/10 · 19 October 2010]

Let's head back to 1984, when James Cameron thought up an idea that many others thought up, but none was good as him. it was called the terminator. Months later, Terminator was up on the big screen. it was wildly successful, and it spawned several sequels and spin-offs, as well as tons of fanfiction by fans.

Skip ahead to 2001. The idea of intelligent robots got into the mind of Clamp, a mangaka group, consisting of all women. wait...all women? you mean there are some women out there that know what some guys fantasize about? Holy cow.

Anyways, The story is about a poor 18 year old boy named Hideki who wants his own personal persicon, a robot that can do menial tasks and help out around the house. He finds his wish laying in a heap of garbage wrapped up in thin strips of cloth. however, his newly found Persicon has lost her memory and can only say "Chi" repeatedly, so Hideki has to do things for her and teach her how to act properly. but also, she might be a special robot called a Chobit, which can think for itself.

I only discovered this anime last night, after a friend told me about it, and i got to say, Clamp had a good idea right here. i'm dying to see the rest of the anime, which isn't the case for most animes i see (i'm not too big into them) but this one is funny, and in my opinion, interesting.

I'll give it an 8 out of 10. I might come back and change it once i see the rest of the show.

Superb anime series, gets a bit uneven at times but delivers 100%

[Boris-57 · 19 September 2005]

So, your classic story - man vs machine. More particularly - man falls in love with found machine and, behold, it's vice versa.

I stumbled upon these series by accident on the french MCM channel; the french dubs are perfect (Chii is exquisitely dubbed), but after a few episodes I got me the subbed originals - and found out that MCM messed up the episode sequencing. Content-wise this isn't problematic since the first two thirds of the episodes are quite stand-alone. Still it's exactly this that makes the series dip after a while, and you get the idea that they were just making it up as they went along. The underlying storyline (who/what is Chii, what will happen between Hideki & Chii) gets hinted at once in a while, but all in all the first half of the series focuses on the problems that arise when Hideki tries to educate his persocon Chii and the embarrassing situations Chii gets her prude master in, all in your typical "harem" anime setting.

The main thing is: it's so well-done! The first say 8 episodes are often hilarious observations of masculine fears and obsessions as we get to know Hideki's thoughts every step of the way. Through the parts of the comic-in-comic (Chii reads a favorite comic that seems to be especially designed for her and is a key element the overarching story) you occasionally get the idea that more is about to come.

Of course, you can't keep Hideki as constipated throughout and as the often sexual jokes wear out, the series drifts towards fan-servicing with unfortunately pretty sexist undertones (not that I care). At that point, despite the fact the the manga script lay there waiting to be developed, the series seems a bit lost, and the build-up of tension between Chii and Hideki comes to a halt, as do the other plot lines (Hideki and Yumi...), culminating in the low (plotwise) or high (imagewise *grin*) of #14, where all characters spend a day at the beach. Apart from seeing all babes in bathing suits (yeah I know they're drawn figures, but cut the imagination some slack), you're left wondering when they'll get on with it. This wondering is only augmented by the following two episodes where Chii is hardly seen and the plot focuses on Shimbo and the Sensei...

***Spoiler-laden paragraphs below***

But in fact (though you only find out later) this is where they (finally) start developing the actual story about relationships between man and machine, and what machine is/can be, what it means to be human. These eps. 15-16 are the first part of this topic, where it's seen from the (negative) human side only. The story-telling is raised to a significantly higher level. It's a bit of a mystery why the next 2 episodes again seem to fall to the earlier level, and nothing much is added, except for a hint at what the plot will turn out to be.

But, in episodes 20-26 suddenly the stakes are raised and we get an entirely different anime, with all the depth and beauty that we've come to expect from this Japanese art form. What makes a machine a machine, a human human, what is love, what is the function of memory... you get it all. The density of each episode is a zillion times higher than that of the first ones, and suspense is gradually built up. And then of course there's the final two episodes where a lot of questions are answered and the series DELIVERS. Home run! Considering the end credit song had changed midway to the very melancholic Ningyo Hime, I expected the worst, and indeed initially it does end up the way 99% of man-machine-love films end up: it cannot be (I think this has its roots in the ancient beliefs that relationships are merely there for procreation). But, lo and behold people! it does not end this way. Love DOES conquer all and after a series of emotional lefts and rights in the final episode, you get positively uppercutted by the rare 1% solution: the relationship between man and machine is a fact. Relationships without procreation are allowed. Bingo this is heaven.

***SPOILER ENDS - but don't look an inch upward from this line***

So, despite the fact that the series seems a bit lost in the middle, the absolutely charming and hilarious first third plus the final third with its deep issues, superb plot and magnificent denouement make this series a solid 9 for me. I would have given it a 10, but it is a fact that the whole could have been better 1) had they from the start opted for a continuous story (like the final eps) with the story lines more mixed like in the manga, rather than more or less separate episodes focusing on one topic or even gimmick, 2) had made a better mix of humor & drama and developed the Chii character a bit better (like in the manga). Though this might be easier to achieve in a full-length feature, in which the story would benefit from being chopped from 8 to 2 hours. Obviously, this would leave Chii-o-files gasping for more, but still:

People from TBS: make this into a full-length feature!! Presto!!!

O, and don't forget to have a box of Kleenex within reach once you start on the final episode...

PS: if you buy the DVD's (6+1 bonus), disc 1 and 2 are really worthwhile (though 2 has quite a bit of sexual/sexist fan-servicing), while disc 3 may be the least interesting. Disc 4 is where you get a first glimpse of how good the series will get, and discs 5 & 6 are simply must-haves. Beware that the 7th disc contains just 3 summaries (eps 9, 18 and 27), plus a 5-minute extra called Chibits.

An unique blend of comedy and serious societal issues

[enami741 · 26 January 2006]

'Chobits' at first glance can be considered as nothing short of a generic anime that draws comedy out of perversion. As true as it maybe, that is not the case. At first I could not stop laughing my heart out at the hilarious accounts of Hideki's city life and his fantasies. As the story progressed, I realized that the show has more to it than the belly aching comedy.

The story explores the society's obsession towards electronics and the artificial for companionship. In the 'Chobits' world, people are spending more time with the persocons or the androids. There are people who are falling in love with their persocons and cheating on their spouse. All these reflect the societal interactions that we see today. People are obsessed with the computers, portable music players, gaming systems and phones that have reduced the level at which people interact with each other everyday in the streets, office or in public transportation. As more electronic devices come to our life, more we are pushing each other apart. 'Chobits' explore these issues in a light-hearted but emotional tone that would make anyone shed tears in laughter or sorrow.

I enjoyed this series.

[airforce_oneman · 19 September 2004]

I enjoyed this series. I watched it all the way through after borrowing it from a friend. It rained all weekend and I popped it in not having anything better to do. Within a few episodes, I had fallen in love with Chii, one of the main characters. The character building is very nice. Within minuets you feel as though you know Hideki and his persocom Chii. Over all I give it an 8.5 out of ten. The art work, I give an 8 out of ten. I normally watch anime movies like Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, or Princess Monoko. Many of those are described as overly cute. This series is completely different. It has just the right amount of love, anger, sadness, happiness, and Yummies LOL Watch it and you'll learn what I mean.

"Chobits" is the best anime I have ever seen!

[sippan · 11 August 2002]

Chobits hasn't been officially subtitled, but I have seen fansubbed episodes and I must say, since I was first introduced to manga and anime at the age of 13, I have never seen anything this cool! No other anime series is as funny, and none as addictive.

Every ninth episode seems to be a long set of memories so that new viewers can get updated on what they have missed in previous episodes. Good idea, but bad for those of us who have seen all the previous episodes, and want to see more of Hideki and his quest to find out wether Chii really is a Chobit.

I hope I will never have to see a final episode of Chobits.

The best anime of 2002

[megumisguy · 7 January 2003]

Yes, this is the best anime series of 2002. I loved Onegai Teacher, Hellsing, and I My Me Strawberry Eggs, but I fell in love with Chii. How could you not?

Hideki comes to Tokyo to attend cram school since he failed his college enterance exams. On the first day there he finds Chii (what a lucky guy !!!) in a pile of trash. Of course then he has to figure out how of turn her on. Of course after 4 hours finds her "on" switch - which is located in a more interesting spot. Now what do you do with a cute nude female android?

When his new friend shows up he hunts for something for her to wear and how to hide her. The show just gets funnier from there. Another hit from the CLAMP ladies !!!

True work of art. The best of CLAMP!

[Angel_Meiru · 29 February 2004]

"Chobits" is actually a title I like from CLAMP. Most of their stuff tends to be sickening cute or utterly twisted and weird, but "Chobits" is neither one of these. It is cute and weird, but not to the point where you want to vomit though.

"Chobits" is about a farmboy named Hideki, who finds a persocon (Humanoid-Computers) on the street and as she is ressurected, she is revealed as a total sweetheart named 'Chii' and at first, she repeats her name alot, but after a while, she learns more speech and learns what is right and wrong and so on.

Sure Chobits is not for everyone. Someone even compares this to Gothic Crap Anime like "Evangellion", "Noir", "Hellsing", "Akira", etc. I do like Dark Anime at times, but those titles I mentioned are so gothic, that they are stupid and inanely overrated. Some even say Chobits is overrated. I don't think so. I do not hear it or see it as much as Clamps other works.

If you wish for Clamp to change their face, and tired of their usual over-cutness, or if you want an ARTISTIC anime outside of Studio Ghibli, "Chobits" is for you.

A series like Hand Maid May

[TimothyMcKann · 16 August 2005]

When I first heard about this anime on the internet, it was created by CLAMP(the animators of CardCaptors,Magic Knight Rayeareth,Tokyo Babylon, etc). My cousin and her friend were really into it. I wanted to get into it too,and I did. I wasn't long till I got the first volume for Christmas, and I bought the rest of the series on my own. This series is just like Hand Maid May, the Persocoms are just like the Cyber dolls from Hand Maid May, and I believe they have different. capabilities as the Cyber dolls from Hand Maid May. Another thing I would say about this show that it is very funny. I know that the character Hideki is very strange and he does want to get into College, but he had to study and quit talking to himself or he would get thrown into a Mental Hospital aka the nut house. Another thing I like about this show is the beginning theme song, "Let Me Be With You" it's very touching and very sweet. I also think that Michelle Ruff, and Crispin Freeman make a good team playing the roles of Hideki and Chi/Black Chi. So in closing to that series, add it to your collection. You will see what I mean.

so great

[SuperDoris · 12 July 2003]

this has to be one of the best series ever made. not many things has made me laugh as much as chobits and the episodes gets after a while so very exciting u don´t know what to do. also is the love stories very touching and it´s impossible to stop watching..

A must-see for anime fans

[dimensional_powerx · 29 January 2014]

I watched this anime back in 2003... I loved it... then, ten years have passed. And by some happy coincidence, i obtained the Blu-Ray for it. I 'm watching it right this days...and I must say that is a very simple touching story.

Can be fun, extremely fun...the first half of the story is a naive good guy (Hideki) dealing with his new lifestyle (a very hard way o life for anybody, you must admire him to resist that much) and struggling to make his new acquired persocom, Chii, to understand and learn form the world. Try to put yourself in his situation: is like a new single-dad... he has been put in a very stressful situation... and the show turns it into a comedy situation... it's simply precious. We meet the rest of the characters: the smart neighbor, Shimbo and his little energetic "desu" persocom, Sumomo; The childish teacher, Shimizu, the rich introvert kid, Minoru and her persocom, Yuzuki, Yumi, the sweet co-ed of Hideki in the bar he works; Ueda, the manager from Chiroru and Chii's boss at work, and Chitose, the kind-hearted manager. They are such a colorful and positive cast that makes the series so light to follow.

As the series progressed, we catch some hints that there is something dark, sad in the air, we are not sure what it is, but we feel it. Then the second half is spiral of revelations that can be extremely emotional. ALL of the characters start to show their hidden secrets, one by one they shock us to the point of taking a moment to understand "what the f**k just happen".

To really understand their feelings, the story has its sub-context: technology alienating people. How technology advances, making our life easy, but at the same time, people are drifting apart? Why people close themselves, relying just in the new advance gadget? This show doesn't provide an answer, it just gets a resolution from a good story, and that 's part of its charm: you have to get the answers yourself. While in other shows, this means "the director didn't want to provide an answer" in this "the answer is extremely personal, the story ends, everything is solved, but the context don't" that's quite nice.

Sadly, the quality of this anime has decreased by his original run, but that's no obstacle to enjoy it. As another great anime, Serial Experiments Lain, it can be watched, and the story became so timeless, that you will enjoy it any year of your life.

The best anime I have seen since Inuyasha!!!

[Shadzar · 2 June 2003]

I have only seen a few episodes of this series, but can not wait to see more! It has humor, and drama, and everything needed for a great comedy-drama! One i would definately love to see end up on Cartoon Network Toonami or Adult Swim!