Chobits, Vol. 1: Persocom (2003)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Original manga by Clamp
Screenplay by Genjiro Kaneko and Tomoyasu Okubo
Directed by Morio Asaka
Character Design by Hisashi Abe

Features:

• Art gallery
  
• Non-credit opening
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Pervert, pervert, Hideki is a pervert…
• Existentialist angst
• Sexual situations

Released by: Pioneer
Rating: 16+
Region: 1
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Get this one.

This is one of those titles that you expect to be one way, but it doesn’t stoop to fulfill your expectations. You may expect a title with a main character as cute as Chi is to be unremittingly cute itself, but it isn’t. It even dares to ask rather subtly some serious questions, such as “what is a human?” or “what does it mean to be alive?”

The basic plot is this: Hideki Motosuwa is a farm boy who wants to go to college. When he is rejected in his first attempt, he moves to Tokyo to go to a prep school and there sees that almost everyone in the city has a persocom, a person-shaped computer. He wants one for himself of course, but can’t afford one, much less the subsequent necessary upgrades and software. But Hideki is lucky and finds one, Chi, abandoned in the trash...but she’s not much like other persocoms. For example, she runs without her OS, and even Hideki’s new computer genius friend can’t figure her out. Is she sentient already?

The characters are quite enjoyable here. Hideki is good for both comic relief and the typical hero searching. Chi starts out as more of a tabula rasa, but as the episodes continue, she visibly learns, and that’s a great touch. Her personality unfolds with each new scene. It will be interesting to see how she grows in the future.

The features list is a little weak, but the art gallery is solid, and since the art here is so good, you will appreciate the chance to see it. I just wish we had also had some concept drawings or an interview with the artist, or with the writers or technical consultants for that matter. Also, fans of the look of this show will also appreciate the thoughtful addition of the clean opening.

I also really appreciate the soft subtitles, allowing viewers listening to either language to read the illustrated signs as subtitles. Not all shows provide these translations, and I hate that. Kudos for doing it here.

The audio and video quality on this release were both top notch. I didn’t note any flickers, over-saturation of colors, or other typical digital problems. The sound was similarly good, even Chi’s soft voice. All of the characters here have nicely distinct voices, too, in both languages, making their personalities come through more clearly.

In short, if you’re interesting in such issues as AIs, what it means to be alive or human, or just computers in general, you will be charmed by Chobits. But don’t get the idea that this show is overly serious or not fun to watch; there is plenty of comedy, even some silliness. You aren’t in school--you’re watching a show. The overall look isn’t a cute as you might fear, but it does look nice and is easy to look at for the two hours of the disc. Clamp has done it again, and created another fine product.