Chobits

 

 

 

Chobits touches on several interesting topics, from growing up and trying to become a good adult to the relationship between humans and technology, and although many, if not all of the topics this series touches here and there could easily be the focus of this story, Chobits chooses to be a love story, or rather, several of them, all dealing with the impact technology has on human relationships, in between ourselves and with our machines. This came out when the internet was really just starting out but its consequences could already be felt in society at large. CLAMP knew this and Chobits is their response to this dilemma, if you will.

We have a wife who is abandoned by her husband, who fell in love for his pasocon and is on an emotional quest to find her self-worth again. A baker marries his computer and tries to give her the best life he possibly can. A boy builds an android with the appearance and personality of his deceased sister. Chi, the main character, tries to understand what love is, when she begins to realize her own emotions towards Hideki, the man who found her in the street, deactived. Personal tragedies and how each character deals with it is really what this series is all about and it's never disappointing or condescending, there's a lot of sensitivity and warmth in all of those stories and each one is very enjoyable.

The real mystery in Chobits is where exactly being just a machine ends and being human begins. Computers in this universe seem to be machines with human souls and the people living within it, just like us, are not sure where to draw the line. Is it just a machine? Are all those android emotions just programming? Should they be taken seriously? The main characters, each and in their own way end up finding out that in the end those questions are not as important as making sure to approach every situation that happens in life with the uttermost compassion and understanding.