InAnimete: Part 14 - Chobits

Oh, Chobits. A show about walking, talking computers who look like attractive young women. It is a recipe for shit. I have generally mixed feelings about the show, mainly because I feel the show really finds its feet halfway through, but overall I like it. That said, it has some real fucking problems, mainly with objectification and poor characterisation. This is gonna go some strange goddamn places. Consider yourself warned.


Chobits was recommended to me by the same friend who recommended Black Butler. She was far more hesitant about recommending this one. Considering she never actually finished watching it, I can see why. I've got a short fucking fuse when it comes objectification and sexism, and this anime has a whole host of it. The worst part of it is how unaware of itself the series is. Although it has a premise that naturally leads to societal and interpersonal queries, these are rarely touched upon. I should probably explain first.

Hyperventilating in front of underwear stores is vital for plot progression.

Chobits is the story of country boy Hideki (three guesses for how a history nerd like me remembers a name like that) who travels to the city to attend a cramming school in order to get into uni (as he doesn't have the grades for it initially). Hideki is greeted by the newest fad - "Persocoms", computers who look and behave as completely obedient, attractive, provocatively dressed women (or, in many cases, just girls). Feel like taking a shower yet? Soon Hideki finds a Persocom lying naked, unconscious and covered in bandages in the street. He, in a creepy as fuck scene, manages to turn her on power her up. The twist? She doesn't know anything. No language, no basic societal norms, no idea who she is. And so the series begins.

Characters:
Hideki:

Well, you heard the man. He's going to do it. Good luck to him.

Hideki is by far the weakest link in this show, but is also unfortunately the most prolific character. He's an unlikable idiot with no idea how to interact with other humans. At his worst he's infuriating and unwatchable. At best he's a dull everyman with no remarkable features. It takes a long time for him to become his best.

When I call him an idiot, I'm not referring to his grades. I just mean how he goes about life. He goes on talking to himself in public a lot. He puts no effort into anything, particularly his studies. He's a creepy pervert around any woman he finds even a little attractive, even if they're underage. None of this can be written off simply because he comes from a rural area (I'm not even going to touch upon his ignorance of tech, which can be blamed on that particular fact). He just goes about everything like the biggest goddamn fuck up. And then he meets Chi.

The pervert side of Hideki isn't actually too bad compared to a lot of anime male leads, but goddamn the nosebleeds any time he looks at...well, anything even vaguely woman-shaped. The show doesn't really help, with passionate moaning sounds every time he gets an erection. This side of Hideki is frustrating, for sure.

The best part about Hideki, something I can say about almost no other anime character, is the underplayed way in which he grows up. After episode 13 or 14, the muttering to himself, the nosebleeds, the childishness - they all just sort of fall away. Sure, the other characters in the show begin to play more of a role, Chi becomes more independent and the conspiracy behind Chi's appearance begins to enter in a more direct manner, but Hideki stops being a wanker...mostly.

I really like this. It's understated, and no-one brings it up, but I really love how the pressure makes Hideki realise he can't keep being this ignorant farm-boy in the big city, who creeps (or at least should creep) out every woman he sees. He sees his friends and colleagues come to express their emotions, and he realises it's time to quit the bullshit. I really, really like this, intentional or not.

Chi and Hideki have a really odd relationship. Chi is unable to interact with the world through no lack of trying, but due to her lack of familiarity. Hideki can't handle the world because he's an arsehole. But during the second half of the show, they grow to have something in common in their shared urge to understand the world more despite neither having a complete grasp on what the world is actually like. They are, oddly enough, reasonably well suited together.

Overall, Hideki is both the dull, predictable, horny protagonist that ever anime feels it must have, while also revealing some of the real strengths of the show

Chi:

The future of computers, ladies and gentlemen!

Before we can talk about Chi, I really need to explain with a bit more depth what a "Persocom" is. A Persocom is, in the Chobits universe, the cutting edge of technology. It is almost universal in its use, the only real issue with accessibility is its price. The Persocom is essentially a human-shaped and (normally) sized machine, made to look like an attractive young woman. The only tell that a Persocom isn't human, other than their behaviour, is the cat ears connectors on their heads, which are totally not cat ears, who said that?

These machines can do absolutely anything; chores, surf the internet, go shopping, dance for your amusement, plan your day, get a job of their own and, hell, they might work as computers too! They totally aren't sexbots, either! Despite their design (attractive young women, sold wearing skimpy outfits, with power buttons in their crotch), these are completely legitimate machines somewhere between an iPhone and a slave in actual function.

So, obviously in the real world, these would be a) instantly priced out of the range of their target demographic, horny 12 year old boys b) sold only in sex-toy stores c) incredibly uncomfortable to be around, as you know exactly what the owner uses them for d) impractical due to their size, especially in places like Japan. How do you fit a whole other person in your house? e) if even mildly successful, would be legislated against by both moral guardians on an anti-porn stance and the political left who would reflect union fears of jobs being lost to robots f) (and the only thing Chobits even touches on) people in relationships with Persocoms would be looked down upon as weirdos and creeps. Because they are g) a massive feminist pushback against the objectification of women (again, almost all Persocoms are female).

So, in short, I find Persocoms a really stupid and actually really uncomfortable idea. I mean, I get where they're going with this. I think. Persocoms are meant to be a cover-all for the "other". This can be gay people, an underprivileged class or ethnicity, the mentally disabled, literal slaves, anything. They're a coverall. Pick a message and just run with it. Suspension of disbelief and all, but despite being a lousier show overall, I think Da Capo II did robots better. Hell, even Dolls from Darker than Black managed to hit a lot of these notes with a fuckload less bullshit.

Anyway, Chi!

The computer of the future is easily bored, it appears.

Chi is a special Persocom, and this is implied from the very start. She runs without an OS, but lacks even the most fundamental abilities pre-programmed into a Persocom. She can learn, and she has far more memory and computing power than any other Persocom. This is pretty damn predictable, but it is still the beginning of Spoilers here: Chi is a Chobit, one of the most advanced Persocoms, able to feel emotions. Considering this is the name of the show, if Chi being a Chobit is a twist, it really shouldn't be.

So who is Chi? Chi is in many ways uncomfortably childlike. Sure, her requirement to be taught even the most basic of skills is childlike, and her boundless curiosity. The way she is dressed and drawn don't help, especially the Cat Ear Connectors on her head. But it's really just how much she contrasts to Hideki. Hideki is a creepy pervert, and despite how much he is ignorant, he still acts more mature than Chi most of the time. He gets waaaay too many nosebleeds from watching her, by the way. That shit is weird. This dynamic changes several times through the show, Chi saving Hideki in many ways where he expected to be saving her (normally after he imperilled her in the first place). Fuck, after Chi learnt the phrase "Hideki is a pervert" in about episode 5, I consider her more intelligent and perceptive, even if not more worldly.

Chi also has a job (Hideki does too, at a bar, but he actually has expenses). Chi works on the counter of a tiny bakery, with a very...interesting man as the baker (we'll get back to him later in this review, as well as in Kobato, in which he and another character re-appear. Clamp has an interconnected universe, apparently).

The sad truth, which I can't really avoid for too long, is that Chi doesn't really have a personality. She's a plot device which spurs Hideki into action and eventual personal growth. Chi learns things, and is happy and cheerful, and always looks out for Hideki, but I can't really spot anything Chi does that sets her apart from her regular, emotionless, Persocom sisters.

Although Chi is a vital element of the plot of Chobits, her personality is rather muted, and I can't actually say much about her. She always seems happy and is very protective of Hideki, but that's about it.

...and the rest:

Ms. Hibiya, most stereotypical nice-landlady ever, and also robo-cidal maniac and Chi's mother...sorta. Oh, and she writes and illustrates children's books about a robot dystopia. Y'know...for kids!

 

Chobits doesn't really fit into my usual review structure, so I'm throwing it out from here on in. There are several important characters, such as Ms. Hibiya above, but I can't really think of enough about them to focus on them exclusively. So, instead, let's pry the plot apart. Expect spoilers and little else from here on in. You've been warned, etc.

Chobits changes radically around the halfway point. Prior to this, the show has just been a cute show about Chi being cute and learning about the world while Hideki does creepy things, gets turned on and generally fails as a human being. At episode 15, Hideki's best friend and Hideki and Chi's neighbour runs off with his and Hideki teacher. It may sound like a pretty mild plot, but for a show that wasn't doing ANYTHING dramatic, this really comes out of the blue. This is also where Chobits begins its social commentary.

Ms. Shimizu (the teacher) has run off Shinbo (the neighbour) because her husband has become obsessed with their Persocom romantically and has forgotten that his wife even exists. The implication, of course, is that without the Persocom they would still be happily married and together. This fits pretty well into my understanding of the social situation. People who fall in love with Persocoms are gonna be arseholes anyway. If your perfect woman is completely subservient and emotionless, you're a creepy fucker. That's how it works. If this was the extent of the commentary, I'd be underwhelmed, but it goes another way.

Yumi, Hideki's non-Chi love interest and work colleague.

The other big moment of social commentary comes from Chi's boss at the bakery. The baker had been happily married until his wife passed away. He purchased an outdated Persocom to help at the store, and fell in love with her. They married, despite widespread disapproval for human-robot marriages, but due to the age of the Persocom, she experienced memory failure and eventually ceased functioning after being hit by a truck. Enter Yumi, the daughter of Hideki's boss. Yumi worked at the bakery and also fell in love with the baker, but after finding out he had married a Persocom she thought she was wasting her time on him and quit. They get together at the end, big surprise.

The idea of a general disapproval of human-robot marriages is the most interesting takeaway in my opinion, seconded only by the fact that Persocom-human marriages are actually legal despite the dislike of it. So, how do we read this? Well, the thought that struck me first was a flashback to one of the Men's Rights Arsehole's "Sexbot Utopia" rants loaded with thinly veiled misogyny. I think that's definitely a way of reading this situation, but I doubt that's what the authors of the show actually had in mind.

The second reading is, as is pretty common in almost any "otherness" analogy involving marriages in modern society, about gay marriage. Fuck, a man in love with a machine with female anatomy in the near-future of Chobits has more rights than two men or two women in love with each other TODAY. This is true in Japan, and most of my country, although my city gave all gay couples a week. I don't know if gay marriage is actually what they were pushing at, but I guess it makes the most sense as an analogy.

My final thought was actually that it might be a reference to interracial marriages in the American South. I mean, for a Japanese writer it isn't exactly the most relevant issue, but it still could be an inspiration. The main factor is that interracial marriage in the American South was legal before it was widely accepted. This is a pretty clear comparison to the scenario with the baker. It was legal, just looked down upon. I dunno. There isn't really an obvious comparison, so maybe I'm just over-thinking it.

Pictured: Pre-teen genius programmer Minoru (left) and Hideki (right). Not pictured: Minoru's harem of Persocoms dressed as maids.

The final real bit of social commentary I can identify/remember is regarding Minoru and his sister. The long and short of it is that Minoru's big sister passed away, so he programmed a Persocom to have her identity and memories...and then dressed her like a sexy maid. I don't think the last bit is trying to be commentary. God, I hope it isn't.

As one intelligent Troper stated on TV Tropes, the entire second half of Chobits is about people attempting to replace people in their lives with Persocoms. In the case of Mr. Shimizu, replacing someone who was still there. The interesting thing about the show is that it seems to take a variety of stances on the topic. Mr. Shimizu replacing his living wife with a Persocom is portrayed as selfish and an arsehole thing to do through the lens of the show. The man and his Persocom are given only appearances in flashbacks, and their angle of the situation is never shown. All that is shown are those hurt by the relationship between man and machine.

The relationship between the baker and his Persocom is portrayed as genuine and true, although the long-term consequences of this relationship are explored to a degree through the fears of Yumi. The show really doesn't make any discernible stance on Minoru and his sister, just a tragedy being dealt with by a sad kid.

An average crown in Chobits world. Persocoms are the ones with the cat ears.

 Before I can make a definite stance on where I think the show stands with Persocoms, I also need to mention the series of books written by Ms. Hibiya. They start with the book "A Town with no People", about a land in which Persocoms replaced everyone who wasn't there until there were no people at all. It's an interesting commentary, and it feels relevant to counterbalance the lack of real-talk about how Persocoms have affected regular society.

Anyway, it's my opinion that the show takes the stance that you can feel what you feel towards Persocoms, but just always remember that they aren't replacements for real people. Treat everyone for who they are, not just who you want them to be or what place in your life you want them to fill. I think they also lean towards the stance that people should come before machines, particularly with Mr. Shimizu.

The logical contrast to Chobits is Da Capo II (and maybe the other Da Capo's, but I haven't seen them). In Da Capo II, robots are programmed with emotions by default, but have to be programmed without emotions in order to....somethingsomething Unions and Wives Collectives. The show takes the clear stance that robots with emotions are awesome and people should get over their stupid bigotries. It's a nice sentiment, but underthought.

Chobits could have done so much more with their discussion of how society would have reacted to Persocoms and could have made some very interesting commentary with the smaller stories of the background characters in this world. I'm not surprised at all though. After all, it is a love story first and foremost.

Conclusion:

The line that made Chi the main character in my eyes.

Chobits is a tough show to love. So much of it is blatant fanservice, obtuse discussion about the meaning and importance of love and generic and in the end meaningless social commentary on acceptance. But I still love it.

I have to admit that Chobits is the show that scared me away from anime for quite a while, most of a month actually. I need a break before getting to the halfway point where it really righted itself. By my current standards of anime, having just finished the shitstorm that is Tonagura, the first half of Chobits isn't so bad. But back at the beginning of 2014, it just seemed so meandering and pointless, shoving fanservice in my face, and following it up with a nosebleed from Hideki, just so I knew when to be aroused. It's better knowing how it ends, but it feels like a road to nowhere when you're first experiencing it.

The second half makes good, of course, because if it hadn't, I might never have picked anime back up afterwards. It has character growth which I'm shown, not just told. It has a sense of conspiracy behind the scenes, romantic drama, mysterious characters, secrets everywhere, foreboding children's books and less fucking fanservice. It's CLAMP at their best (of the 3 of their shows that I've seen), and I can honestly recommend this show. It feels like a long time since I've been able to say that.

Next time, I will apparently piss off everyone by explaining why I don't like Cowboy Bebop. Here's a teaser: it's not very good.

Cheers for reading,
H. Rourke