Anime/Manga review: Chobits anime and manga.

[juushika]

Chobits: the manga, the anime, and the series in general.
Although it's been some years in the making, I am a huge fan of CLAMP, the creators of Cardcaptor Sakura, Magic Knights Rayearth, and numerous other manga. Chobits is one of my favorite series, but with a male protagonist and as part of the seinen genre, Chobits is different from their usual work. It is also contains more mature content, including references to sex and masturbation, than their usual series. Hideki, the protagonist, is a repeat student studying to retake college entrance exams in Tokyo. Raised on a farm, he is new to the city; he is also a mediocre student, poor, and technologically illiterate. When he finds a beautiful abandoned persocom (the powerful humanoid personal computers of the future) his life changes: Chii, the persocom, has no memory of her past, knows nothing, and appears to run without an operating system. As Hideki lives with and teaches her, it becomes increasingly apparent that Chii is immensely powerful—she may even me a Chobit, persocoms of legend who are, supposedly, capable of independent thought and true emotions. The mysteries around Chii only grow and Hideki and his friends investigate; meanwhile, Chii acts as if she is in love with Hideki and he begins to have unusual, strong feelings for her.

I just finished watching the anime, and I recently reread the manga, so I have some opinions to offer on both and on Chobits as a whole. In general, I absolutely recommend Chobits in any form. It may be a change of pace for CLAMP, but the series is still skillfully done. Characterization is strong throughout, and even minor characters have their own stories and command interest. Love is the subject that CLAMP knows best, and it is a theme throughout the series as Hideki begins to have feelings for Chii and those around him to come to terms with their feelings for friends, family, teachers, lovers, and even persocoms. Interpersonal relationships really are the highlight of the series, the manga in particular: they are emotional, thought-provoking, sweet, romantic, and adorable. The science fiction is secondary to the relationships but still interesting: how the persocoms work and what they can do, but more importantly why they were created and why they look like humans. The final resolution to the series is satisfying, explaining away all confusion without sacrificing characters or personal interest. All in all, the series is enjoyable and skillfully done.

That said, most of the above applies best to the manga, while the anime focuses more on humor, science, and filler. The manga is truly wonderful, one of the best series by CLAMP. I reread it often and enjoy it a lot. The anime pales in comparison, and while not bad in and of itself it is nowhere near as skillful or as enjoyable as the manga. The manga art is detailed, in particular the Gothic Lolita dresses that Chii and her sister wear, and more realistic than most of CLAMP's work, with round eyes, clean lines, and fairly average, normal proportions—some of the detail is, obviously, lost in the transition to anime, but the general style is preserved. While there is humor in the manga, much of it sexual or based on Chii's innocent, uneducated personality, it is minimal and unexaggerated—in the anime, humor is overemphasized, takes up more of the show, and is a much more slapstick and annoying. There is absolutely no filler in the manga, and it instead takes its time with the characters, exploring personalities, glimpsing back stories, and gradually leading up to some sort of love story (platonic, familial, and otherwise). The anime, however, was released alongside the manga and so there are a number of filler episodes between manga publications. Not all of the filler is bad, but is slows the story and leaves less time for the characters and relationships in the long run.

Perhaps the biggest difference between manga and anime is this filler: while the manga moves slowly and steadily through characters, plots, and relationships, the anime alternates between plot episodes (Hideki finds Chii, Chii is kidnapped, etc), relationship episodes (Shimbo and Sensei, Minoru and Yuziki, etc), and filler episodes (recharging persocoms, the trip to the beach, etc). The division of plot, relationship, and filler makes the anime choppy and a bit boring (especially midway through, when there are a number of filler episodes in a row), but the filler provides some interesting insight into persocoms. Hideki, who knows nothing about persocoms or technology, remains largely illiterate throughout the manga and so we never learn how persocoms work, how they recharge, what they can be exposed to, or really anything else scientific or technical. The anime tackles some of these issues in its filler episodes, revealing that persocoms are solar powered and resistant to saltwater (but require some maintenance), for example. For a true Chobits fan, these side details and explanations can be an interesting addition to the Chobits universe. While not as fulfilling as the steady, skillful combination of plot and relationship in the manga, the anime can be a fun side note and minor addition to the series.

In the end, I really do recommend Chobits. It is an interesting change from the sort of work that CLAMP usually produces, a fascinating study of love, and truly a beautiful, adorable, enjoyable series. The manga is much better than the anime: it flows smoothly, builds up to its conclusion very well, and combines serious issues, humor, and romance very evenly. The anime has its moments but functions best as a lighthearted and science-fiction-focused addition to the manga—be aware that the humor is a lot more prevalent and annoying in the anime. There are 8 volumes to the manga and it was released by Tokyopop (in the originally unflopped version with Japanese sound effects and minimal editing). The anime covers 27 episodes, including two summary episodes and one special OVA episode, and is currently available on YouTube through Keiichi Anime Forever.