Concept
Hideki Motosuwa is heading to Tokyo to study at a prep school so that he can get into university. He's a bit out of touch with most technology due to his time spent working on his parents' farm. Upon arriving, he finds that many people have their own Persocoms. The Persocoms are computers that have the appearance of humans and are designed to follow the owner around or provide assistance with tasks. They are so human-like that the only way to tell the difference is to look at the strangely shaped ears. Soon after finding his room, he goes out to run some errands. On his way back he comes upon the body of a girl that has been left on a pile of rubbish. He quickly realises it's just a Persocom, and (with difficulty) carries her back to his room. After a while, he figures out how to switch her on, but when she boots up, her bandages fall off and she's naked. On top of that she can only say one word, "Chii".
Main Characters
Hideki Motosuwa
Hideki is so inept when it comes to technology. His knowledge extends to using a T.V and telephone, and that's about it. Because of this, he runs into all sorts of problems when he tries to look after and teach Chii. However, he has a very honest personality and he always strives to do the right thing. This leads to some very awkward and embarassing moments for him because he is so focused on not wanting to look like a pervert, he ends up making things look worse. His willingness to help others is the aspect of his character that's given the greatest focus, and it's what helps mend broken relationships between other characters. He is, by far, the best male lead I've ever seen.
Chii
Chii is the source of a lot of Hideki's happiness. Even though she can't speak well at first, she begins to speak properly after Hideki teaches her. She also begins to carry out tasks by herself, much to Hideki's amazement. Despite her lack of common sense, she always tries her best to please Hideki and likes to keep a positive outlook and is always there for Hideki during his times of need. The attachment she has to Hideki is rather cute, but after a while, it becomes apparent it's more than just her being attached.
Opinion
Plot
Most of the series focuses around the trials Hideki goes through because of Chii and how he interacts with other people. The moments of interaction are quite a breath of fresh air because it really does seem like the characters are being natural. Watching Hideki pull through is such a great joy to watch. Despite his weirdness, you really do feel for him. The topic of non-human beings (Persocoms) having free will and emotion comes up on a regular basis and is very thought provoking. I still try to grasp the concept but I still haven't figured out how something like this is possible. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of the Persocoms having free will (Chobits) aspect, but the series leans towards how humans react to having something convenient like a Persocom to have a relationship/obsession with which is still a perfectly good thing to have a think about.
Audio
The cast is just great. Sugita Tomokazu, Seki Tomokazu, Rie Tanaka, Kikuko Inoue, to name a few, all provide a stellar performance. They all sound really relaxed and everyone is perfectly suited to their role. Special mention goes to Sugita Tomokazu. His performance as Hideki is nigh on perfect. Any emotion he uses (anger, surprise, depression, happiness,etc) is expressed brilliantly. His voice is just so soothing to hear. Rie Tanaka also puts on a great performance as Chii. Her voice is just so cute that you can't help but smile all the time when hearing it.
The soundtrack is awesome. In fact, it's so good, it's the only anime soundtrack I own. There's a lot of jazz, and some pop as well. Both styles really add to the atmosphere of each scene, and do a good job of emphasising the emotions being conveyed. The opening theme song (Let Me Be With You by Round Table) is a rather cute pop track that uses a lot of percussion, bass and keyboard. It's a great way to start each episode off, and it gives some insight into how Hideki and Chii feel about each other. The first ending theme song (Raison D'etre by Rie Tanaka) is pleasant to listen to and shows the light-hearted side of Chobits. However, at the turning point, a new song kicks in. Ningyo Hime is another song sung by Rie Tanaka. It's quite a haunting and melancholic pop track that really feels like it's pulling on your heart strings.
Animation
There has never been an anime like it. People never would have thought this was a Madhouse animation. While a decent animation studio, they aren't amazing. However, the quality of the animation in Chobits is mind blowing. Of course the art style owes a lot to the manga, but there are some elements that aren't even present in the manga. The colours are pretty to look at and nothing feels jagged or sharp; just smooth. One example of its unique style is the eyes. Every character doesn't have pupils, but the iris takes up most of the eye. However, the iris goes from light to dark, instead of being one tone of colour. It's the little things like this that set it apart.
Final Thought
It provides something for everyone. I was looking just for romance and comedy in this when I first started watching. Along the way, not only did I enjoy those primary elements, I also picked up on the character interaction, the importance of a soundtrack, how anime doesn't always follow one animation style, you can still have interesting points made about today's technology and technology of the future. Oh, and Chii the most adorable character ever. She might be even prettier than Kaname and Tessa from Full Metal Panic! I never thought I'd see that. Chobits is something you must watch, no matter what you are interested in. Go watch it right now.