Death Note Anime Review

Death Note
Desu Noto
Viz Video
Complete Collection - 9 discs
850 mins. - 37 episodes
$44.98 (2014)
$24.98 (2013-14) Parts 1-2/ea.
$69.98 (2008-09) Parts 1-2/ea.
$39.98 (2008-09) Vol. 6-9/ea. Limited
$24.98 (2008-09) Vol. 6-9/ea.
$49.99 (2008) Vol. 5 Limited
$34.99 (2008) Vol. 5
$39.98 (2007-08) Vol. 1-4/ea. Limited
$24.98 (2007-08) Vol. 1-4/ea.
$29.98 (2007) Vol. 1 w/graphic novel
$24.98 (2007) Vol. 1 w/calendar
ISBN 782009243595
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Tetsuro Araki
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: There exists a world set apart from ours.  It's filled with Shinigami - gods of death or perhaps they should be called demons.  They have lived for a very long time and they are very bored.  Each Shinigami possesses a notebook called a Death Note which has the power to kill any human whose name is written inside.  If a Shinigami accidentally drops their Death Note in the human world then whichever human picks it up will become the owner and have the power to kill humans.  The Shinigami named Ryuk manages to get his hands on a second Death Note and decides to drop it in the human world.  This is the story of what happens afterwards.

Ryuk in the Shinigami world

Light Yagami is an honor student and star tennis player.  He's the son of a high-ranking police officer and has even helped his Dad on a few cases.  Incredibly bright and terribly bored, Light is the perfect student, son, and potential boyfriend!  One day he finds a notebook on the ground with the words 'Death Note' written on the cover.  The notebook includes some additional writing which shocks Light:

Light doesn't know what to make of the notebook and considers the implications of it's 'rules'.  What if it's real and how can writing someone's name in a notebook possibly kill them?  He decides to test it out after seeing a news broadcast of a man has taken several children hostage and the police are trying to save them.  The news broadcast shows the man's name and face so Light has exactly what the Death Note specified.  

Light possesses the Death Note and begins using it

He writes the man's name...and the man dies.  The Death Note is real and suddenly a monstrous creature appears before his eyes.  The creature is a Shinigami (God of Death) named Ryuk who says he has dropped the Death Note in the human world for someone to pick up.  He is only visible to the Note's owner and not completely trustworthy.  Light takes all of this incredible information in stride and decides to use the Note as a way to cleanse the world of criminals and create a better world.  Naturally Light will be the God of this new world.

The mysterious and world-renowned detective L

Scores of criminals begin dying of heart attacks and the authorities take notice.  They call in a world-renowned and secretive detective calling himself L.  Despite being a genius savant, L has two things going for him - no one knows his real name and Light has never seen his face.  It seems Light has met his match and must deal with an intense man-hunt to find the mysterious killer who is breathing fear into the criminal underworld.  The public gets wind of the killings and people begin forming opinions.  The killer becomes known as "Kira" and crime rates drop.  It seems the killings are primarily located in Japan so L begins closing in on Light.

Ryuk is only visible to the Death Note owner and follows Light wherever he goes

Light's father gets drawn into the investigation to find Kira and even meets the mysterious L.  It becomes increasingly difficult for Light to hide the fact that he's Kira.  Things get sticky when a second Kira appears out of nowhere.  Will this second killer align with Light's plans for a new world?  The greater question is will L take down this copycat and learn the true secret of the Death Note?  With L and the investigative team (including his father) breathing down his neck, how far will Light go and who will he kill in order to achieve his 'greater world'?  The answer will surprise you.  

A second Death Note and Shinigami (Rem) appears!

Pros: Highly suspenseful and a gripping story, interesting characters (especially L), makes you seriously question your morals, nice animation and backgrounds, intense and slow buildup to final ending was masterful, L is a serious badass who can do almost anything perfectly

The hunt for Kira intensifies, from left: Light, Matsuda (standing), L,
and Light's Father

Cons: Second half of the series gets confusing and definitely not as strong as the first, it gets hard to tell which Death Note and Shinigami Eyes are at play, some very convenient plot twists in Kira or L's favor, creepy foot-rubbing scene between L and Light, L's constant eating of sweets (it gets a little pathological by the end)

Light manipulates Misa Amane who pledges her undying love for Kira

Mike Tells It Straight: Death Note is really a story about power corrupting otherwise good people and it forces the viewer to consider what they would do with the ability to become an anonymous executioner.  At first Light appears to be the perfect student and an exemplary son, but then he transforms into the vengeful god Kira who will remake society one criminal death at a time.  A fascinating premise which offers a lot of moral allegory to the information age.  Highly suspenseful with a ton of twists and turns as Light tries to stay one step ahead of the police and L.

L shows a sadistic side when he begins questioning suspects

The series is fairly long at 37 episodes while most anime series are only 26.  This allows the story to progress at its own pace and build up a lot of tension.  It follows the original manga series by Takeshi Obata very closely.  The characters develop over time and we get to know each one.  There are so many plot developments and contingencies to Light's planning that it gets confusing at times, but keeps the viewer guessing (and on their toes).  The tone of the series is very serious (people are dying after all), but we still get a few comedy relief moments (Matsuda was my favorite) which serve to lighten an otherwise dark show.

Ryuk loves apples and likens them to cigarettes and alcohol for Shinigami

It's a complex story and sometimes hard to follow.  Every eyecatch (an outro/intro scene bookending the commercial break at the middle of every episode) consists of another rule of the Death Note which adds to the complexity of the story.  The 'rules' make the story far richer to the viewers and more challenging for the writers.  Utterly fascinating was the intricate web of Death Note rules and how Light was able to work within them.  The first half of the story was brilliant as Light used his cunning intellect to stymie the police investigation while being so closely involved.

Light and L come to blows with Misa as witness after a particularly difficult day

The character of L was truly memorable and made a lasting impression.  He was built up to be uniquely intelligent and a mysterious detective with quirky personal traits.  Whatever it was it worked. He's socially awkward, sits weird, holds things weird, is constantly drinking coffee, and eats sweets non-stop (he needs the sugar to fuel his mental capacity).  Totally classic and an integral part to why the story worked.  The other two detectives we meet who are linked to L were not as impactful (these were Mello and Near).

Near is an unflinching detective with even less social skills than L

The whole Shinigami realm thing and Ryuk (plus the other Shinigami who show up like Rem) were a major stretch to the imagination, but I eventually got used to them.  Death Note was pretty darn popular and had two live-action spinoffs (plus a prequel starring L).  The portrayal of Ryuk with cheesy CGI doesn't sound very appealing.  It worked in the anime at least.

Mello is another detective, but he believes the ends justify the means
and is never without a chocolate bar

I have to say there's nothing out there like Death Note and it's a unique show.  Dark, suspenseful, and sprinkled with a few lighthearted moments.  I definitely suggest watching this series (not for young viewers or highly impressionable teenagers with access to firearms).  One thing to note is the first half of the series is pure gold, but the second half becomes a bit more questionable as the rules and Light's machinations become more cumbersome to the story.  It's still a wild ride and highly recommended.    

Light will stop at nothing and let no one stand in his way of creating a new world under Kira

TO BUY and Recommendations:

High School of the Dead OVA Drifters of the Dead Anime Review

Highschool of the Dead: Drifters of the Dead
Gakuen Mokushiroku Haisukuru obu za Deddo
Section 23/Sentai Filmworks
15 mins. - 1 episode - 1 disc
$9.98 (2013) Blu-Ray
$6.98 (2013)
ISBN 9781616153991
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Tetsuro Araki
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: One day Takashi and his friends were regular high school students and then the world ended in a zombie apocalypse.  A small group managed to stick together and survive the initial outbreak.  They include:

The group find themselves on a tiny island just outside of the city.
From left - Rei, Alice, Kohta, Saya, and Zero

• Takashi Komuro - childhood friends with Rei and best friend was Hisashi
• Rei Miyamoto - swore a pinky promise with Takashi to marry each other when they were kids, but she ended up dating Hisashi until he turned into a zombie
• Saeko Busujima - president of the kendo club, she is calm and reserved
• Saya Takagi - also a former childhood friend of Takashi's, daughter of wealthy and political parents
• Kohta Hirano - nerdy and overweight, he likes guns and has surprisingly good survival instincts
• Shizuka Marikawa - school nurse with enormous breasts, despite being the only adult in the group she is mostly helpless
• Alice Maresato - young girl whose parents were killed by zombies and was rescued by the group
• Zero - Alice's dog

Time to relax and have fun at the beach!

The group is on the run again and stop on a tiny island off the coast of the city.  The island appears deserted except for a summer food/clothing stand.  Taking the opportunity to relax without a horde of zombies on their heels, Takashi and crew don skimpy swimwear and enjoy a day at the beach.  What they don't know is the island may be harboring a dark secret and safety is just an illusion.  

The girls convince the guys to go foraging for food - from left:
Rei, Shizuka, Zero (being squished), Alice, Saeko, and Saya

Pros: A lot of funny scenes with slapstick and lewd poses, pushes the boundaries of fan-service (practically all fan-service), bridges the gap between the first and upcoming second season, good dub

Rei lies out to get a tan

Cons: Incredibly short at only 15 minutes, should have been bundled with first season collection (instead of a standalone release), nothing actually happens in the episode, total fluff(er) episode

Saya plays in the ocean water

Mike Tells It Straight: This title has one single, short OVA episode and it's a joke to release a standalone volume for it.  It should have been released with the HOTD complete collection set as a bonus feature.  I think this OVA was released with a volume of the manga in Japan, but it's not standard for a single episode to be sold in the US market.  I dunno, maybe it did really well because it was cheap and rode the popularity of the first season, but I have to think a lot of consumers were pissed to find out it was so short.

Takashi rocks the 'banana hammock' 

I watched the first High School of the Dead season and found it to be somewhat interesting, but focused too heavily on fan-service to be taken seriously.  While there were exciting moments and some small character development, the show is definitely geared toward adolescent males and its highlight was the jiggling boobies.  This episode took out all of the story elements leaving just the comedy and fan-service aspects of the regular series.

Things heat up at the campfire, but what's really going on?

It's not uncommon for an anime series to release OVA episodes which are just hot springs or beach visits.  Drifters of the Dead pushes the boundaries of the fan-service, but stops just short of baring full nipples.  This episode is pure T&A (even Takashi dons a 'banana hammock') and basically exploits women as helpless, sexual objects.  There, I said it.  The most recent HOTD collection release includes this OVA, but it's a premium release which costs a ridiculous amount of money.  Don't waste your money and it's actually cheaper to buy the regular first season plus OVA disc.  Overall, check out this OVA if your favorite part of HOTD was the fan-service.

It gets even hotter away from the campfire, whose hand is that!?

TO BUY and Recommendations:
 

Summer Wars Anime Movie Review

Summer Wars
Sama Wozu
Warner Home Video
Movie - 114 mins. - 2 disc
$29.98 (2013) Blu-Ray/DVD
$34.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
$29.98 (2011) 2-disc
ISBN 704400094811
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Mamoru Hosoda
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: Kenji Koiso is a hopeless high school nerd - when he's not spending endless hours as one in a million moderators of the online world of OZ then he's studying mathematics.  See, he's kind of a math genius, actually.  It makes having a social life next to impossible, but somehow he gets invited on a trip by his beautiful and outspoken classmate, Natsuki Shinohara.

Kenji and his buddy Takashi spend all their free time moderating for OZ

Natsuki's heading back home to see her family and celebrate the upcoming 90th birthday of her great-grandmother, Sakae Jinnouchi.  Great-grandma Sakae is one tough old bird and the matriarch of the Jinnouchi clan who can trace their ancestry back almost four centuries to feudal times.  The clan has a rich and defiant history as warriors, but has recently fallen into financial hard times due to fiscal mismanagement many years ago by the clan's patriarch.  The family has been trying to regain their former social and wealth status.

Kenji meets Natsuki's great-grandmother Sakae

When Natsuki introduces Kenji as her fiancee he absolutely loses it!  She talks him up as coming from a prestigious family, living in America for a year, and attending a quality university - none of which is true!  Poor Kenji is trapped in the Jinnouchi compound with Natsuki's whole family and trying to pretend he's her fiancee.  He's hopelessly fallen for Natsuki and will do anything she says at this point, but the pressure is almost too much to handle as he sits through family dinner.

Kenji meets the rest of Natsuki's family...as her fake fiancee!

Kenji is barely surviving his visit when he receives a mysterious text in the middle of the night.  It's a series of numbers and appears to be a math problem requiring the solution to the code.  He wakes up in the morning with only a faint recollection of working out the problem, but apparently all hell has broken loose in the online world of OZ.

The black sheep of the family - Uncle Wabisuke

OZ is a virtual reality world where users create avatars to navigate the world on their behalf.  OZ has become so popular that it's integrated into both social and governmental systems.  People can have entire lives within OZ including virtual careers, sporting events, relationships, and anything else you can think of.  Someone has cracked OZ's security barrier and is appropriately user accounts and tampering with the infrastructure of the world.  Things become serious when the hacker starts playing with utility services and traffic signals.

Kenji solves a mysterious numerical code sent to him during the night

Did Kenji accidentally hand someone the keys to OZ?  His account seems to have been hijacked and will the Feds come breaking down the door to find him?  If he was uncomfortable at the Jinnouchi's residence before then things have hit a whole new level of bad.  Natsuki's disowned uncle, Wabisuke, shows up and causes a big stink with the family.  What's his connection to all the strange happenings?  When the Jinnouchi's learn what's going on they kick into overdrive to try and solve the problem, but what can one real family do to save the unreal world of OZ?

Kenji's avatar gets hacked in the virtual world of OZ by 'Love Machine'

Pros: Great story with family as a central theme, Madhouse puts out some great animation and the virtual world of OZ is really detailed (the sheer number of the little avatars for people is staggering), excellent animation and lush backgrounds, nice combination of realism with fictional virtual reality

Fortunately Kenji's buddy Takashi gets him a new avatar to use

Cons: A lot of characters to keep track of, story jumps around a bit, can be corny at times (although meant to counter-balance the serious moments in the movie), plenty of suspension of disbelief with this one, slightly mature (there is a death)

King Kazma is a virtual fighter in OZ who takes on the hacker

Mike Tells It Straight: Summer Wars is an entertaining film with a lot of different elements - part near-future science-fiction with the virtual reality world of OZ, part slice-of-life family drama with the Jinnouchi clan, part boy-meets-girl romantic comedy with Kenji and Natsuki, and part thriller as both aspects collide in a countdown to save the real world from the virtual world.  It starts out slow as we're introduced to OZ and then Kenji heads to Natsuki's family home.

The hacker becomes a much tougher oppenent to rival even King Kazma

I found the characters to be likable and varied.  Each represents a specific age category - Kazuma is the teenage loner, Natsuki is the naive high school girl, Kenji is the bumbling high school boy, Wabisuke is the exiled rogue returning home, great grandma Sakae is the spunky oldster who still has some fight left in her, and the group goes on.  I think everyone could identify with at least one family member which gives this anime a broad appeal.  The little kids were out-of-control and manage to wreck everything with their wanton enthusiasm.

The Jinnouchi clan watches as Kazuma takes on Love Machine

The story is pure dramedy with Kenji being the main focus until the family organizes to take on Love Machine.  I liked a lot of the scenes and themes of the movie, but felt a lot of gags were thrown in to make if funnier.  I guess it's more comedy than serious drama.  The battles between Kazuma (as King Kazma) and Love Machine were really exciting and epic.  Madhouse brings great visuals and lots of detail to this film.  It was a lot different than I expected - somehow I was thinking another dimension filled with weird little creatures (the avatars pictured on the cover) were invading the real world and a group of people had to stop them.

Love Machine gets deeper into OZ and starts wreaking havoc on the real world

Overall I would recommend this film as a lighthearted comedy with a nice family theme.  The ending is well done and director Mamoru Hosoda follows up The Girl Who Leapt Through Time with another successful movie.  I think it has broad appeal to almost all ages (recommended for viewers 8+ due to 'a death' and old people probably don't know what a virtual reality world is) and is a heartwarming story.  It particularly reminded me of Eden of the East which was an interesting show.  Check it out!

The Jinnouchi clan (plus Kenji)

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Trigun Anime Review

Trigun
Toraigan
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
650 minutes - 26 episodes
$39.98 (2013)
$49.98 (2010)
$29.98 (2006-2007) Remix Vol. 1-6/ea.
$89.98 (2006) Limited Edition Parts 1-2/ea.
$19.98 (2004) Geneon Vol. 1-8/ea.
$199.98 (2001)
$19.98 (2000-2001) Vol. 1-8/ea.
ISBN 704400097850
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Satoshi Nishimura
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: Two insurance agents, Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson, have been dispatched from the Bernardelli Insurance Society to find the wanted man named "Vash the Stampede".  He is also known as the 'Humanoid Typhoon' and has a ridiculously high bounty on his head (sixty billion double dollars) earned after destroying an entire town.  The two women are charged with investigating and trying to prevent further losses to the company from the sheer amount of destruction left in Vash's wake.  What they soon discover is Vash's reputation casts a long shadow, but bears no resemblance to actual fact.  He's really a pacifist, lecher, and all-around buffoon who just happens to get into incredible trouble with dangerous people.

This guy's the deadliest outlaw on the planet?

The setting is a strange desert planet with two suns and towns clustered around giant power sources which look like light bulbs.  Humanity barely ekes out a living in this desolation, but outlaws and trigger-men still exploit the weak.  As Meryl and Milly soon discover, Vash is not the cold-blooded killer they were led to believe.  Quite the opposite in fact, he's a complete idiot and they refuse to accept him as the real deal.  How can the deadliest man alive preach non-violence?  One thing is for sure, he's incredibly skilled and manages to survive deadly gunfights without killing anyone while miraculously stopping the bad guys.

Vash shows his skills as he takes down a killer robot without even looking

Vash's past is a mystery and he's blamed for the destruction of the town called July which sparked off his deadly reputation.  He bears incredible guilt for the incident, but can't remember exactly what happened. During any crisis of conscience Vash dreams of the beautiful Rem Saverem who was his friend and mentor when he was a child.  She taught him to cherish life and he tries to live up to her teachings every day.  It's rough going in this violent world and Vash has paid the price to keep his ideals.  One man in particular wants to see Vash destroyed - Millions Knives.  What was his role in July's annihilation and his strange link to Vash's past?

Vash dreams of the gentle Rem whenever he gets into a crisis

Meryl and Milly wind up traveling with Vash to keep him from getting into too much trouble and causing more damage.  It doesn't work as Vash seems to be a trouble-magnet no matter where he goes.  If it's not deadly assassins from the Gung-Ho Guns sent by Millions Knives then it's people trying to cash in on the ridiculously high bounty for Vash's head!  Along the way Vash makes many friends and learns more about his past. He meets a travelling preacher named Nicholas D. Wolfwood who carries an enormous cross as a sign of his penance.  Wolfwood is also more than he appears and highly skilled with weapons.  He and Vash hit it off instantly, but their fundamental views of violence and killing are at odds which makes for interesting conversations.  Will Vash finally confront Millions Knives and what is Wolfwood's terrible secret?  What is the Trigun and what really happened in July?  It's a fight to the finish on planet Gunsmoke!

The psychotic Millions Knives will stop at nothing to destroy humanity

Pros: Music was good - especially opening theme song with riffing guitars, decent dub and Vash's voice actor sounded appropriate, great dialogue and sarcastic jokes in the script, some cool sci-fi themes like the SEEDS project, fun and lighthearted comedy moments had me laughing several times, Vash and Wolfwood are awesome together, a few good plot twists, cool character designs for the main characters, ending finally gets serious

Milly and Meryl follow Vash around to keep him
out of trouble.  It doesn't work.

Cons: Animation looks dated by today's standards, Vash is an incredibly goofy character and his non-violence code can be annoying, some of the bad guys are pretty silly looking (Monev the Gale, the family of giants with the huge foreheads), #13 is the dreaded recap episode, inconsistent story bounces from light-hearted slapstick comedy to extreme action

Vash and Wolfwood get along just fine!

Mike Tells It Straight: Trigun is based on the manga by Yasuhiro Nightow and was adapted as an anime before the series was completed.  It was released in the late-'90s/early-'00s when anime was hitting its peak in North America.  This series was definitely one of the more popular releases owing to the plentiful action and unique character design of its main character, Vash.  He looks like a badass, but acts like a muppet!  I watched this series many years ago and remembered not liking it very much due to Vash being such a goofball.  At the time I was really into action-based anime (usually with giant robots) and couldn't get into the groove of this series with its many comedy moments.  Why couldn't he just blow away some dudes with his awesome skills?  Despite Vash's silly nature and rule against killing I liked the ending as it got really dark.  Vash is put through the gauntlet of the Gung-Ho Guns and the ultimate test by Millions Knives.

"Road trip!"

The character designs are great with Vash and Wolfwood in particular.  It seems like everyone had a gimmick to their style, even Meryl and Milly!  Wolfwood's cross was truly impressive.  The Gung-Ho Guns were impressive right up to the top.  I really enjoyed the science-fiction elements of the story and the slow reveal of the underlying plot of Vash's past.  Millions Knives was a truly evil villain and perfect foil for Vash. Heroes are only as great as their villains and they don't come any nastier than Knives.

"That cross is awfully heavy."  "That's because it's filled with mercy."

My theory on Trigun's major popularity in the domestic market is its striking similarity to superhero comics in mainstream pop culture.  Vash has a no-killing policy just like Superman or Batman.  He has superhuman fighting skills and wears a brightly-colored red uniform.  His past is a mystery and he fights a rogues gallery of misfit bad guys with freakish deformities.  If Vash is Batman, then Millions Knives is the Joker.  Americans are already wired for superhero comics and Trigun puts a new spin the hero story.  Maybe I'm reading into this theory too much, but it makes perfect sense to me.

Vash and Knives have identical and vastly powerful guns

I decided to rewatch Trigun for this review and came away with a much different impression than the first viewing all those many years ago.  The story hadn't changed, but my perspective and preferences had changed considerably.  I had previously disliked Vash and his antics, but now I found them to be more entertaining.  His trials and interactions with different characters held more meaning.  Wolfwood was even more awesome!  I wasn't as interested in the flashy fight scenes and the villains were a little less appealing.  The story was pretty good and it was a hellish journey of self-inflicted pain to uphold cherished ideals.  Interesting stuff as it turns out.  I recommend Trigun if you like a heaping dose of comedy, plenty of action, and don't mind a broodingly dark ending.  A movie was released in 2010 called Trigun: Badlands Rumble which is a side story to the anime series.  I'm looking forward to seeing the cast of characters again after all these years.  Look for the review in the near future!

"Love and peace, love and peace!"

 TO BUY and Recommendations:

Chobits Anime Review

Chobits
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
675 mins. - 24 episodes + 3 bonus episodes
$49.98 (2011)
$54.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
$99.98 (2005)
$59.98 (2005) Parts 1-2/ea.
$19.98 (2004) Vol. 7
$29.98 (2003-2004) Vol. 1-6/ea.
$39.98 (2003) Vol. 1 Limited
$34.98 (2003) Vol. 1 w/Artbox
ISBN 704400087202
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Morio Asaka
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: Hideki Motosuwa moves from the countryside to Tokyo in order to study and become a college student.  He lives alone in a studio apartment and attends prep courses.  One of his neighbors, Hiromu Shinbo, is also attending the same prep school classes and owns a small persocom.  Hideki has never seen a persocom before and is amazed at the pint-sized, personal computer shaped like a doll.  Shinbo's persocom is named Sumomo and has a boisterous attitude.  She is very cute and able to perform all sorts of useful functions like taking calls, accepting messages, surfing the internet, and other computer tasks.

Hideki finds a bandaged up girl on a trash pile which turns out to be a persocom!

One fateful evening while walking home Hideki discovers a full-sized persocom on top of a trash pile.  She is wrapped in bandages and apparently left for the garbageman to pick up.  Hideki picks her up and carries her home.  He has no idea how a persocom works or what to do with her.  She resembles a beautiful young woman and Hideki is very embarrassed to undress her from the bandages.  He manages to turn her on and the she appears to be very dazed.  The only word she can utter is "chi" and this becomes her name.

Hideki brings the bandaged up persocom home

Hideki has Shinbo analyze Chi, but she is apparently a very powerful persocom and too much for Sumomo to handle.  Shinbo knows a young computer genius named Minoru Kokobunji and they take Chi to see him. Even his persocoms can't analyze Chi and they all conclude she is a very unique unit.  Perhaps even one of the legendary Chobits series which are said to possess the capability for emotions and intuitive learning.

Hideki unwraps the bandages to find a beautiful persocom

Chi lives with Hideki and slowly learns more about life.  She even gets a part-time job at a bakery.  Hideki learns how to care for a persocom and continues to study for the college entrance exams.  Dangers exist for Chi and Hideki because of her unique nature.  Many people try to take advantage of Chi because of her naive nature and hidden capabilities.  What is the truth behind the Chobits series?

Hideki freaks out as Shinbo inspects Chi

Hideki gets a part-time job at a bar and meets the owner's beautiful daughter named Yumi.  His prep school teacher is a hottie named Takako Shimuzu.  Even his landlady, Chitose Hibiya, is attractive.  The young hot-blooded Hideki is surrounded by lovely women in his life and now has a very cute persocom living in his apartment.  How is he supposed to dress and clean her when she's anatomically correct?  What about his library of porn manga?  It's a comedy of errors as Hideki fumbles his way to teaching Chi about life.  Explore a world where computers walk and traditional relationships are challenged by artificial perfection.

It's Shinbo's turn to freak out as Sumomo crashes trying to analyze Chi

Pros: Great soundtrack including opening/ending theme songs, charming characters - innocent Chi, big goofball Motosuwa, reliable Shinbo (or so it seems), and wise Kokobunji; progresses past the typical harem anime, explores themes of artificial intelligences and regular humans relationships, includes a short entitled "Chibits" featuring Sumomo and Kotoko

The weird things on Chi's head house connection sockets for cables

Cons: Chi has no personality and just does cute things, Motosuwa is a big pervy dork, he leaves Chi on her own too often and just asks for someone to take advantage of her, an older dude in the series kind of has an implied relationship with a high school age girl, weird children's storybook with creepy music and characters, too many recap episodes! - a total of 3

Hideki buys Chi girlie underwear!

Mike Tells It Straight: Chobits is the second anime series I've seen based on work by the manga group CLAMP.  It's an interesting pseudo-harem/slice-of-life show exploring potential relationships between artificial humans (persocoms) and normal humans.  The series had some good points including the cute relationship between Hideki and Chi as he teaches her about the real world.  The supporting characters were surprisingly intricate with their own little side stories.  Hideki is a typical young man with a penchant for porn and being totally inept with women.

Young master Kokobunji and his harem of persocoms

I found the series to be enjoyable and fun with a few ecchi/fan-service moments sprinkled in with some sci-fi elements.  The idea of human-shaped personal computers was neat and follows the 'robot servant' theme of many science-fiction novels.  It contained an underlying theme of robot and human relationships which continues into later episodes.  A subtle backstory emerges for Chi's origin as a particularly unique persocom.  This being a slice-of-life show it gets a little slow and boring at times, but the story progresses.

Persocoms are water-proof so they can go to the beach!

The Chobits manga is slightly different than the anime and considered to have a better story.  I was disappointed with the anime ending since it didn't really give a clear resolution to the story (although I can live with it since most anime have lukewarm endings), but I would have liked more of a reveal to Chi's big secret.  The recap episodes I could have lived without.  I'm not a fan of recap episodes and think they're pretty lame nowadays.

The esoteric pseudo-children's book Chi discovers is weird

It's interesting to note one of the characters in Chobits is related to a character from Angelic Layer (also by CLAMP).  Cool to see a little crossover between series even though it's not apparent when watching the actual series.  I'll say Chobits was a funny show until the second half when the Chi's origin story began surfacing.  I liked the fact all of the supporting charactes' lives developed along with the main characters, Hideki and Chi.  At the end of the day it's still a slightly cheesecake show about a horny dude getting a hot android for free.  I'll probably check out the manga to see why people like it better!

Hideki comes home to this every day

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