Chobits-
Volume 2:
The Empty City
(MVM Region 2 PAL DVD)
review by Blackgloves

The all-female Manga team, CLAMP are probably the most well-known and celebrated producers of Manga world-wide. Having started out as a ten woman collective, CLAMP are now composed of a close-knit foursome: scriptwriter and head honcho, Nanase Ohkawa; chief artist, Mokana Apapa; secondary artist, Mick Nekoi and layout artist, Satsuki Igarashi. Their signature Manga series must be "Chobits" and so it is no surprise that it was eventually adapted as an anime series. The fact that it was the acclaimed studio MADHOUSE who brought it to the screen is the ultimate guarantee of quality, and the results do not disappoint: "Chobits" is enchanting, mysterious and risqué in that typically perverse Japanese way. Plus it looks absolutely fabulous: beautiful digital animation, luminous pastel shadings and meticulously attractive character designs contribute to the overall entrancing effect. "Chobits" is an original combination of gentle, dreamy, domestic comedy and techno-surrealist sex farce set in an alternative reality that is subtly futuristic, yet recognisable for how it subversively melds certain familiar Japanese cultural traits to produce a unique and strange world where desire is literally mediated through technology.

The basic scenario is one that seems very, very familiar in modern Japanese animation: a callow teenager called Hediki Motsuwa, moves to Tokyo in order to become a student at a cram-school while financing himself with a menial job at a Japanese pub. Eventually, he hopes his efforts will be rewarded with a place at a top Japanese college. He is surrounded with available young women, but is far too inexperienced and shy to interact with them in an adult way. This imagining of Tokyo is quite different from the one we are familiar with though: here, the development of personal computers has become gendered. Persocoms are computers/robo-pets in the shape of young females! They are used for all the things that computers are used for (ie. browsing porn websites!) but also provide a perverse and new form of companionship that crosses a female partner with a pet! It is very noticeable that all Persocoms seem to be female; there are no male ones available for women!

Hediki is fascinated with this strange new world since he has never seen a Persocom up-close before moving to the city. His neighbour, Shinbo has a miniaturised Persocom called Sumomo -- a quirky little female cheerleader-being which he uses to make telephone calls, send emails and to browse the web! These creations are far too expensive for Hediki to afford one of his own though and so, one day, when he finds a Persocom in someone's trash, Hediki is delighted and takes it back to his rooming house where Shinbo discovers that the attractively lifelike young artificial female has no ready-programmed software -- Hediki will have to teach his new Persocom (which he names Chi) everything about the world ... from scratch! His attempts to do so and the unusual situations that ensue are what form the core of this series' content.

This second volume of the series features another four episodes starting with "Chi Finds" -- in which Hideki's attempts to revise for an English exam. Unfortunately, he left his English dictionary behind in the move to Tokyo and so has to visit a bookshop with Chi in order to buy a new one. Chi has never seen a bookshop before and becomes particularly interested in a book called "The Town With No People". Hideki cannot afford to buy both his dictionary and Chi's book: he has to make a choice between his exam needs and his devotion to shaping Chi's growing personality. Chi's needs win and Hideki shows her how to read her new book. There is something mysterious about the story Chi has chosen and the hold it has over her though. The story seems to have special significance for her and images and quotes from it will return to Chi's consciousness again and again over the next few episodes.

"Chi Weakens" highlights the fact that a Persocom has to be maintained as well as taught -- they are rather like corporal Tamagotchis! Hediki's inexperience with women is only matched by his lack of skill in computer maintenance and his ineptness endangers Chi when he is unable to recharge her because of his unpaid electricity bill!

"Chi Works" sees the Persocom taking a job after she becomes aware of Hediki's critical financial situation. The careful nurturing of the young teenager has resulted in the Persocom beginning to develop a devotion and, maybe, feelings for her owner. However, Chi's lack of knowledge about the world leads her to be tricked into taking a job as a stripper in a strip club called the "Live Kitten Peeping Nyan Nyan Peep Show", which is broadcast over the internet! Hediki has a date with one of the many females in his life who he lusts over -- but he has to cut it short when he realises that Chi is missing.

"Chi Bewildered" continues on from the previous episode. When the owner of the strip club tries to perform a sex act on Chi, he accidentally activates a "rebooting" switch which has been rather incongruously positioned! This results in a bizarre burst of power shorting out every Persocom in the city! The strange link between the story Chi read and these mysterious events begins to be sketched-in. A darker side to Chi's origins is hinted at, while the relationship between Chi and Hideki continues to grow.

"Chobits" is wonderful. The infectious electro J-pop theme music by Round Table is one of the finer examples of its genre and the beautiful animation style continues to mesmerise as do the sexy, mysterious and emotional story lines. Definitely one to pay attention to as future volumes are released.