Chobits, Omnibus 1

ちょびっツ [Chobits] #1-4

by Clamp

Some people buy their personal computers based on style... and in near-future Japan, the hottest style for your "persocom" is shaped like an attractive android Poor student Hideki, fresh off the farm and trying to get into a Tokyo university, has neither money nor a girlfriend - then finds a persocom seemingly discarded in an alley. Taking the cute robot home and activating it, Hideki finds her affectionate, but amnesiac, able only to say the word "Chi" - and so he names her. But who is this strange new persocom in his life? Instead of being his digital assistant, Hideki finds himself having to teach Chi how to get along in the everyday world, even while he and his friends try to solve the mystery of her origins. Is she one of the urban-legendary Chobits - persocoms built to have the riskiest functions of all: real emotions, and free will?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Comics, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction

737 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ōkawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; Ōsaka, bloodtype: A]

Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]

Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: O]

Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]


CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.

In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.

Reviews

[Azbaqiyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot - 5 ☄
Character - 5 ☄
Writing Style - 3 ☄
World Building - 5 ☄
Art - 5 ☄
Cover - 3 ☄

Overall - 4.3 ☄

I really love the concept about human fell in love with a persocom 😭 But there some ecchi part and it's not suitable for younger readers 😅

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"People's souls come in all shapes and sizes. And as time goes on a person grows, their soul can change. Their hopes and dreams can change. That's why there isn't just one type of happiness."

There is so much in this story and volume to be explored and amazed by.

The moral of loving someone for who they are. And the question of what it means to be human or persocom. And the question of can persocoms have feelings/humans attachments to their persocoms and ignorance of other humans or other things besides their electronic devices and persocoms. But also the indifference to the idea that persocoms are different from humans. And that they should be respected and treated as humans.

Also Chi is beautiful and my heart goes out to her. I don't believe she is a typical persocom at all. But regardless I believe it doesn't matter anymore. She deserves happiness just as much as anyone else.

Also that ending, as upset as I am that it's a cliffhanger, the manager's past with his persocom has me in near tears! So heartbreaking. He and Hideki are really sweet guys. And I love their bonding at the end.

[Annabel Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot
The manga, Chobits , questions what is means to be truly human. In the Chobits universe (and even in our world today), it is wrong to think PersoComs are anymore than computers. Chi, the female PersoCom Hideki Motosuwa finds in a pile of garbage, experiences human feelings such as sadness and love, and even free will, yet is not human enough. As Chi learns how to live in a world that sees PersoComs as only computers, she also has to struggle between her growing feelings for Hideki, and her desire for him to be happy. Hideki knows Chi is only a PersoCom, yet he still has feelings for her (but constantly tries to deny it.) The dichotomy between humans and PersoComs slowly disappear as the story progresses. CLAMP has done an amazing job showing that love occurs even in the most unfortunate circumstances as this: a love between a human and a computer.

Characters
Hideki Motosuwa:
At the beginning of the story, he's an ignorant country bumpkin trying to get into college, but as the story progresses, his relationship with Chi becomes even more more taboo. A typical good guy, he continuously tries to make his relationship with Chi seem like any other master/PersoCom relationship.

Chi:
Chi's a PersoCom that is suspected of being a Chobit (a PersoCom capable of human feelings and free will). She knows, as a PersoCom, she could never be with Hideki, but she can't help but feel sad when he says that he is going on a date with another girl.

Both characters have yet to discover their true feelings. It seems like their meeting that night on the streets was almost destined.

Art
As typical with any other CLAMP manga, the art flows (typical of shojo manga), yet has a touch of maturity.

Other Points
This manga combines some of my favorites of manga: it doesn't assume you are stupid and all you want is a sappy love story, and it has elements of science fiction and an incoming tragedy. It gives the reader a look into the nature of love, and how tragic it is for a computer to have free will.

Conclusions
I feel Chobits is a perfect example of a excellent manga. In a world where most manga are about school girls and their tragic school lives, it is manga like this that will hopefully pave the way for manga with actual plots.

[Emmy]

CLAMP is considered a classic manga-ka group in so many circles, but I've avoided this series for a while because of the whole "sexy robot girl" theme running through it. But, when a coworker told me to check it out, I thought at the very least, I should give it a try.

I got about seven chapters in before finally quitting. See, here's the thing: I thought that a series written by a group of women would be more likely to treat women with a bit more respect. So, if you have a sexy girl robot, perhaps she would be more cute than sexy, or the guy she ends up with would be a real gentleman. And I'm not saying that Hideki is a bad guy, but the first thing he plans on using his new Persocom for is looking up porn.

And here's the thing that really stopped me in my tracks. I mean, I read past it, but it really made me pause-- Oh, look! It's one of those cool girl robots! I can't believe I found one here in the trash! Being a poor student, there's no way I could afford one! [lugs it home] Oh boy! How do I turn this thing on? [looks and pokes everywhere]. Huh. I've tried every spot on this robot except....oh. [pokes down there, robot turns on] COME ON!

So, yeah. You turn on this robot by poking her in a very special place. I just...it was moments like that which prevented me from continuing. I'm not a prude, but it just wasn't for me.

[Kate♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5stars

I JUST LOVE CLAMP SO MUCH AHH. I almost let myself forget how much I adore this world and the character's CLAMP creates. I'm such a big fan of Tsubasa and xxxHolic, it was interesting going back and read something of their earlier works. I see very obvious similarities, such as between Chi and Sakura, but my favorite thing ever is how all of their stories connect and I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO FINISH IT AHHH. Ordering the next Omnibus asap

[Victor The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chobits Omnibus, Vol. 1: My Kindle Review

Revised review published on May 11 2023

I started reading manga when I was in middle school, and the Chobits series was one of the first I read and re-reading the series, it still has that amazing combination of romance and robots.

Vol. 1 - It’s set in future Japan and there are “persocoms”, highly technological machines that are made to look just like real people and they’re everywhere. We follow farm boy - turned - cram school student Hideki Motosuwa, whose life changes completely when he finds an abandoned persocom, who he give her a new home and a new name, Chi.

As Chi adapts to her new life, she becomes more curious about human nature as she witnesses it with Motosuwa and his acquaintances, and her relationship with him. It’s also discovered that she is a rare kind of persocom called “chobits”. Meanwhile, her feelings for Motosuwa become more emotional and could uncover something dire about her lost past. Things get a little surprising when his attractive teacher Shimizu-sensei suddenly spends the night at their apartment.

Vol. 2 - The lives of Hideki and Chi continue to be full of surprises as he wonders why his sensei stayed at their apartment and why his best friend Shimbo is acting very strange. For Chi, she slowly creates a bond with the landlady Ms. Hibiya and begins to have visions of her and an exact copy of herself. Later, he too gets close with someone and that’s his coworker and college peer Yumi who’s envious of people and their persocoms. However, Chi will later create an unexpected disturbance that affects other persocoms when she take an unexpected job.

Vol. 3 - While Hideki is trying to figure out why Chi made all persocoms freeze, he slowly pieces together that Shimbo and Shimuzu-sensei have been having a secret affair and learns about her troubled marriage. Chi does get a better job at a pastry cafe and Hideki is given Shimbo’s hand-sized persocom Sumomo, but unbeknownst to them, two mysterious figures are investigating the freezing persocom event. As Hideki continues to find more info on Chi’s past, it takes a big twist when he learns that his landlady is involved.

Vol. 4 - Out of the blue, Chi is abducted by a hacker who is very curious about her being one of the legendary Chobits and a distraught Hideki is determined to find her. Meanwhile, Chi slowly makes friends with her abductor’s mini-persocom Kotoko and Hideki learns that her manager was once married to a persocom and her tragic death.

Chobits is definitely one of my favorite manga ever. The story is just so captivating and touching, with a bit of humorous moments and fan service including. What really draws you in the most is the emotions of trying to find your one true love. This is not a love story, but a story about love 💕. A+ (100%/Outstanding)

ORIGINAL REVIEW

I started reading manga when I was in middle school, and the Chobits series was one of the first I read and re-reading the series, it still has that amazing combination of romance and robots.

Told in the first four entries, it’s set in future Japan and there are “persocoms”, highly technological machines that are made to look just like real people and they’re everywhere. We follow farm boy - turned - cram school student Hideki Motosuwa, whose life changes completely when he finds an abandoned persocom, who he give her a new home and a new name, Chi.

As Chi adapts to her new life, she becomes more curious about human nature as she witnesses it with Motosuwa and his acquaintances, and her relationship with him. It’s also discovered that she is a rare kind of persocom called “chobits”. Meanwhile, her feelings for Motosuwa become more emotional and could uncover something dire about her lost past.

Chobits is definitely one of my favorite manga ever. The story is just so captivating and touching, with a bit of humorous moments and fan service including. What really draws you in the most is the emotions of trying to find your one true love. This is not a love story, but a story about love 💕. A+ (100%/Outstanding)

[Nyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original Review - March 6th, 2013 (Rating: 5) :
Fascinating! Just fascinating. This pulled me in hook, line, and sinker! What started as a humorous story about an immature, naive 19-year-old "boy" and his sweet, innocent, sexy android "doll" has matured into a psychological, mystery, romance, that keeps you wanting more...

What a great way to be introduced to the art of manga!

Additional Thoughts - June 1st, 2015 (Rating 4) :

My original enthusiasm, though tempered after rereading volumes 1 and 2, held on through the end due to a strong finish in volume 4. The series has once again captured my attention!


Side Note: I decided to leave the individual volumes listed under the original read dates, and use this omnibus version, which is what I actually own, for my reread.
The separate reviews are as follows:
(Chobits, #1)
(Chobits, #2)
(Chobits, #3)
(Chobits, #4)

Since Chobits: Omnibus, Vol. 2 will be a new read for me. I'll most likely just add updates for each volume, instead of adding individual reviews.

[Khrystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great manga. I watched the anime for this back in 2009 and I loved it very much. Now I finally have decided to pick up the books in read them and I'm surprised that the anime is actually very similar to the books. Both are so great. I would highly recommend reading this manga especially if you are trying to get into anime and mangas yourself.

This book really got me thinking about how quickly the world has become so advanced in technology. Maybe someday we will have persocoms walking around.

[The Bibliopossum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chobits has been something of an ever-present ghost for 16 years of my life. It was the first exposure to manga that I had as a child (though I didn't actually read it), I'd see it on the shelves of our local comic book store, it became an anime when I was in junior high school, and I read Chii's cameo in high school when I picked up Tsubasa for a short time.

I've read some of the critiques about this story, but I never actually experienced it. I only knew that Sumomo was very cute.


And here we are, all these years later, ready to read this series and see what's up. How did I like it?

Well, it's a mixed bag.


This is for the whole of Chobits, and spoilers will be discussed under the cut.


Allow me to preface this think piece with the disclaimer that my opinions are representative of a singular experience. I'm an American adult who is not a part of the intended demographic for this story, but perhaps my perspective can be beneficial for anyone who reads my content.
In the past I've broken down manga and graphic novels into what works and what doesn't, but my thoughts aren't so simple this time around. So let's just make a list of things in the order in which I want to talk about them.

So let's begin.

The social elements of Chobits.
Our story is set in a city where humanoid computers are integrated into human life.
Within the first half of the series, you get to see the two sides of societal conflict--men and boys who are committed to a relationship with their persocoms, and the women who are left behind. I bring up the division of men and women because the conflict is presented as gendered.

The baker, Ueda, married his persocom and grieved over her deteriorating memory. The child genius, Kokobunji, replicated his deceased sister with a custom model. Yumi and Shimizu both hesitate to pursue relationships because they have either been spurned by a lover favoring the persocom, OR they fear of being constantly compared to them.

And Hideki, our protagonist and the person with whom we learn about persocoms, decides to commit to one by the series end.

What do persocoms represent in the context of Chobits?
To me, they represent the idealized partner. They represent someone able to support you in every way possible and are perfect--no arguments, no refusals, they will do what is programmed into their circuitry. They can have flaws programmed into their personalities, but it's something that is developed through an exterior force. And the appeal of having someone (or something) so refined that they have nothing but a positive response to you.
When I lay it out like that, I begin to realize there's an inherent horror behind these personal computers. It's quite Stepfordian.

Which is why Chii is a fascinating character in comparison to the other persocoms. Her growth isn't gained through additional coding or programming. Hideki is technologically illiterate, and any attempts to decode her programming results in other computers blue-screening. Instead, she learns exclusively through teaching moments, and like a child, she adapts to her human environment.

And while I'm on the topic of Chii--

Chobits and sexuality
My takeaway from this story is that Chii is either demisexual or very guarded. She made the decision to only become intimate with the person "just for her," and that seems to line up nicely with what demisexuality is--sexual attraction to someone you share a deep emotional bond with. Whether it's text or subtext, Chii is currently the earliest example of a demisexual that I've read.

However, when the eleventh hour comes in the story, and Hideki deescalates the situation by confessing his feelings, Freya tells Hideki that he and Chii cannot become intimate.
Because some genius decided to place Chii's reset button in her vaginal canal. And I don't like that at all.

My problem is not with the idea of celibacy or deciding to not be intimate with your partner. That is a personal choice made by the individual in the context of their relationship, and I'm not about to shame what people decide to do.

What irks me is that Chii, who grows from being a doll-like object to something more human by the story's end, doesn't have a choice in this facet of her life; it was something predetermined by her creator, who was firm on the dream of his computers eventually becoming more human. If part of the human experience is the opportunity (but not the requirement) to experience carnal desire, then to what end does this engineered decision hope to achieve?

And how does it tie into my reading that persocoms represent the ideal partner? It's a matter of perspective. American ideals are culturally different from Japanese ideals, but I can see a common thread in the desire of an untouched maiden--something to claim as your own, and when it's presented like that, it's another uncomfortable angle to this metaphor.
In order for Chii to retain her personhood, she must not have sex, lest her reset button be activated and her memory is wiped clean. Not to mention the implication of a female character regressing back to an object status once she becomes sexual.

And that line of thinking completely falls apart once you learn--
- Treating women like madonnas is another form of objectification.
AND
- There's more than one way to have sex. It's not always a peg-in-hole situation.

Damn.
I really didn't want this entire think piece to revolve on the status of Chii's robot vagina, but by God, it certainly unraveled that way. Give me a moment to collect my thoughts...and let's get to my secondary interpretation:

- The tragedy of persocom/human romance.
The tragedy of the persocoms is that, in the end, they are still machines. Their memories deteriorate, data can become corrupted, and they will eventually break down with no replacement parts available. Technology becomes dated almost immediately after their release, and those who decide to pursue a relationship with a persocom will reach the inevitability of a partner who will become outdated and relegated to junk.

And while the writing is intended to be tragic, I cannot sympathize for these people. No matter now fluffy the writing tries to be, Chobits isn't a romance between a man and a robot who wants to love. It's the story of a computer found in the trash that falls in love with the man who teaches her everything she knows. Which is eerily similar to what happened to Freya, Chii's sister who fell in love with her creator, a man who taught her everything she knows.

Let's go back to the other men in Chobits and discuss where they are by the end of the series:
- Ueda begins a relationship with Yumi after they discuss their feelings and affirm their love for one another.

- Shimizu is engaged to marry another man--Hideki's best friend, who loaned his computer indefinitely to Hideki.

- Kokobunji, shaken by a near-permanent shut down of his persocom Yuzuki, makes the decision to stop emulating the memory of his sister through computer code and instead begin to treat Yuzuki as a separate being--not as an extension of his sister.


Which brings me to my point-- whether or not it's intentional, the only character who shares the same relationship by the end of the series is Kokobunji--a child.

And I realize that I'm making a rough claim in this think piece, but allow me to fully articulate what I'm trying to broach--

The love between a human and a computer is presented in Chobits as something juvenile.

And that's further pushed as the situation between Hideki and Chii is presented to us through a series of children's books, which are completely redundant since we already know what's happening in the plot--

CLAMP

You gave us this picture book series that's repeating the romantic plight of the two leads, but then Chii's superpower is merely alluded to, and we're meant to figure it out???

You're either hand-holding me through this story OR treating me like an adult with a brain, you can't do both!!



I'm done talking about this series.

-PLO

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this whole omnibus in one day and was sad I have to wait for the second one to come in to the library. 😭 I LOVE this series so far. I’m really sad that there isn’t more beyond the second omnibus. I’m sure I’ll be sad when it ends.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have veeeeery mixed emotions about this series so far, to say the very least. However, it must be said that the fashion and clothing design is to dieeeee for. The art style’s pretty iconic as well—and for good reason, methinks.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this so much more than I expected to! And the art is just breathtaking. Can't wait to get my hands on the second omnibus!

[Bente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually really loved the story and the art style but it's definitely not for young readers.

[Crocat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old classic for me, as it was my first manga. I do, however, still think that it's a great story delving into the increasingly current issue of humanoid robots and AI. It's really cute as well. Definitely recommend this!

[BeckyisBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much, it could be spicier but the fact that it's not makes the spice lite seem sweet instead of pervy. Chi is so darling too, I like the kind of weird tough questions about relationships with tech. Can't wait to read the rest.

[Pink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is fantastic. It's funny, intriguing, deep, and adorable! I highly recommend it if you like manga.

[Amr Rashad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute manga! Sifi, and teasing! So deep about the human-machine relationship. Future is different here from all the killing machines theories. Love it, and can't wait to finish the second volume.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Chobits for getting me out of a reading slump.

[Karina · Rating 1 out of 5]

o que que eu acabei de ler?

[Bear Mcbearington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls are cute

[Matthew Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chobits ist seit etwa einem Jahrzehnt mein allerliebster Anime.

Später habe ich mit großer Freude die damals erschienene Erstausgabe der Manga-Reihe ergattert.
Aus irgendeinem unerklärlichen Grund habe ich die Manga Reihe jedoch bisher nur zur Hälfte gelesen.
Nun hat mir mein bester Freund diese atemberaubend schöne Luxury Edition geschenkt und ich habe sie im einer Session komplett durchgelesen.

Ich mag vielleicht von Nostalgie geblendet sein, aber diese Geschichte ist dennoch eine der besten, die ich jemals gelesen habe.
An genau den richtigen Stellen ist sie lustig oder traurig, romantisch oder richtig spannend.

Chobits ist genau die richtige Mischung aus Sci-fi und Romance. Und es ist nahezu gruselig, wie sehr diese Reihe einen zum Grübeln bringt.
Was, wenn Maschinen so menschlich werden, dass Menschen vergessen, mit anderen Menschen ihre Zeit zu verbringen? Was, wenn Menschen nur noch einem unmöglichen Ideal hinterherjagen?

Heutzutage ist diese Idee ein übersättigter Markt an Sci-Fi Brei. Damals jedoch, war es eine unglaublich kreative und gefühlvolle Geschichte.

Ich liebe Chobits.

[Amory · Rating 4 out of 5]

2019 review:
I usually only read magical girl themed manga, and this is quite different. This is probably the first manga I read that's aimed at a male audience and has any kind of PG-13 lewdness. That actually made me not want to read it, but I at first kept with it because the fashion for Chi was cool.
I was glad that this took a more serious turn and actually had a serious plot after the first hundred pages. The "A City With No People" comic within this manga was also creepily peaceful and just weirdly interesting.

[ಥ_ಥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say there's a lot of problematic things in this series. For example, a dismissive robot to be basically be the perfect wife or girlfriend. I really thought about stop reading because of this and just how problematically sexual it is.

However, I'm glad I decided to see it through. It starts making you question what it is to be human. It makes you think in ways you haven't considered.

I also love "The City with No People."

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing story and the art is beautiful!

[Aubrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm reviewing this entire series here, no point really in writing another for the same story Some spoilers ahead.

Where do I start with this. This series has been on my shelf for a while. I watched the anime a long time ago and I remember liking it - but I don't think I realized how creepy and perverted it actually is.

The premise is intriguing and it's the reason I'm being generous with my review stars. In the future, people have personal computers called Persocoms that look like humans. Personally, I like stories about robotics and the moral and ethical dilemmas that come with owning a human-like android. But that's where my fascination ends in this series.

The main character is a major pervert, says he has no money, but that's because he uses it on porn. Throughout the series, many people are aware of this, yet they keep calling him a "good guy"... yeah, I don't think I even have to explain why that's a big red flag.

So, this adult main character has a crush on a high-schooler at his work. And one night, on his way home, he comes across a Persocom just left out in the garbage, wrapped haphazardly in what looks like toilet paper. He takes it home, turns it on - literally a switch in her vagina - and thus awakens Chi. The Persocom Chi is very childlike and it's later revealed that she was made to look 13-14 years old. Oh, and the high-schooler the main character had a crush on? His previous boss, who is 38 loves her. *cough* PEDOPHILIA!!! *end-cough*

There is nudity throughout the series, and everyone, especially the women, are just fine with it. Chi suddenly takes her dress off to give to the high-schooler, who doesn't find anything odd about a naked body in the room. I'm all for freeing the nip, but it doesn't sit right in this instance when you know who this is written for. This manga is considered a Seinen, which is targeted for adult men. Even more confusing is that this is written by a group of women. Nudity can be empowering for some, in the right context. But this isn't to empower the women in this series, it's to pleasure the male readers.

There are moral questions that get brought up. The high-schooler doesn't like the Persocoms because she feels they are too perfect and as a human, she feels no one can ever love her. The main character's teacher was married at one point and her husband became obsessed with their Persocom, even going so far as to forget he was married and forget to unlock the door for her, leaving her outside for hours before one of her students brought her home. Then you have the main character's former boss who marries a Persocom. The Persocom gets damaged and he treats it as a death, while others treat it as just an object that broke. This also leads to the horrible idea that most people use their Persocoms as sexual objects. It's a big deal in this series that Chi's on/off switch is between her legs, "unlike every other Persocom."

Not only is Chi different because the main character can't have sex with her, but she is thought to be a legendary Chobit - a Persocom capable of human emotion. Nah. She is just a super computer, programmed to show human-like emotion. Why she was made into a super computer is just confusing to me considering her purpose, which was to be a child to two scientists and to find "the special someone" for her. Later, the main character questions why Persocoms aren't called Robots and it is revealed that it is so they don't have to be restricted by the three Laws of Robotics... meaning they have free will.

Overall, I do think robotics stories fascinate me. The morals and ethics of androids fascinate me. The most redeeming thing about it was that the main character chose to love Chi knowing that he could never make love to her. I don't know, after how perverted he seemed, at least he grew as a character a little. Otherwise, this story was just garbage.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midway in my reading, I have already decided to give this a 5 out of 5 stars rating despite for the crude material. I cried so much, especially in the latter chapters (Chapter 46 to 48). I really like the psychology, mystery, and dark fantasy genre of this series and would continue onto Book 2 omnibus edition 😁📖

There is no denying that CLAMP is ahead of its time. Chobits was published 2 decades ago, and still, Dark Horse Manga is publishing a new omnibus edition of Chobits to come out on June 2020! CLAMP's storytelling is beyond words. I cried at volume 4 (of this omnibus edition) when reading some of the characters' backstories.

Note, I have seen the Chobits anime about 6 to 8 years ago, but don't remember much. Therefore, reading this omnibus volume is like threading down a new path of tears, sadness, feels, shock, and laughter. 😭😱😁😆

"Pros" for me in reading Chobits: storytelling, art, plotline, character story arcs (especially the tragic ones that made me cry .50 fluid ounce of tears). It is mystery, psychological, and a tragedy drama with a romance-comedy sprinkled into it. This is my type of manga genre: the serious and dark plotlines start coming out midway after humourous introductory chapters.

Oh, and also the 21st-century translation on some of the technology are worth mentioning. Instead of using "cable modem", translators say "WiFi"; instead of "PDA (personal digital assistant), the translators use "smartphone", so the readers can relate to Chobits' digital world when reading.

For me, the "cons" are some of the downplays the translators use when downgrading the impact of the crude words that some of the characters say. Like in this volume for example:

1) Kotoko's "dumb blond" reference to Chi is removed; as well as
2) Shimbo's "give me that extra credit" phrase to Shimizu was removed.

The second one is a really important dialogue from a guy's perspective (as well as for Shimbo's characterization)... Shimbo and Shimizu are making out in the hot springs, and then Shimbo said #2 above. As a woman, I feel diminished when I read Shimbo's line from the TokyoPop edition of Chobits. But it just goes to show that guys are like that regardless of time and place.

Then again, I guess the translators already know the damaging impacts that student and teacher relationships can have on its readers and society. Hearing just that phrase (student-teacher as a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship) may give off a wrong vibe or perspective to modern-day readers. No wonder the translators have to make changes.

For me, I want manga authenticity and those two above are important dialogues to me regardless of generation differences. However, I guessed the translators seem to think of its young readers in mind nowadays; the young might feel too sensitive about it that the translators just have to downplay the words without compromising the storyline.

[Captn Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of this manga really had me fooled. I expected something light with some comedic fan service. Perhaps more of a slice of life, college student struggling to make money to afford it and get good grades at the same time has a cute persocom dropped in his life. Cute and light right? Yet the story got very deep, it touches on the idea of if AI and Computers looked and acted like humans how a society could replace human relationships with just relationships with AI. It goes into some deep issues on whether or not they should perceive AI as "alive" and each character so far in the story has a different take and situation involving this.

I personally felt similar to how the protagonist Hideki starts feeling towards the end of part one. which to sum it up without spoilers, confused. The build up to the end of part one, and this omnibus, I think is done really well. While we're introduced to the characters struggles with these AIs "Persocoms" there is also the main plot of figuring out why Chi is special, and why she had no memory or data when Hideki activated her.

The star here really is how well the story is done. It isn't too far out there for a reader to think about how this might actually affect life we know now. The troubles these characters face are relatable or at least real enough that you feel you can sympathize and also ask yourself the same questions the characters are in their situation. This is where the writing Clamp does really shines through and once again Im pleasantly surprised how much I like it.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

genuinely the only thing this series has going for it is the gorgeous art and fun clothing designs. it's just a constant onslaught of female objectification, which is made extra weird by the fact that chii acts like a literal toddler. overly sexualizing this girl who acts like a very little kid is so goddamn uncomfortable, i don't know how anyone could read it without feeling sick to their stomach. the story is constantly reminding us that computers are just computers, and our reliance on AI is isolating us in a very unhealthy way, yet we're supposed to feel happy for chii and hideki as their relationship develops? even though that's the very thing the whole plot is so heavy-handedly warning us against? it's not in a this-is-the-plot-thickening way, it's a the-plot-is-very-lost-and-confused ordeal. everyone incessantly shaming hideki for being a virgin is just icing on the very yucky cake. i love clamp, but this series is such a massive miss.

[Vivian Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember picking up the first volume when I was young and Chobits was everywhere, but little Vivian didn’t appreciate the perverted nature. How Chi gets turned on is still not okay. I didn’t continue with the series. As an adult, I thought it would be fun to reread some of Clamp’s mangas. I wanted to see how I would feel about Chobits now. I still didn’t appreciate the perverted nature. However, Clamp creates the cutest styles and the color pages are stunning. In addition, the story is quite interesting. The characters are well rounded, great characterization and emotional depth. Yet, there are some pretty cliche parts, and I feel like AI love is really shoved down readers’ throats. It has its ups and downs but I’m intrigued. 3/5. I’ll definitely be reading the second and final omnibus volume.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually my first time reading it, and I enjoyed it so much! I watched the anime forever ago, and loved it. I think it took me so long to read the manga because I was just intimidated by the size of the book because it’s the omnibus edition and it’s super awkward to hold. Other than that, the characters make me literally laugh out loud, and I find the sci-fi aspect of it really intriguing. I also feel like this story aged well, and the art is stunning. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!