Chobits: V.3 Darkness Descends (ep.9-12)

The so-called "filler" episodes mean more in the context of the story. Much of the series so far revolves around memory. Memory that can be deleted from machines, such as Chi's past. The episodes that seem to be gratuitous frolic help aid the future of the story. For now, it appears that Hideki still treats Chi like a machine but not without some internal conflict over his feelings.

To recap, "Chobits" follows 18-year-old farm boy Hideki Motosuwa, who happens to find a uniquely powerful Persocon (human-like robots that have achieved cellphone-like status and popularity) in the trash; she can only say "Chi" at first (thus her name) but begins to learn new words and ideas at a tremendous rate. Hideki and his various friends spend their time working, studying and trying to find out who and where Chi is from.

Hideki's co-worker Yumi, a high-schooler with size E cups, is the first character to gain depth in this volume. She invites him to a movie, and while the two have fun, Yumi's attitude and comments seem to suggest she has something against Persocons. This will be a common attitude throughout the series, expressed by many other characters. Additionally, Chi decides to buy Hideki a porn mag he doesn't have yet, and stumbles across the sequel to a fairy tale book he had bought for her earlier. Chi's character also gains more depth, as she begins to associate with the main character of the book, a vaguely veiled Persocon wandering lonely in a city full of happy, un-alone humans. We begin to wonder whether she is capable of emotional pain.

Hideki also runs into boy genius Minoru, who has been intensely researching Chi's past, even posting her information on a BBS (Internet message board). A mysterious e-mail returns with an intriguing photo attached: a Persocon seemingly identical to Chi, hooked up to several wires, her arm covering the first letter of a word that reads "__H O B I T."

This volume also contains two lighter-color stories: one involving innocent Hideki's stressing out over having to teach Chi how to take a bath; another, a well-directed semi-thriller that has Hideki believing that the knife-wielding female ghost of an urban legend actually lives below him on the first floor. Finally, Yumi's dad lends Hideki a DVD player (which also plays video games) with the hopes that he watches some erotic videos on it. Instead, he runs into Minoru who invites him to play an online adventure game. Hideki, Chi, neighbor Shinbo and his Persocon Sumomo all jump into the game--but Chi is nowhere to be found. Not to spoil anything, but Chi's entrance into the game continues to raise more questions about just what she is capable of.

The Yumi and horror stories are standouts in this series. In Yumi's case, music, close-ups and clever cutbacks to Chi all alone in the apartment do well to raise the tension about exactly how Yumi feels about Persocons, with the music perfectly emphasizing the feeling of sadness. The horror story is done so cleverly that it could very well stand on its own: the mood is spine-tingling, and heart-pounding, although the viewer knows that little may come of Hideki's superstitions. It's still quite nerve-racking if you suspend disbelief and allow yourself to be absorbed into the story.

One of the more solid overall anime series, "Chobits" has an intriguing story, very modern art, and a soundtrack that at times can rival any music in any series. Again, feminists and those with young children may not want to take on this series, unless you're prepared to focus more strongly on the issues of identity and relationships. Not a robots, powerups and swordfights series, but a thoroughly entertaining one.