But if you can stomach the early 2000s anime tropes, what lies beneath is a profound, mature, and deeply sad story about what it means to be alone. It argues that the risk of heartbreak—the risk of loving a flawed, unpredictable, real person—is what makes love worth having.
The series presents a brutal twist on the Pinocchio myth. Unlike Pinocchio, Chii cannot become human. She will never age, never bear children, never have a biological death. Hideki is faced with the ultimate question: Can you love someone who cannot truly love you back in human terms? Chobits
Hideki struggles constantly with his own perverted thoughts. He wants to touch her. He gets jealous when others look at her. He is, by his own admission, a horny teenage boy. But the genius of CLAMP’s writing is that they force Hideki—and the audience—to confront the line between using someone and loving someone. Chobits is not a comedy. It’s a tragedy disguised as one. The series builds its emotional weight on three parallel love stories, each one a darker reflection of Hideki and Chii’s relationship. But if you can stomach the early 2000s
But if you stop at the surface, you miss the point entirely. Chobits is a Trojan horse. It hides a melancholic, philosophical meditation on loneliness, the nature of love, and the terrifying intimacy of technology under a fluffy layer of slapstick and panty shots. Unlike Pinocchio, Chii cannot become human
The answer Chobits gives is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Hideki reads her the picture book and makes the choice. He tells Chii that his "dream" is for her to remain exactly as she is. He doesn't want her to be a human. He wants her to be Chii. And the price of that love? He must never touch her "switch" (her crotch), because turning her off would erase her.