Questions left unanswered (spoilers)

[Gryshnak]

Okay, I finally got the last eight episodes yesterday (and watched them all last night :D ) and I've got to say, the pace really picks up when you hit ep 19.

But there are questions that were unanswered, perhaps they are dealt with in the manga? For a start, why was Chii left on the rubbish pile in ep 1? What would have happened if Hideki had found that disk, and installed it again? (I won't even ask where it goes - who ever thought of putting Chii's on/off switch in a place like that!) Why did Chii have that effect on all the other persocons - what did it achieve? Are there any long term effects to the 'program' Chii eventually executed?

I'll have to watch the last few episodes again, there was a lot crammed in there - which was a shame since there was so much filler material in the earlier episodes. Grr.

[Kyrakasa]

Yaaa... it's good to rewatch it...

:o

Hibiyah tells you in the anime all about the origin of Chobits...

Everything is my interpretation

:liplick:

Chi was probably left there to love the first person she sees... Hibiya's plan of course...


The program more than likely activated emotions that gave persocoms the ability to blush...


It's basically the concept of a computer that can wash dishes, check your e-mail, blush, and do it all while being cute at the same time...~!!

:liplick:

[Gryshnak]

Originally posted by Kyrakasa
Chi was probably left there to love the first person she sees... Hibiya's plan of course... You think Chii was deliberately left there, just to see who would find her and what they would do with her?

The program more than likely activated emotions that gave persocoms the ability to blush...I thought it might be something to do with Chii's memories. I got the impression right from the start that she couldn't remember anything, because of that lost disk.

It's basically the concept of a computer that can wash dishes, check your e-mail, blush, and do it all while being cute at the same time...~!!I think it went a lot deeper than that. It's a comment on society, on what might happen if we create artificial companions who are capable of replacing other humans in a relationship. How does society react to them? Note that persocons were still being paid wages for working, just like people. Yet they have no rights such as voting, and they are still owned? Are they slaves? Are there military persocons who can go to war for us, and simply be replaced when they are 'killed'? Do persocons get all the dirty jobs that nobody wants, and is unemployment higher as a result? Can persocons be taught how to build other persocons?

Lots of scope for socio-political discussion.

[Kyrakasa]

Lol... you take me too literally... I was joking about dishwashing...

Everything I say... I say half jokingly :liplick:

Yep... Hibiya wanted Chii to forget...

And to find the right person for her.....

Thus activating the "super program" That reprograms all persocomms with feelings.... Just watch the way Jima's girlfriend now blushes with Jima...

Jima is the Man persocomm sent to stop chi... :liplick:

[DNA_Master]

Originally posted by Gryshnak
Okay, I finally got the last eight episodes yesterday (and watched them all last night :D ) and I've got to say, the pace really picks up when you hit ep 19.

But there are questions that were unanswered, perhaps they are dealt with in the manga? For a start, why was Chii left on the rubbish pile in ep 1? What would have happened if Hideki had found that disk, and installed it again? (I won't even ask where it goes - who ever thought of putting Chii's on/off switch in a place like that!) Why did Chii have that effect on all the other persocons - what did it achieve? Are there any long term effects to the 'program' Chii eventually executed?

I'll have to watch the last few episodes again, there was a lot crammed in there - which was a shame since there was so much filler material in the earlier episodes. Grr.

1) While we know by the end of the series that Chii was dumped by Hibiya after erasing her OS down to the most basic level (learning software and drivers for the body), Hibiya probably put her there for Hibiki to find.... or for the first person to pick her up to find, assuming that someone who will take a broken persocon off a rubbish pile is a nice person...

The disc probably only contained language software and things like that... its never referred to again, so its probably inconsequential. And I think the disc drive is probably mounted in an ear (with all other interface equipment)

2) The program Chii was designed to run on all other persocons was to give them the same qualities that she has... that is, true emotions. Notice how all other persocon eyes developed rays in the irises as the program was running.... and how Yuzuki's behaviour changed slightly.


I personally didnt think there was too much filler in the final eps... you needed to have in-depth 'interviews' with the characters to get the full impact of the decision that Hideki has to make.

[DNA_Master]

Originally posted by Gryshnak
You think Chii was deliberately left there, just to see who would find her and what they would do with her?

Quite possibly... Hibiya was probably keeping an eye on Chii (same way she tracked Jima and Dita), so if someone WAS doing something dirty with her, she probably would have intervened.

I think it went a lot deeper than that. It's a comment on society, on what might happen if we create artificial companions who are capable of replacing other humans in a relationship. How does society react to them? Note that persocons were still being paid wages for working, just like people. Yet they have no rights such as voting, and they are still owned? Are they slaves? Are there military persocons who can go to war for us, and simply be replaced when they are 'killed'? Do persocons get all the dirty jobs that nobody wants, and is unemployment higher as a result? Can persocons be taught how to build other persocons?

This is one of the things I liked about Chobits, and Hideki in particular... Hideki (being a country lad) hasnt been exposed to Persocon technology his whole life, hence he has a different viewpoint, seeing them as more human than Shinbo would.

Also, if you note Minoru's statements in about ep 2, personcons arent TRUE AI's (apart from Chii)... hence they have no concept of self, etc, etc.. while they might look human, and seem to act human, its all programming and learning software in the end. This is what the program Chii was designed to run solved... when Chii managed to find 'the one who is for me' (Hideki), and Hideki admitted his feelings (which where returned in kind) then the software generated by the learning software could be distributed to other persocons, resulting in them becoming truly conscious, instead of pure programming.

Lots of scope for socio-political discussion.

Which is why Chobits is such a good anime....

[Gryshnak]

Originally posted by DNA_Master
2) The program Chii was designed to run on all other persocons was to give them the same qualities that she has... that is, true emotions. Notice how all other persocon eyes developed rays in the irises as the program was running.... and how Yuzuki's behaviour changed slightly.Thanks, I noticed all the irises but didn't make the connection to anything deeper. Then again, my brain was a bit dead since I had just watched the last 8 eps in one sitting...

[DNA_Master]

Originally posted by Gryshnak
Thanks, I noticed all the irises but didn't make the connection to anything deeper. Then again, my brain was a bit dead since I had just watched the last 8 eps in one sitting...

I did that too... then walked around in a daze for three days, occasionally muttering 'chii' under my breath.

[Nilrem]

Originally posted by DNA_Master
I did that too... then walked around in a daze for three days, occasionally muttering 'chii' under my breath.


you make it sound as if it's abnormal to be wondering round with glazed eyes going "Chii?"

next thing you'll be saying it isn't normal to mutter "pantsu" repeatedly when shopping for clothes ;)

[vdshake]

Thanks, I noticed all the irises but didn't make the connection to anything deeper. Then again, my brain was a bit dead since I had just watched the last 8 eps in one sitting...

I happened to do the exact same thing but unlike you guys....I've been having a weird impression that theres something perched on my shoulder and yelling bingo when i get things right

[DNA_Master]

An interesting note for everyone who's watched all of Chobits...

Remember Jimu, the male persocon who showed up near the end and had some cool lines?

I've been reading a book on japanese history, and interesting enough, according to legend, the first human ruler of Japan, who was decended from gods, was named "Jimmu".... HMM... I sense connotations here.

[Kyrakasa]

Hard to say... Japanese people have used the same names...

The only direct connotation... I see is Chi... since she is simbolized to be chi... and it's not a name...

Jimu is a name :liplick:

[DNA_Master]

Chii was never a name to begin with... it was a software flaw. I need to watch the last 10 eps or so again, to get what the hacker-dude said.

[Likkle Baer]

Spelling aside isn't there a group called CHI (Computer-Human Interaction) that meets up every year?

I think human beings find it very hard to relate to one another sometimes. Especially since we nearly always get stuck working/schooling with people that we have nothing much in common with.

I'm sure most of us have dreamed of designing the "perfect" person just for us at one stage or another - even if just in terms of friendship. Someone who would understand us, laugh at our jokes and care if we were sad.

The trouble is that we would want them to be human and perhaps resent them for being no more or less than our creation. So the idea that there could be some way for them to become more than the sum of their parts is a very appealing one.

Artificial Intelligence is a very problematic area morally and socially.

[Kyrakasa]

Oh come on...

Oh well... In Chobits... Chi has the essense of purity and thats what is most important... She will defend her love one with her life... :liplick:

She is filled with Chi... She is Chi... Her power of love is Chi... the one thing that is in all Living things...

"The one for chi... Are you the one? hideki?"

Chi is the oldest or nearly oldest form of energy...

What is Chi?

Chi (or Qi - pronounced "chee") is the basic matter of the universe. It is vital energy, the life force that animates and sustains human beings. Although Chi cannot be measured or touched, we are able to experiene it as strong or weak. Chi Kung is the method by which we can activate or help a smooth flow of Chi through the body via a series of movements, both Chiternal and external. Qigong works to heal the body and train the spirit.

Basically Chi is the essence of life the force... if you use in Star Wars terms... George Lucas basically stole "The force" from chi...

example:
Chi isn't something you have to use... It's just there... but there are people who use chi...
You can use it to heal, defend, and even attack... In the true kung fu... And not the westernized Chop suey kung fu... You have to be able to channel the chi... To remain calm and focus your chi... A true master of kungfu can stand there and absorb your chi... Making your Attacks useless... They can also drain your chi and use it against you...

Oh well... In Chobits... Chi has the essense of purity and thats what is most important... She will defend her love one with her life... :liplick:

She is filled with Chi... She is Chi... Her power of love is Chi... the one thing that is in all Living things...

[DNA_Master]

but Chii is spelt with TWO "i"s.... :)

I agree that AI is a very complex area... how do we define something as "alive" or "sentient"? Would you classfiy Chii as alive, or even Yuzuki following the implementation of the Chobits program?

Its true that I've dreamed of making the 'perfect' person... an older anime had a similar vein (Metal Angel Marie, which I have on my shelf but havnt watched yet, and it's spike's tape...). But then again, its all the little flaws that make other people so interesting... perfect people are hell-boring, and really hard for us mere mortals to get along with. Imperfection is interesting. (and makes for a good talking-point.)

Personally, I would classify Chii as alive, seeing as she's self-aware, has a concept of self, and has pretty damn good learning software. Yuzuki, too, probably crossed the line later in the series, seeing as she started acting different to her programming previously allowed.

You can see in Chobits how much familiarity with Persocons is beginning to blur the line between robot and human... such as with the chef-guy (cant remember name) marrying his persocon, and it actually becoming accepted eventually. Even Hideki's friends all said "yup, its fine for you to fall in love with Chii." at the end of the series (which was actually one of my favorite bits). Eventually, especially with the activation of the Chobits program, the line would blur fully and we'd have almost no difference.

As for Hand Maid May... I saw that as a mini version of Chobits with less philosophy on the "is it alright to fall in love with a robot?" question, and more on the whackyness.... it wasnt a bad series though. Did like the "whats your name?" "ahh... cyber-x!". It was a pretty odd series though. But did have some cute stuff.... .like mini-version May changing the TV channel and trying to pour glasses of milk....

[Kyrakasa]

I think Hand Maid May's coming out with a sequel... :p

[DNA_Master]

it is out... I need to find fansubs...

Apparantly it has a May clone in it.

[orochi X]

Originally posted by DNA_Master
As for Hand Maid May... I saw that as a mini version of Chobits with less philosophy on the "is it alright to fall in love with a robot?" question, and more on the whackyness.... it wasnt a bad series though. Did like the "whats your name?" "ahh... cyber-x!". It was a pretty odd series though. But did have some cute stuff.... .like mini-version May changing the TV channel and trying to pour glasses of milk....

Bah give me Chii over May any day,

The mini-version of May reminded me of Sumomo, the part where Shimbo gave her a pencil to write down something was so cute :)

[DNA_Master]

yup, Chii is definatly better than May.

[Al Ketsu]

I second that answer.:)