Chobits Volume 8
Registered by phantomreader42 on 10/13/2003
3 journalers for this copy...
The last "spec sheet":
Chi has found her "Someone just for her" (Hideki of course), but Hideki isn't sure of his own feelings yet. Will Chi's love be returned? Will she ever find out, with Zima and Dita closing in on her? Dita is quite bloodthirsty, ready to resort to violence, as one would expect a persocom programmed for security to be. Zima is more curious, and thinks things through more (perhaps too much sometimes), as is appropriate for a walking database. Dita wants to kill Chi before she comes into her full power and endangers all persocoms. Zima isn't sure that's the right thing to do. Chitose Hibiya just wants her daughter to be happy. Chi wants to be with Hideki. Hideki had better figure out what he wants soon, because there's more riding on his choice than he knows.
A great conclusion to a wonderful series. The first manga I've read, and so far my favorite. Some old questions are answered, like the origin of the word "Chobits," what was on the disk Hideki dropped when he found Chi in volume 1, what Chi can and cannot do, and why she was made. Hideki's answer (which I won't reveal here, but in the spoiler space below), takes a while, not only because of his own uncertainty but also because of several interruptions that made me growl in frustration even while laughing. This volume also has some color pictures in the front, which are very well done, some beautifully detailed, some very funny. I especially like the picture of Chi and Plum high-fiving, with Plum's hand smaller than Chi's finger (that one's a reprint from earlier in the series). The story seems to have taken a different turn from the beginning, but it's a good story.
Chobits:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
SPOILERS: To read, highlight the blank area below. To skip, click here.
Hideki does love Chi, even though she isn't human, regardless of what she can or can't do. But what she can't do is important. She and Hideki can never go all the way. They can share love, but not sex, because every time Chi is reset, she loses everything, her memory, her dreams, her heart, all that makes her who she is. And if you don't remember where her reset button is from volume 1, it's shown again in this volume. If Hideki and Chi complete their love physically, Chi will no longer be Chi. I think this is an extremely bad design idea. Why did Chi's father build her that way? I guess some parents just don't want their kids to grow up. ;-)
The thing that bothers me most about this problem is that Chi herself has no idea. If Freya hadn't been available to tell Hideki, he may not have figured it out on his own, and lost Chi forever. Other implications of this design flaw will probably occur to imaginative people.
There's the answer to what Chi can't do, but what about what she can do? When she is ready to pop the question to Hideki, strange things begin happening. Practically every persocom in the area shuts down, along with electrical power. The failure of the maintenance 'coms causes a water main to burst. Water rains down, and persocoms stand there, dead to the world, while their owners get soaked desperately trying to shield them. Chi is running a failsafe program installed by her father. If she learns that the person she loves cannot love her back, the program will complete, and erase the individual recognition programs of all persocoms. They will lose the ability to distinguish between other persocoms or even between people. They will never be able to fall in love, and thus will never know the bliss of loving and being loved back, or the agony of unrequited love (I'm paraphrasing Zima here, since he knows what Chi's program was meant to do, and has probably spent a lot of time thinking about it). Ichiro Mihara, the creator of persocoms (and Chi's father) wanted his children to be happy, but if that turns out to be impossible, he wants to spare them pain. Chi is a test, to find out if a human can truly love a machine. If not, her failsafe progam will prevent persocoms from being hurt by forming attachments to humans who can't love them back. That's a lot to be riding on one girl and one boy.
Chi is the most advanced persocom ever created, the closest to being human. What difference does it make if her heart is just a program? Even if her emotions aren't real, they're real to Hideki.
There have been some big changes, but not everything has changed. Chi and Hideki still live in the same apartment (perhaps the landlady will give them a break on the rent, as a wedding present for her daughter). Plum still wakes them up loudly for morning exercises. Kotoko still thinks she's living in an insane asylum. The apartment is probably still full of porn (this isn't specifically addressed, but Hideki's porn came up repeatedly in the early volumes), and Chi still doesn't see anything unusual about this. Hideki still has to take his exams, and he may still fail them, but Chi will love him either way. Chi still works at the bakery (though she'll probably see a lot more of Yumi there now). Hideki is still a virgin, and will remain so for the forseeable future, but he can live with that. Chi is more mature, but still has a bit of her endearing childlike innocence. Life goes on, whether you're a human or a persocom.
At the very end, Chi and Hideki walk off, hand in hand, wearing matching rings, happy together. A sweet ending.
DESIGNATION: ZIMA
CLASSIFICATION: GOVERNMENT PERSOCOM
FUNCTION: NATIONAL DATABASE
NOTES: PROGRAMMED TO BE COY AND CURIOUS
DESIGNATION: DITA
CLASSIFICATION: GOVERNMENT PERSOCOM
FUNCTION: DATA PROTECTION
NOTES: PROGRAMMED TO PROTECT ZIMA AT ANY COST
Chi has found her "Someone just for her" (Hideki of course), but Hideki isn't sure of his own feelings yet. Will Chi's love be returned? Will she ever find out, with Zima and Dita closing in on her? Dita is quite bloodthirsty, ready to resort to violence, as one would expect a persocom programmed for security to be. Zima is more curious, and thinks things through more (perhaps too much sometimes), as is appropriate for a walking database. Dita wants to kill Chi before she comes into her full power and endangers all persocoms. Zima isn't sure that's the right thing to do. Chitose Hibiya just wants her daughter to be happy. Chi wants to be with Hideki. Hideki had better figure out what he wants soon, because there's more riding on his choice than he knows.
A great conclusion to a wonderful series. The first manga I've read, and so far my favorite. Some old questions are answered, like the origin of the word "Chobits," what was on the disk Hideki dropped when he found Chi in volume 1, what Chi can and cannot do, and why she was made. Hideki's answer (which I won't reveal here, but in the spoiler space below), takes a while, not only because of his own uncertainty but also because of several interruptions that made me growl in frustration even while laughing. This volume also has some color pictures in the front, which are very well done, some beautifully detailed, some very funny. I especially like the picture of Chi and Plum high-fiving, with Plum's hand smaller than Chi's finger (that one's a reprint from earlier in the series). The story seems to have taken a different turn from the beginning, but it's a good story.
Chobits:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
SPOILERS: To read, highlight the blank area below. To skip, click here.
Hideki does love Chi, even though she isn't human, regardless of what she can or can't do. But what she can't do is important. She and Hideki can never go all the way. They can share love, but not sex, because every time Chi is reset, she loses everything, her memory, her dreams, her heart, all that makes her who she is. And if you don't remember where her reset button is from volume 1, it's shown again in this volume. If Hideki and Chi complete their love physically, Chi will no longer be Chi. I think this is an extremely bad design idea. Why did Chi's father build her that way? I guess some parents just don't want their kids to grow up. ;-)
The thing that bothers me most about this problem is that Chi herself has no idea. If Freya hadn't been available to tell Hideki, he may not have figured it out on his own, and lost Chi forever. Other implications of this design flaw will probably occur to imaginative people.
There's the answer to what Chi can't do, but what about what she can do? When she is ready to pop the question to Hideki, strange things begin happening. Practically every persocom in the area shuts down, along with electrical power. The failure of the maintenance 'coms causes a water main to burst. Water rains down, and persocoms stand there, dead to the world, while their owners get soaked desperately trying to shield them. Chi is running a failsafe program installed by her father. If she learns that the person she loves cannot love her back, the program will complete, and erase the individual recognition programs of all persocoms. They will lose the ability to distinguish between other persocoms or even between people. They will never be able to fall in love, and thus will never know the bliss of loving and being loved back, or the agony of unrequited love (I'm paraphrasing Zima here, since he knows what Chi's program was meant to do, and has probably spent a lot of time thinking about it). Ichiro Mihara, the creator of persocoms (and Chi's father) wanted his children to be happy, but if that turns out to be impossible, he wants to spare them pain. Chi is a test, to find out if a human can truly love a machine. If not, her failsafe progam will prevent persocoms from being hurt by forming attachments to humans who can't love them back. That's a lot to be riding on one girl and one boy.
Chi is the most advanced persocom ever created, the closest to being human. What difference does it make if her heart is just a program? Even if her emotions aren't real, they're real to Hideki.
There have been some big changes, but not everything has changed. Chi and Hideki still live in the same apartment (perhaps the landlady will give them a break on the rent, as a wedding present for her daughter). Plum still wakes them up loudly for morning exercises. Kotoko still thinks she's living in an insane asylum. The apartment is probably still full of porn (this isn't specifically addressed, but Hideki's porn came up repeatedly in the early volumes), and Chi still doesn't see anything unusual about this. Hideki still has to take his exams, and he may still fail them, but Chi will love him either way. Chi still works at the bakery (though she'll probably see a lot more of Yumi there now). Hideki is still a virgin, and will remain so for the forseeable future, but he can live with that. Chi is more mature, but still has a bit of her endearing childlike innocence. Life goes on, whether you're a human or a persocom.
At the very end, Chi and Hideki walk off, hand in hand, wearing matching rings, happy together. A sweet ending.
Mailed to caligula03. The package can be tracked here, using Delivery Confirmation Number 03030830000082637269.
Chobits 8 arrived today and as I had grabbed the mail before leaving to run an errand, I was able to read it while running the errand. I think the conclusion isn't as strong as it could have been but it was still a satisfying read.
On a related note, we had a freak power outage last night. I wonder if Chi was involved. :P
On a related note, we had a freak power outage last night. I wonder if Chi was involved. :P
Journal Entry 4 by caligula03 at Fellow Bookcrosser in Glendora, California USA on Saturday, October 18, 2003
Release planned for Monday, October 20, 2003 at Fellow Bookcrosser in Glendora, California USA.
Will mail out #8 to Andycap14 on Monday.
Will mail out #8 to Andycap14 on Monday.
Its about time!!! :) Thanks! I will read this and send it by Monday the 27th
I also thought that the ending could have been a little different. But all together an enjoyable read. Thanks for the opportunity.
I will send it to the next on the list on the 27th
I will send it to the next on the list on the 27th
