060 - Chobits vol. 3

060 - Chobits vol. 3

Author: We Appreciate Manga™ July 18, 2021 Duration: 43:24

We talk about true love in the context of cheating, extramarital affairs, hyper realism and simulations! And is there parallels between Pinnochio and Chi? Skip plot summary @3:22

060: Chobits vol. 3

Chapters 25 to 36

By CLAMP

Translation by Shirley Kubo

With Lettering by John Clark

We talk about true love in the context of cheating, extramarital affairs, hyper realism and simulations! And is there parallels between Pinnochio and Chi? Skip plot summary @3:22

Topics

  • How CLAMP create a cerebral and intimate story but juggle mystery.
  • The affair between Shimizu and Shimbo. Hideki's true love definition.
  • "A City with no People" Simulation, Jean Baudrillard and finding your soul mate and being happy in a desert of simulation and loneliness.

Plot Summary

Hideki spends his morning watching Chi sleep and wondering what happened the night before. He still has Sumomo with him and when he tries to contact Sumomo's owner Shimbo, he finds that he has run off with his teacher to a romantic getaway. It becomes clear that their teacher is having an extra marital affair.

The teacher Takako Shimizu recalls Hideki's words about love and marriage, that you can't help who you fall in love with but if it is true love, they must be willing to live with the betrayal and guilt that comes from having an affair. It's not long after this that Shimbo gives ownership of Sumomo to Hideki.

And Hideki gets Chi a job giving away sample pastries. With the money she buys lewd magazines for Hideki and the new volumes of her favourite book "A city with no people"

But Hideki starts to question his feelings about not buying Chi gifts, after all Chi isn't human but like many Persecoms she is made to resemble one and Hideki wonders why they are made like this.

Meanwhile two mysterious characters leave behind them a path of destruction as they trace the steps of where Chi was, when Chi seems to have an emotional response they are able to pinpoint the position. It is unknown if these two characters, Zima and Dita, know they are being monitored by Hideki's Landlady Chitose. And when Hideki receives an anonymous grainy image containing what appears to be Chi and Chitose in a lab, Chi has no memory of this and Hideki starts to become concerned enough to ask Minoru Kokubunji for help. And so, a mystery regarding Persecoms and Chobits starts to brew.

 

Pop culture references/Product Placement: 

  • H.323 codec is used since late 1996 for broadcasting live video conferences and video calls,The most common standard is H.264 used by youtube, Netflix, amazon prime video and many more. But that's because its pre-recorded video.
  • Dukylon café reveals a shared universe to another story, which ran from 1991 to 1993, it's called Clamp school defenders. Basically, Dukylon café is a cover for a heroic power ranger's base. P544 of the Darkhorse omnibus.

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There's a particular kind of magic that happens when a friend hands you a book they love, especially when that book is a manga. We Appreciate Manga captures that exact feeling, beginning each conversation with a personal recommendation before letting the discussion wander into deeper territory. Hosted by the team at We Appreciate Manga™, this series is less a formal review and more like eavesdropping on a thoughtful, sometimes rambling, chat between enthusiasts. You’ll hear them explore how specific stories resonate, why certain artistic choices matter, and the very real comfort these illustrated narratives can provide during difficult periods. It’s a celebration of the medium that goes beyond plot summaries to appreciate manga as a unique and powerful form of visual storytelling. Think of it as your audio companion to a vibrant, anime-adjacent book club where the panels come to life through conversation. New episodes of this podcast have been available since August 2022, offering a consistent space to connect with the art and heart of these stories.
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