Chobits makes you believe a romance between a boy and a computer could matter. The show's real trick isn't the sci-fi setup, it's that every conversation between Hideki and Chii feels like you're watching two people figure each other out for the first time, even when one of them is literally learning what "love" means from a book. Hideki's emptiness isn't a flaw; it's the whole point. He needs someone to complete him, and Chii needs someone to teach her what she's for. That premise will either feel like the sweetest thing you've ever watched or aggressively hollow, depending on whether you buy that vulnerability in romance at all.

Hideki Motosuwa is a poor country boy studying for his college entrance exams, and he badly wants a Persocom, the humanlike personal computers that have become the latest craze. He cannot afford one. One evening on his way home, he finds an abandoned Persocom and brings her back with him. Once activated, she can say only one word, "Chii," so that becomes her name. Chii cannot download information the way other units do, so Hideki teaches her about the world himself while keeping up with his studies. With help from his friends, he tries to solve the mystery of Chii, who may be a Chobit, a legendary kind of Persocom said to have real thoughts and emotions. As they grow closer, the question becomes whether romance between a human and a Persocom is possible. The result is a sci-fi romantic comedy with drama and ecchi elements.