chobits: unrequited love, anime style

one of the most unique anime i've ever watched ended the other day.

chobits' story revolves around a perverted yet kind-hearted 18-year-old, hideki motosuwa, who's taking college entrance test reviews for admission to tokyo university (he failed on his initial try). he came from the rural areas where all he did was tend cows. suprise got the better of him, when he ventured into the city and had his first encounter with human-like robots called persocoms.

non-techie and curious, he did want a persocom but his finances were just enough for him to go about his daily meager life. as fate intervened, he literally stumbled upon a very pretty persocom dumped at a trash site. being the good samaritan that he is, he takes her (or it?) home and lovingly accounts her as his own.

the perverted catch? the perscom he brought back home needed to be activated but the switch seems to be "inside" her. *wink, wink* hesitant, hideki reaches into her nether region and voila... turns her on! (pardon the pun)

here starts the funny story of the hideki and the adorable persocom he named chii.

eventually, hideki begins to harbor feelings for her though he knows that she isn't human. it isn't a one-way thing since chii seems to have labeled hideki as her "only one for me". as is obvious, robots and humans aren't actually smiled upon. that's the rub.

within the anime, there's a storybook that chii always reads. understating myself, it snagged my attention. here is an excerpt:

the town where no one lives

if the person meant for me,
loves only me
it's time to say farewell...
to me and the person who loves only me

even so, i want to meet this person
with that wish in mind, i travel
travel in the town where no one lives

i can be everything this person wants me to be
except be human---i can't be human
if this person can't take me as i am
then this one is not the only one for me

is there someone who's only meant for me?
maybe very near, and not very far

people's minds change easily
but feelings stay

if the time comes, the decision is mine
that i should continue walking alone
in the town where no one lives

at first glance, this seems to be a poorly-translated japanese poem but read thorougly... gawd! i loved the melodramatic tinge to it. that's unrequited love alright! killer lines!

when chii realized that hideki was already in love with her, she bailed because she knew that loving her would do hideki no good. does hideki really love me even though i'm not human? does he take make for what i am?

here is one song from the series, contained in its ost:

ningyo hime

at night, the town is quiet like the bottom of the ocean
i continue down the road by myself
guided by the distant voice
i keep searching for the soft blue light

hey i discovered myself within
and my spirit calls out to me
no matter how far away i am, i can hear it

the silver light burns within every room
i walk around hoping for it anywhere, surely

hey i found you
and so, without leaving you again
no matter how much i hurt inside i'll always be near you
i'll never release
your hand that i held

hey i found you
and so, without leaving you again
no matter how much i hurt inside i'll always be near you
forever
forever

though being with your somebody can bring you pain and heartaches, it's the fact that you're together facing it makes it all worth it.

damn. animes aren't supposed to make you cry.

i got all mushy. it really is february.