Chobits Volume Five is a manga written and illustrated by CLAMP. It was published in North America by Tokyopop in 2003. This series is rated “OT” for older teens who are 16 and up, and I agree with this rating.
This volume opens with Hideki still looking for his missing Persocom, Chi; he is being aided in his search by Ueda, the manager of the bakery where Chi is an employee. During the search, Hideki runs into his co-worker Yumi, and learns that Ueda and Yumi know each other.
Meanwhile, Hideki’s computer genius friend Minoru is aiding in the search using electronic means, acquiring information on users that use the custom Persocom boards. It turns out the owners of the boards owe Minoru a favor, so they let him access information that is usually confidential.
Hideki’s friend and neighbor Shinbo returns from his vacation to help Hideki with his search. After Minoru receives an image that could be a clue to Chi’s whereabouts, Hideki and Shinbo work together to track her down.
When they locate Chi, they are surprised by what they see. After rescuing Chi, Hideki acquires a laptop Persocom named Kotoko, who is to be used as evidence against Chi’s abductor. And at the very end of the volume, Hideki pieces together how Ueda and Yumi know each other.
While a major focus of this volume is the search for Chi, there is still some room in the story for some minor character development. The characters who receive this emphasis are Ueda, Yumi, Chi, and even Hideki’s landlady, Ms. Hibiya.
While the art in this volume may be similar to what was seen in the previous volumes of the series, there is one panel that really stands out to me. On page 77, the entire page is a drawing of Chi as she faces her abductor. Instead of the innocent child-like look that Chi normally has, she looks very defiant and confident in herself. The lines, shadows, Chi’s expression and background all come together to create a very striking image.
Visually, there really isn’t any blatant nudity in this volume. However, there are some panels with Chi’s abductor that could be seen as having a sexual overtone to them.
As the story progresses in this volume, it’s obvious that the series is headed toward some major revelations and progressions in the plot. When I reached the end of this volume, I was eager to read the next. If you’ve read the Chobits manga up to this point, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by this volume.
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