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 : In the interest of improving the reception section, the following is an excerpt from Anime News Network regarding the anime, source here: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/chobits/dvd-6 
 ::What began as a fairly run-of-the-mill shounen romance series has become, in typical CLAMP fashion, a genre-bending, thought-provoking story that unfortunately has already turned away high-minded anime fans thanks to a bunch of early episodes that focused more on panties than on substance. The end of Chobits winds up being something that would appeal to a huge range of anime fans; anyone who appreciates touching romance and understated drama punctuated by beautiful animation and high production values will love this.  It's too bad a metric ton of panties sent discriminating anime fans away screaming about 15 episodes ago. 
 : The above link also makes the claim that Chi and Hideki's relationship is a metaphor for man's relationship to technology.  Another review (this one at minitokyo.net) notes the thematics of the story as ""machines replacing humans, love, friendship, and what it really means to be 'alive.'"" (Source: http://browse.minitokyo.net/116/chobits/ The full text of the review can be found here: http://reviews.minitokyo.net/1059/chobits/ ).  I am not, however, familiar enough with the Reliable Sources guidelines to pass judgement as to whether the above reviews qualify or not.    "