Forum - View topicTitles that deal with human-robot relationships
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Boomerang Flash
 Posts: 1021 |
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As the subject implies, it is insufficient that the anime merely features robots living with humans. It must deal with the way that the fictional society is structured as a result of the presence of robots, or the way a particular character interacts with a robotic character. As such, the titles should, ideally, be a subdivision of the type of sci-fi titles that deal with the way humans coexist with new technology.
In dealing with robot titles, there exists a relatively new problem that arose in the public consciousness in the last 10-15 years: the personal computer. I am speaking of robots in roughly the sense that is conceived during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. I do not really want titles which deal with robots that are conceivable by modern engineering--the type of industrial machines programmed for a specific environment and have very limited reaction. The robot in question should have a mobile body and, more importantly, be capable of exhibiting near human intelligence in its thinking process, to the point that it is probably more efficient to analyze the robot's behavior in terms of a psychological approach rather than from the computer code. The spread of PCs, programming knowledge, and the adoption of the term "robot" for reasonably complex industrial machines (by modern standards) tend to obstruct this conception of robots. If the idea of a robot who exhibits near human intelligence and can't be analyzed from the code bothers you, I think Isaac Asimov's Escape! provides a good rationalization: The computer that governs the robot's behavior was programmed by increasingly powerful computers that followed a basic pattern programmed by a human. As such, its complexity escapes that which humans can comprehend. Please keep in mind, though, that the complexity of the robot can arise in other ways--spoiler[as a result of the super genius the father of Persocons] in Chobits, for example. The other problem associated with trying to find titles of this type by merely using summaries is the confusion with the "magical girlfriend" genre. Correct me if I'm belittling the content, but titles like Hand Maid May merely uses the name of robot as a substitute for a being with wonderful powers. Instead of dialing inadvertently into the Yggdrasil system and receiving a wish from the goddess Verdandi, the main character receives a petit robot. Titles like Dr. Slump and Doraemon star a robot, but they lack any exploration of human-robot relationships. Despite the fact that Doraemon is a futuristic cat, he's treated as if he's a perfectly normal resident of the suburban neighborhood. Arale, likewise, is quickly accepted as one of the students. What are some titles that I would name? Well: Astro Boy, I believe, is the original anime that dealt with human-robot relationships. Created as spoiler[a substitute for a lost son], he is nevertheless used spoiler[as a tool to fight those who threaten the world, including robots who came to the conclusion that they are being mistreated socially.] Android Kikaider is a show that I never saw myself. A friend described it as "Astro Boy spoiler[with sex,]" a characterization I leave the more knowledgeable to judge whether it's accurate. Bubblegum Crisis was obviously heavily inspired by Blade Runner. In a cyberpunk metropolis, there exists androids called boomers. Unlike the usually benign Asenion robots, they are programmed for combat, sabotage, espionage, and other underhanded businesses. Episode 5, spoiler[in particular (and aside from having the sexiest character in the series), deals with the distinction between human and robots.] Armitage III lays the background for its pretty graphics and fight scenes by taking certain concepts in Bubblegum Crisis even further. spoiler[What if robots were used to replace humans in the underpopulated Mars in as vital a function as reproduction?] Unfortunately, the length of the series is a bit short for this issue, even if it weren't more focused on the action and mystery. Chobits is a bit more of a personal look at the human-robot interaction. Actually, Hideki and Chii's relationship spoiler[is more like that of a magical girlfriend, and I probably wouldn't have mentioned it here if it weren't for the supporting characters' relationships.] There's Yumi's problem of spoiler[competing with Ueda's "perfect" late wife.] There's the idea of Minoru's spoiler[sister-substitute Yuzuki, and the relationship they develop.] And there are others, which I'm finding it hard to mention without spoiling anything. A title that I found, which looked promising, is Ergo Proxy. The problem is that I heard, in another thread, that it consists mostly of barely coherent rambling. Even without the pejorative terms, it looked like the series is rather dialog heavy. As I rather have more than just characters acting as voice pieces for the writers' idea of technology--with a chapter or two on robots--, this show didn't really arouse much interest. And so I turn to you: What are some shows that deals with human-robot relationships, where robots have AI that can exhibit at least near human intelligence? |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18424 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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If you include androids under the heading robots (not everyone does) then Mahoromatic is the first title that springs to mind. The title character is a combat-turned-maid android who looks and acts very human, but her status as an android with a limited life expectancy is an integral part of the story. The series is derided by some for being one of Gainax's biggest fan service fests, but it has a lot of quality storytelling if you step past that.
Kurogane Communications deals with a girl who's the last known human on earth who lives with a bunch of robots with human-like personalities and behavior. The fact that she's not a robot like they are is often a complicating factor. (She can't be repaired like they can when she gets sick, for instance.) May add more to this later when I have more time. |
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dizzcity
Posts: 8 |
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I'm wondering whether Appleseed would fit the bill. I don't think it goes into great depth about human-robot relationships (being more focused around the question of genetic engineering), but it does feature a human-robot working partnership as well as love interest. (Though the robot in question is more cyborg than android...)
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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I'd look into the Metropolis movie for sure, it seems to be just what you're after. I haven't watched it in a good awhile, so I can't do any sort of in-depth plot summary... I can tell you that it's based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka. The scene that sticks out in my head is the main kid and his grandpa (or some form of old guy) finding out from their new robot buddy that robots aren't allowed to have human names. Uncomfortable with not having anything to call him, they give him a dog's name.
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07241988
Posts: 19 |
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Hmmmm, speaking of Key, I wonder if KEY THE METAL IDOL would count,
 , probably not; though for all /intents and/ purposes we have a robot dealing with humans for the bulk of the show. But its not so much a robot show as a human conflict show, and a depressing one at that. ( But a great show).
Seriously, I really liked BATTLE ANGEL ALITA, though thats more about cyborgs than robots. STEEL ANGEL KURUMI was fun, and about robots, but still, ......... I also have been enjoying ERGO PROXY, but you seem to already have a bias against it, it has human-robot relations. One anime that I think also qualifies is SCRAPPED PRINCESS, as we have robots in the end. I liked CASSHAN ROBOT HUNTER, is a decent robot-human anime, though I have heard that if you can get your hands on the oringinal 35 episode Japanese version it is much much better than the cut down version that ADV released in the states awhile back. [EDIT: Changed "intensive" to "intents and" ~Zalis] |
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jetz
 Posts: 2148 Location: Manila, Philippines |
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Does Black Cat count? One of the characters there, Eve, is referred to as a bio weapon that makes use of nanotechnology. She was that way until spoiler[she met Sven, who treated her like a normal girl.]
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Maybe a bit off-topic, since it's a manga, not an anime -- but I really have to mention Urasawa Naoki's brilliant Pluto, which deals in depth with the relations between humans, human-like robots, and "robot-like" robots. It's set in the world of Astro Boy, by permission from the estate of Tezuka Osamu, and it simply defies description.
I'm hoping very intensely that somebody will decide to make an anime of this. The success of Monster certainly indicates that there is an audience for Urasawa's art in anime form. - abunai |
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Bunchuu of Chouka
 Posts: 92 Location: Toledo, Ohio |
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The Big O.
There are various characters in this series that are androids, and they interact with all of the human characters. One of the main characters- R. Dorothy Wainright is an android. Roger Smith, the main character meets her early on in the series, and much of the show follows their many interactions as human and android. In the end, spoiler[the two of them more or less fall in love.] That's the only one I can think of at the moment... |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Well you entioned Armitage the 3rd which is a great title by the way. In case you're unaware though it's a franchise that consists of two feature films and an OVA, so if you haven't seen the others I'd definitely suggest it.
There's also Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, it's sequel season 2nd Gig, as well as a movie Solid State Society. Those are some of my personal favorites. |
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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Seconded. GitS: SAC is a very interesting look at a blurring line between human and robot, and how robots could someday become an even bigger part of our lives in the future. Although the tachikomas' voices make it rather hard to listen to, I found the Machines Desirantes episode fascinating. The Escape From episode is also rather interesting, albeit in an extremely adorable way. I also think that Appleseed would qualify, since the plot basically revolves around the concept of humans being replaced by robot-like beings. The movie also features a sort of subplot where the main character must adjust to the fact that her lover has become a cyborg and is rather frightening looking (although he's got bunny ears!) |
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lord-darkseid
Posts: 62 |
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There're different segments of Robot Carnival, Neo Tokyo (Manie Manie), and I think The Animatrix which entail human / robot interactions. My personal favorite of these is "Presence" from Robot Carnival in which a toymaker has a rather unusual relationship with one of his creations. Great short story.[/b]
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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Idolmaster Xenoglossia A touching story about the relationship between a girl and her giant asteroid-busting robot. Okay, I'm joking but only kind of. That's not the plot, but the main character does treat her robot like a boyfriend.
Last edited by HitokiriShadow on Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I know this is the anime forum, but I can't help but mention Absolute Boyfriend. While it certainly is the weakest Watase Yuu title I have read, it does definitely deal with human-robot relationships and is often billed as a reverse of Chobits. The implications of a romantic relationship between a human and a robot are the part of the series that makes it interesting (now if only there was more emphasis on this and less random hijinks).
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Heat Guy J, perhaps? The title character, J, is the robot partner of the protagonist. He's definately of human intelligence, although I don't recall if he demonstrates emotion. All other robots are illegal.
There's an interesting relationship between J and his creator, as she built him somewhat as a replacement for her father, and one of the episodes has the not-exactly orphan Monica (who doesn't initially realize he's a robot) ask J to be her father for a day. |
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riccardo
 Posts: 136 Location: Melbourne, Australia |
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All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku and its remake ("Dash") and follow up ("TV") deal with a "cat brained androbot" and her relationships with the family she lives with and the world at large.
Do we count Vision of Escaflowne and Vans very interesting relationship with the eponymous robot? |
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