It was the late 90s. If you were hanging out in the back corner of a Blockbuster or a local Suncoast Motion Picture Company, you probably saw it. A bright, slightly chaotic VHS cover with a girl in a genie-style outfit. That was I Dream of Mimi, or Buttobi!! CPU as it's known in Japan. It’s a three-episode OVA from 1997 that basically captures everything weird, wonderful, and slightly cringe about the era when the internet was still a series of screeching modem noises.
Honestly, the premise is peak 90s tech-fetishism.
Akira, our protagonist, is a total computer nerd. He’s obsessed with building the ultimate machine. But instead of just getting a faster processor, he somehow ends up with Mimi. She isn't just software. She’s a "bio-computer" who happens to look like a teenage girl and possesses some seriously reality-warping hardware capabilities. It sounds like a generic ecchi comedy, and in many ways, it is. Yet, looking back at the I Dream of Mimi anime today, it feels like a bizarre time capsule of how we used to view technology—as something magical, slightly dangerous, and deeply personal.
The Technical Weirdness of Mimi
The show was produced by Pink Pineapple. If you know that name, you know they handled a lot of "adult-oriented" content back in the day. But I Dream of Mimi occupies this strange middle ground. It's not full-on hentai, but it’s definitely not for kids. It sits in that "fan service" zone that dominated the OVA market during the post-Evangelion boom.
What's actually interesting is the tech.
The I Dream of Mimi anime spends a surprising amount of time talking about specs. We're talking about the era of the Pentium II. The show treats overclocking and RAM upgrades like they’re forbidden arcane rituals. When Mimi "processes" data, the animation gets all trippy and psychedelic. It’s a visual representation of 32-bit computing through the lens of traditional cel animation. You don't see that anymore. Modern shows about AI, like Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song, are sleek and polished. Mimi is clunky. She's loud. She’s basically a Windows 95 crash given human form.
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Why it didn't become a classic
Let's be real. It’s not Ghost in the Shell.
The plot is thin. It’s mostly Akira trying to keep Mimi a secret while dealing with rival bio-computers. One of the main antagonists is a girl named Centy, who represents the "Pentium" chip. The puns are relentless. If you don't find 90s hardware jokes funny, half the dialogue will fly right over your head. The pacing is also kind of a mess. Because it’s only three episodes, characters appear, cause chaos, and vanish before you even learn their names.
And then there's the fan service.
It’s heavy. It’s constant. For some, that’s the draw. For others, it’s why the show is relegated to the "guilty pleasure" bin of anime history. But there’s a genuine charm in the character designs by Hiroyasu Oda. The lines are thick, the colors are saturated, and everyone has those massive, expressive eyes that defined the late 90s aesthetic.
The Cultural Context of Buttobi!! CPU
To understand the I Dream of Mimi anime, you have to understand the Japanese PC market in 1997. This wasn't just about Mac vs. PC. Japan had its own ecosystem with the PC-98 series, which was slowly being murdered by the arrival of Windows 95.
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Mimi represents that transition.
She is the personification of the "do-it-yourself" PC building culture that was exploding in Akihabara at the time. When Akira is tinkering with her, he’s not just a pervert—though, okay, he definitely is—he’s an otaku engaging with his hobby on a literal level. It’s a precursor to the "moe" personification we see today with things like OS-Tan or even hyperdimension neptunia. Mimi was the blueprint for turning hardware into waifus.
Collecting the physical media
If you're trying to watch this today, good luck.
Finding a legal stream is basically impossible. The rights are in a black hole. You’re mostly looking at old DVDs from the defunct SoftCel Pictures or tracking down the original VHS tapes on eBay. Interestingly, the English dub is a masterclass in 90s "punching up" dialogue. The voice actors clearly knew what kind of show they were making. They lean into the absurdity. It’s one of those rare cases where the dub might actually be more entertaining than the sub because it embraces the campiness of the whole situation.
- Original Title: Buttobi!! CPU
- Release Date: 1997
- Studio: Chaos Project / Pink Pineapple
- Format: 3-Episode OVA
- Director: Hiroshi Negishi (who worked on Tenchi Muyo!, which explains a lot)
Is it actually worth your time?
Honestly? It depends on what you're looking for.
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If you want a deep philosophical exploration of AI, watch Serial Experiments Lain. If you want a fun, trashy, neon-soaked relic of 1997 that reminds you of a time when the internet felt like a secret club, then the I Dream of Mimi anime is a goldmine. It’s short. It’s weird. It’s got a catchy soundtrack that sounds like it was composed on a Casio keyboard.
There is a specific kind of nostalgia here. It’s the nostalgia for a future that never happened—a world where our computers would be magical girls rather than the sleek, boring slabs of glass we carry in our pockets today. Mimi is messy and inefficient, and that’s why she’s memorable.
Practical Steps for Retro Anime Fans
If you're diving into the world of 90s OVAs like Mimi, start by checking out the works of director Hiroshi Negishi. His touch on the Tenchi franchise provides a lot of context for why Mimi feels the way she does.
For those looking to collect, keep an eye on secondary markets like Mercari or Yahoo! Auctions Japan. The "Buttobi!! CPU" laserdiscs are particularly beautiful if you're into physical art. Just be aware that these older releases don't have subtitles, so you'll need a decent grasp of Japanese or a copy of the old SoftCel script.
Lastly, don't go in expecting a masterpiece. Go in expecting a loud, colorful, slightly inappropriate party. That's the only way to truly appreciate Mimi for what she is: a glitch in the system that somehow became a cult favorite.
Check the technical compatibility of your hardware if you're buying old media. NTSC-J and NTSC-U are usually compatible for VHS, but region coding on DVDs can be a nightmare. Stick to "Region 0" or all-region players to avoid the frustration of a disc that won't spin.