Kimera (manga)

Kimera is a two-volume manga series written and illustrated by Kazuma Kodaka and serialized in Super Jump. It was adapted into a single episode original video animation by Toho in 1996. Both the manga and OVA were licensed and released in English by ADV Films. It focuses on a man named Osamu, who falls in love with an adrogenyous vampire-like man named Kimera, being held by the Air Force and hunted by two other vampires. One vampire wishes to use Kimera as the mother to revive their dying race, while the other wishes to kill her to save her from a fate she didn't desire.

Plot
Two cereal salesmen, Osamu and Jay, are driving along when they come upon an accident scene. They are ordered by Air Force to flee, but before they can they are attacked by vampiric creatures. Osamu is blown into a trailer where he finds a beautiful, green-haired androgynous-looking woman inside an cryogenic container. A silver bell he recently purchased and wears around his neck rings, waking the creature inside who kisses him through the ice. Two of the creatures arrive, with a beautiful male attacking Osamu, and a disfigured one defending him. They disappear, and Osamu and Jay are taken to the Air Force base. They are released as Jay's father, Dr. Gibson, is on the research team there.

He tells them to forget everything that happened, though Jay argues that they can't do that. Gibson is called away, accidentally leaving his security card behind. They use it to search for Kimera, with Osamu feeling her calling him in the right direction. Meanwhile, the beautiful vampire from the night before is going through the facility killing people in search of her, wearing a bracelet that makes a sound similar to Osamu's bell. One of the research team members, Dr. Fender, meets with the disformed vampire, Ginzu, to discuss the status of the "Mother" system, and Ginzu complains about the lifeless food Fender brings "them".

Osamu and Jay find Kimera in a garden and free her from her container after Osamu's bell awakens her again. The beautiful vampire attacks them, explaining Kimera will bring about the downfall of the planet. Huge snakes break through the glass to attack him, along with Ginzu, as Gibson and his team arrive having found their dead companions. Kimera begins glowing and the rooms explodes. She disappears along with Osamu. Jay learns that Kimera is an alien who arrived with the other two vampires two weeks before.

Kimera reappears in the city, wearing only the lab coat Osamu had put on her. Two men pick her up and attempt to rape her, but she drains them of blood and kills them. Osamu dreams of Kimera's past and learns that the beautiful vampire, Kianu, and she were in love. Before, she lived peacefully, refusing to drink blood and having no desire to become "a mother" after seeing what one was. Kimera arrives and tries to make love to Osamu, though he tries to tell her that he isn't Kainu. Ginzu attacks capturing Kimera and having Fender install her in the Mother system in hopes of creating at least two or three children before Kimera is killed. He explains to Osamu that the vampires have been betrayed by humans repeatedly through the ages, and now on their planet the adults are dying and unable to reproduce. Only Kimera can reproduce, but neither Ginzu nor Kianu can make children with her because they are not fully functional men.

Kianu arrives and attacks again. As he and Ginzu fight, Fender finishes connecting Kimera to the system and is subsequently killed by Ginzu as he is no longer needed. Wounded and unable to free Kimera himself, Kianu transports Osamu to her location and orders him to kill her. As Osamu stands in front of her with a gun, the building collapses, killing Ginsu and Kianu. Jay finds Osamu's bell crushed in the debris and mourns his friend; however, Osamu is shown to be together with Kimera in the desert, driving to an unknown location. Though he knows she believes he is Kianu and that their child may destroy the world, Osamu wants to have hope for the future, and is happy being with Kimera because he loves her.

Reception
The general reception to the anime was largely unfavorable, due to lack of proper story and character development. Viewers have expressed ill response to Kimera's hermaphrodite features, thinking her to be male rather than female.

The art for the manga has been described as reminiscent of Yuu Watase.