Kimera: Gay Space Vampires (ANIME ABANDON)

[@gagejoseph91]

"GENTLEMEN! BEHOLD ...... (CAR REVERSE SOUND) ...... *CORN!!!* " Welp. Found my new text alert.

[@animechic420]

Here’s for the hard work! Oh, I remember watching Kimera a years ago, but couldn’t remember what the story was about. The only thing I remembered about it was the part where Kimera got assaulted by those guys. You know what’s funny? Kimera is voiced by a man in the Japanese version, but was voiced by a woman in the English version.

[@_NIKOS9_NIKOS]

Ok, gay vampires are a given, but gay vampires FROM SPACE! Now you got my attention!

[@PharaohDom]

I'd buy that for a dollar!!!

[@balbo-m1y]

SEE "GAY VAMPIRES IN SPAAACEEE"

[@scantrontheimmortal]

"Stop drilling you've struck oil!!! Gay Vampires In Space??? Brilliant!!! Lets get a production team together & make this masterpiece!!!"

[@ToHoldNothing]

Trinity Blood very well might have some....though with the author passing away years ago, we may never know or get much if there was hints or certain characters

[@TheBrotherGrim]

​@ToHoldNothing Vampire Hunter D had space vampires in the books too I think, plus that rocket ship cathedral in bloodlust. I bet at least summa them vampy's in space have gotta be gay, just like statistically speaking, and with most of the dudepires being straight up yaoi bait. Not that I'm complaining

[@jasonjimerson7046]

"Gentlemen... BEHOLD! 🌽" It has been a bit since I last heard that.

[@tapests]

I always love good ATHF references.

[@joekearon1336]

Kimera seems like a bad cross between Twilight and Species. Great review as always Sage, and more informative and deep than this train wreck deserves.

[@disturbedspider]

"I wouldn't want my name attached to porn" says the man that used to do voice overs for Z-TV lol

[@professordetective807]

And is currently writing on ProjektMelody's video game.

[@Sonicfalcon16]

He's credited in the videos

[@disturbedspider]

@@Sonicfalcon16 i would hope so, but the point still stands that Bennett's comment is funny

[@charsiuwu8084]

The hilarity of showing 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight as 'examples' of American non-consent when they are, in fact, the same work, is hilarious.

[@arthas640]

So like the Digimon-Pokemon beef

[@Mattsdmf]

I miss Anime Abandon. I've been watching this show for the last 10 years. Akira was the first review I saw. I wasn't an anime fan in my younger years but became one in my mid-20s.

[@tyrongkojy]

Yeah, Sailor Moon "erased" Uranus and Neptune being gay, but.... they did it REALLY bad. Like, I figured out back then, when I was 10, not knowing it had been edited, they were clearly gay. I just assumed they were using the "cousins" thing as a way to avoid harassment. Again, had no knowledge of the edit. Once more, it was done VERY badly.

[@HouseOfHjonk]

I distinctly remember watching the dubbed episodes with friends when they first came out, and there was a line about a character "cutting their hand on a bush" after fighting one of the "cousins" that practically killed the whole room. That dub was... 'special'.

[@tyrongkojy]

@@HouseOfHjonk I have no idea what that means. Sorry. Nor do I recall the line.

[@somerandomschmuck2547]

Can’t deny it was kinda hilarious, like worst case scenario you think they’re gay, and incestuous, best case scenario, you think they’re just really bad actors who haven’t thought through the implications of their cover story.

[@tyrongkojy]

@@somerandomschmuck2547 It was also kinda realistic, as that was a thing people did, as sad as that was. being close cousins was more acceptable to many in the 90s than being gay. Many forget that the 90s were kinda shit if you weren't straight.

[@sennaka]

The 'cousins' things killed be because they *still* included the episode where Haruka and Michiru were competing in the "Affection!" contest in the park, and they were winning until they had to drop out. They attempted to change it to a "Friendship!" contest, but THAT DID NOT HELP and made it more hilarious.

[@Onbu_]

The "Gentlemen... BEHOLD! Corn!" clip was amazing 😆

[@milestrombley1466]

America: "Uranus and Neptune are lesbians!? No. Let's make them cousins instead. That won't look creepy."

[@strippinheat]

If you want a gay romance without SA, check out Cherry Magic which just finished airing and has a movie coming.

[@DVAcme]

The main reason I remember Kimera is because THE SOUNDTRACK FUCKING SLAPS. I actually traveled to Japan in 2000, and bought the OST CD from the Tokyo Tower records.

[@Pratchettgaiman]

"I'm sure you could find other examples of Boku in anime...but we're not gonna go into that here" Because you're a COWARD, Sage, a COWARD I say!

[@HouseOfHjonk]

Not even sure you could have gotten away with that discussion even in the days of Blip.

[@SwedishSinologyNerd]

Sage needs to review Kino no Tabi already

[@TrueBuddhaCat]

We all know there are still those little freaks asking about “THAT” anime(though not even sure just how in the hell you can even talk about THAT anime…one of the most cursed anime ever made)

[@HouseOfHjonk]

@@TrueBuddhaCat I feel like there are people who think that Apocalypse Zero and Violence Jack are as cursed as it gets. Those folks live in a certain level of blissful ignorance (I mean, they *are* cursed, but you can at least talk about them without fear of an fbi investigation!)

[@naterivers6107]

Gotta say, I'm amazed I got to hear that get reverenced in 2024. Though it's not exactly lost to time. You can fairly easily find all 3 episodes.

[@princesskingforever]

Love all the work you do! Keep up the good work ❤

[@TrueBuddhaCat]

“Gay space vampires”..well somebody really enjoyed Life Force but went “what if it was two dudes and not a hot naked chick?” Also, I KNEW I RECOGNIZED THOSE CHARACTER DESIGNS!! Because yes, going down my own anime rabbit hole as a kid I came across “that” anime…..yet yaoi is still not my cup of tea but god it is some interesting cheese

[@ToHoldNothing]

I had to put an anime this season on the backburner because I want to cut down on stuff that isn't as directly compelling for me. It's called Tadaima Okaeri and, no joke, it's supposed to be in a version of the omegaverse. I'm backlogging it, slated for only 12 episodes, but my weekends are packed as it is and I don't want to overpack my Mondays too

[@l0stndamned]

Gotta say I've got a fair bit of respect for creators who are willing to acknowledge both their porn and non-porn works equally.

[@thanetothefalseking332]

High time people started acknowledging the potential pornography has to be a serious art form, if ya ask me

[@seagullman87]

For those wondering, that "Gentleman, behold! Corn!" clip is ftom AMV Hell 0. Somehow, that specific clip has survived on youtube for over 16 years. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXaWlYNol8hgasksi=JHEoreioE5T7ndcz

[@muhammadabuzarkhan7450]

I remember watching it years ago and losing it.

[@elizabethcarlson750]

I thought it was Dr. Weird from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

[@Feasco]

​@@elizabethcarlson750 the audio is from ATHF, but it's used with the anime clip featuring dubious use of corn in AMV Hell

[@AnchorJG]

I guess yaoi boys make do?

[@DDayDark]

You had me at Trigun.

[@grapeshot]

Space vampire almost like that movie Life Force where Patrick Stewart kissed a man.

[@DantheManIamIam]

...Does that technically make Lifeforce a better Shounen-ai?

[@reikun86]

Yes

[@DI-QueenmoEMino]

I've have read a couple of LGBTQ /Boys Love themed manga series that has gotten much better in recent years and also has been moving away from the whole SA tropes in the genre. Although its still real prevalent sometimes, but its slowly but surely changing. As for anime I say it still have a bit of a long way to go in some areas regarding LGBTQ characters, I think the best examples I've seen so far would be Gundam the Witch from Mercury & Wandering Son, Maybe Buddy Daddies?, Sarazanmai, Bloom into You also Lycoris Recoil with Mika who is a well done gay disabled Black Man that isn't treated like a stereotype or anything when it comes to his character within the anime.

[@ToHoldNothing]

The SA trope in BL that I can think of was probably not done well, though the major one is Hisoka in Descendants of Darkness via Muraki (my first exposure to Shou Hayami's silky baritone)

[@DI-QueenmoEMino]

@@ToHoldNothing That title does sounds a bit familiar. I've noticed and seen the SA trope within a couple of some much older BL manga or even within some Seinen series too sometimes, although I feel like depending upon the type of story or the very nature of said series tends to be pretty upfront within the narrative of at how Fucked-up the SA is or what's going on is not okay. Either way specifically when it comes to more updated BL I don't see it as much, but it still very much within the genre, but I say its has gotten better than what's was going on within past works. Although change is still needed.

[@ToHoldNothing]

@@DI-QueenmoEMino Abuse in the more general sense is also a problem: I remember one from 2018~ called Super Lovers, had 2 seasons and did involve child neglect, plus it was squicky in a way because of an age gap that only changed slightly anyway as the younger character grew up.

[@ToHoldNothing]

@@DI-QueenmoEMino There's an 18+ one I remember as well, Papa Datte Shitai, involved a single dad and a budding relationship with a guy he met, I forget the context. But it feels much like another one where it's a bit more grandiose: single dad and his daughter both connect with the host of a kid's entertainment show and the father bangs the TV host over time, the daughter just being adorable.

[@marocat4749]

Sarazanmei is great. strangers by the shore is wholesome and surprisingly realistic with the drama, and they actually talk it out. or the fear of their relationship stagnating. Also doyukusei is good visial prism is an anime but its kinda a song contest with gay vampires?

[@DMBLaan]

Ah ADV, somehow even in failure, you win lol

[@remixchild]

Even today I still wonder how the hell you went bankrupt

[@IamMeHere2See]

22:42 what’s funny about picking “My Love Story” as the example shown is that, yes, SA is an inciting factor to get the couple to notice each other (he helps her by stopping a groper), it’s a high water mark romance anime for me because the couple gets together less than halfway through the story, meaning that the drama is less about will-they-won’t-they & more about the two trying to create a functional relationship. It’s also why Love Is War ranks low as a romance for me. Wonderful video! Glad I spent the time to catch back up this month.

[@ziplockcreations2313]

That ATHF reference had me rolling! It's been a long while since I've sat down and watched that show. Also, a review on Trigun? .....That's definitely worth a wait.

[@ToHoldNothing]

I feel like he already did, but I may be mixing up his coverage of Trigun Stampede...or something else

[@dustinsimoneau4780]

2:50 by using that audio you give us the permission to quote Dr. Weird in the comments. Gentlemen, BEHOOOLD! MothMonsterMa- wait, no no no, MothMonsterMan, no! Come baaaaaaaaack!

[@bionicdragon5]

WHAT HAS SCIENCE DONE?

[@doodlebugfour7070]

I like to see Sage's thoughts on Kazumasa Hirai's Wolf Guy franchise. Hirai has a disturbing fascination for Assault and Bullying due to his harsh environment growing up.

[@warsmith01]

Bennett... love ya man. Been with ya since the TGWTG days, and have stuck with you ever since. Love your work. You've introduced me to many enjoyable anime, for better or worse 🤣 Keep on keeping on... ...long time fan, few-ish time commenter...💜

[@broodwars64]

Don't worry. ADV/Sentai Filmworks made up for mixing up a male character as female in this show by mistakenly casting Greg Ayers as Rathy in Tears to Tiara...a girl. One quick check of Google with Safe Search off would have corrected that mistake. -_-

[@darkcloud2442]

I remember renting this anime at Hollywood Video back in late 90’s, and boy was I very confused and a little turned on.

[@TheLadySilverMoon]

I am a fan of Kazuma Kodaka and her Kizuna yaoi, which is the reason I found and read an Japanese print of the Kimera manga a long time ago. But I had no idea it got an anime adaptation, and yeah it's pretty different from the manga.

[@Mdgeist316]

I remember renting the VHS of this thinking that it was going to be a schlocky ultra-violent OVA with vampires like Vampire Wars or the first Vampire Hunter D film. Little did I know what I was stepping into. Thanks for letting me relive those memories Bennett.

[@JasonBeam7]

Thank you for all your hard work, Sage. I hope KZbin doesn’t do too much demonitization on this vid. Looking forward to the Trigun video!

[@megamajgo1499]

Man this was surprisingly interesting. Keep up the good work Sage

[@erdricktorest5427]

28:16 you know this takes the cake exposition dumps because I do not believe for a second the main character is following any of it. Hell if it were me I would be like, “okay can we go back to the first sentence, I think I got lost there…actually can we go back to who/what are you?”

[@1988foxtrot]

"GENTELMEN... BEHOLD...CORN!" For those who know... you know 😏

[@EnvyMizuhashi]

"... _but we're not gonna go into that heeeere._ " ...? ... ... ...F@#%!

[@HouseOfHjonk]

I instinctively called out "Sage, NO! Don't even *hint* at it!"

[@leeratner8064]

To be somewhat fair to Sailor Moon, they were airing this on television rather than on VHS. There was no way they could get an openly gay couple on children's television in the late 1990s or early 2000s in North America.

[@Cesia18Wind]

Thanks!

[@nicodemusedwards6931]

0:55 Oh Sage, my dear Sage… that well is without bottom. What we think is stone is just a layer of scum you gotta break through.

[@SpyHunter89]

Yes! Finally, Swept Away has competition for the prestigious "Genuinely Not a Better Love Story Than Twilight" award!

[@louisduarte8763]

2:58 OH MY GOD! I haven't seen that clip in years! 4:23 Wow, way to make me hate you already, Kimera! 15:19 Under-reaction of the century. 16:02 Wait, is the gay, anime version of "Lifeforce"? 17:11 THANK YOU, I didn't know the name of that tune for years! 19:53 It's even funnier knowing Fifty Shades pretty much ripped off Twilight. Don't ask me how I know that. Oh, and good luck with Trigun! You'll need it.

[@nicklane6084]

Great video as always Sage, always look forward to your videos!

[@hungerdanceofkaa]

15:12 Why so crunchy Roy?

[@Rajun008]

Every time i think im aware of the wildest nonsense in anime, leave it to Sage to make me look like a fool. Love the episode!

[@juanortiz9123]

Great video sage! i love your analisys! if you're doing a new long video on trigun, im sure you will talk about the manga right? and how DEPRESSING the story actually gets?? thanks in advance!

[@vustvaleo8068]

meanwhile gay space werewolves are an underutilized concept.

[@christopherb501]

Heck, any two of the above three combined are underrated.

[@marocat4749]

Is there a warhammer fanfic, yo can use the space wolves.

[@alfje5492]

Space werewolves and an infinite numbers of moons could make for an interesting story

[@jasonblalock4429]

Sounds like White Wolf's got their next setting!

[@Mash_Z]

This was great Sage!

[@Damon-Is-Alone]

Fantastic episode Sage! Keep up the great work!

[@TheMightyPika]

I was today yearsold when I learned that Kimira was supposed to be masculine. Also, thank you for bringing up how disturbingly common SA is in shonen ai

[@elizahamilton5599]

Glad you’re covering this cause I could never really understand what it was about

[@laylab2147]

Love you guys! I appreciate your sensitivity to the audience and the warning labels. Keep doing what you do! Negardless of it all!

[@squeethemog213]

Commenting to support even before I watched the episode! :D Edit: That was hilarious 😂 Take your time with Trigun man. It'll be worth the wait 😃

[@skorn8112]

Im really looking forward to that new retrospective on Trigun.

[@retroanimemike]

Well that went deeper than I expected! Good show, Sage. We need more straight guy talking about yaoi for sure.

[@ladysorka]

I am sad to say that I recognize that corn clip not because of the meme, but because I actually saw Boku no Sexual Harassment at a room party at a con 20-odd years ago. I'm not proud.

[@ToHoldNothing]

Boku no SExual Harassment...*snort* I may have heard the actual title, but where is that AMV Hell 0 clip from? I've seen it, but it's been a while for AMVs in general

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"This do anything for you?" Nothing does anything for me.

[@thanetothefalseking332]

Just engagin’ with the content here, Barnes.

[@daltonanderson3718]

Thank God Sentai Filmworks pulled themselves up and figured they could license better LGBTQ anime better than this.

[@DAsrada]

8:13: Ehh. He's got good pectoral tone kinda, and broad shoulders, but there isn't much detail. Not much tone in the shoulders, arms. I'm bi and this just...does nothing for me.

[@serenityjoy1872]

29:15 your explanation plus how the voice actor delivered that line was accidentally the funniest line. 😂😂😂

[@Arachnes_Corner]

Thanks for the new manga/anime recommendations, Bennett. Your taste is reliably good. 😁

[@neonnwave1]

Man, it's been nearly 20 years since I've seen Kimera. Well, actually, I only saw the first few minutes of Kimera and when I found out it was a yaoi, I noped out. I was definitely not the target audience. If it's this bad, I'm glad I jumped ship. Keep up the good work, Sage.

[@Happyday-ps7wy]

Great review as all ways man keep it up

[@jayhollow2936]

Thank you for finally reviewing KIMERA. One of my personal favorites! It's strange but it's my kind of strange. I even have it on DVD!

[@StillTheVoid]

Gay Space Vampires??? Uhh...mmm...nah. But hey Berserk is now remastered on Blu-ray 😁

[@artistofcybertron]

You are correct about SA being a horrible trope throughout the genre is improving as there are more and more titles that dont rely on that. And that it does still has a long way to go.

[@ToHoldNothing]

Honestly, for every good attempt at trying to address the subject, there are still plenty of series that use it for shock value. Redo of Healer comes to mind, I haven't watched it. But I definitely recall the first episode of Goblin Slayer

[@KaoticReach1999]

Yea I'm glad the worse things like murder are being addressed too and not relied on in fiction...oh wait

[@Serendipity-Infinite]

(Gasp!) You brought up Kaze to ki no uta! ❤ I know it hasn't been released in the states, but it *was* released in Italy and was given an Italian dub. What are the chances of this one getting a review in the future?? Also, thank you for your hard work and informative videos as always! ❤

[@alessandrobaggi6129]

Never heard of it, so i searched it up. As an italian i must warn you that they probably butchered it in dub, especially if it came out in the '90s as you said. If a manga was published here in Italy, it was probably more faithful.

[@Serendipity-Infinite]

@@alessandrobaggi6129 Oh?? 🤔 That's unusual. I can understand wanting to censor it, but why would the manga be faithful while the dub would be butchered? Is there a stricter standard for movies in Italy or something?

[@MforMovesets]

Other examples of Boku in anime? Does it happen to include A CAR AND THEN I SAID YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?

[@lizawithazed]

"I'm sure you can find other examples of Boku in anime..." oh you DIDN'T

[@vgtrp]

In Sailor Moon's case, it was marketed towards a younger audience, and having gay characters in a kids' show wasn't allowed at the time. And outside some awkward images, it didn't alter the story that much. With Kimera, I think changing the gender was a mistake and does affect what the story was trying to tell.

[@neorock7491]

As a reminder, horror stories flourished and thrived especially in manga magazines for girls in Japan.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

That beeping on "Behold! CORN!" clip sounds just like my microwave. I was like "Oh, my food is done. Wait a second, I didn't cook anything . . ."

[@joeywebster2425]

I am glad to see you finally got to this anime. I saw it years ago for free on KZbin.

[@srjd8158]

Good to have you back sage. A fun video as always

[@goddessofanguish]

I'm annoyed I wasn't informed of this new video when it came out and had to search your channel to see if you uploaded anything new, cos its really good! Love how a random, really bad OVA can develop into a thoughtful look into history of SA in romance. Also AMV Hell 0...thats a blast from the past

[@adamsaltus4152]

Hey man I been a fan of your videos for a long time thank you so much for videos please keep up with the awesome work and I will keep watching Man

[@colleen4ever]

I dunno if you heard the news but the anime of Uzumaki is finally finished and will debut this Sat/early Sun at 12:30 AM on Toonami!! An d may I say I can;t WAIT for it to show up on anime abandon!

[@alexanderyakubik2289]

Stepped back from your channel for a while, and when stick my foot back in I step in a well articulated pile of gay vampires..... years later, you still don't disappoint. Never change Bennett, never change.

[@Cunovak]

Fantastic review and honestly a nuanced take on the tropes that have been deeply established in the genre. It’s wild because Banana Fish was originally released in manga form in 1985 so it’s interesting to see the change in tropes and adaptations

[@nomnomnomgrata]

I adore the way a wacky dub makes any mid title leagues better. Makes me wonder how much good, high quality cringè we have lost due to some obscure anime only having subbed versions

[@dementedcheesepuff99]

AAAAA so stoked to hear you’re going back to trigun!!! If you ever need I have a full transcript of last years studio orange panel, including Watanabe’s summary of the plant lore they hashed out Nightow from Otakon 2023. Can’t wait to see you return to one of my favorite manga of all time

[@CornishCreamtea07]

I can't recall what the video was called, but I saw something about the social customs around dating for Geishas. Part of it included what we would call today sexual assault, where the man would force himself onto the woman, and she would rebuff his advancements, regardless of how she felt towards him. Like a kind of role play.

[@Official930Studios]

Found this anime from the library. Bought it and watched it...once. it's been several years

[@PleasantlyLee]

Glad to see you again Bennett.

[@tyrongkojy]

Kinda surprised the next episode wasn't something about Toriyama.

[@sw0rdf1sh2326]

Man, Trigun is an anime old enough to be worthy of a nostalgic lookback now? Fuck...I feel old

[@ramonantoniodejuanbennett6239]

I know the feeling. I'm 45. Both Bastard!!! And Trigun got new remakes. 😂

[@donovancane2422]

I'm commenting to support a channel I've been watching since the 3rd Anime Abandon

[@kyoneko87]

Wow, I haven't seen you for awhile. And yeah, Kimera seems like a horrendous example of omegaverse, which I tend to stay away from... I love that you review all these older anime for us

[@RichardWatt]

Weird thdt KZbin doesn't like the topics Bennett's talking about here considering how much they protected James Charles...

[@guilhermecaron8468]

Great work Sage! Been following for over 10 years, and you never disappoint!

[@shizuwolf]

So it’s the vampire version of “Species”?

[@buddsbuddha]

Just noticed this got uploaded. Hell yeah I'm upvoting

[@Swindle1984]

Oh hey, AMV Hell references.

[@alsinakiria]

Gay space vampires? Not a sentence I've heard before

[@DrakeossDragoon]

God I actually remember this one. I was young way to young to understand what little of this movie tries to make sense but it was back in the days of hunting around the bottom back shelf of the local video store to find ANY anime to watch. Seeing this brings it all flooding back and yeah I'm glad it wasn't just my young mind being to young to understand that made this one confusing. It was and still is a jumbled mess but I don't know if it makes it worse or better that as you said some parts are animated well, to well for something like this. Thanks for bringing this one out of the depths of my locked away memories and conferming it wasn't just me that was confused as heck about this one lol

[@epicrauko]

HELP THE CORN GAG TOOK ME OUT MORE THAN ANY AQHF REFERENCE EVER HAS

[@GameBusterInc]

I love your more serious content, but it's always nice to see you tearing old schlock a new one

[@raze667]

One of the select few works to actually end up at my home for a viewing during the 90s via blockbuster.

[@elizabethcarlson750]

I love learning about new to me anime even if the story is confusing 😊

[@ShadowRune]

Well if there was any episode I make sure to watch it will definitely be this one, always nice to see you sage