In a world where humans are designated as an endangered species by the dominant race of Chimeras, the propagation of mankind is managed by well-intentioned breeding programs. So it is in the case of a certain young human girl, who is raised in luxury and ease so that she may one day serve her role in the conservation of her kind―but when new feelings begin to bloom in the heart of the Chimera boy who works as her caretaker, the stage is set for an incident that will go down in history…

Liste Rouge has a story by and art by Hoku Tomose. English translation is done by John Neal and lettering by Chris Burgener. Published by Yen Press (July 28, 2026). Rated OT.

Content Warning: Implied child rape

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

At an undisclosed point in the future, humans are endangered. After an event called the “noir rain,” animals were melted and recombined into strange chimeras, and, in a reversal of typical fortunes, they hunted humans almost to extinction. Now there are only 10 humans left, and the chimeras are trying to breed with them to repopulate the species.

It only sounds sinister because we're human readers of this story. In practice, it's not much different from breeding programs for any endangered species that humans carry out, right down to the scheduled performances that captive humans are expected to put on for chimera audiences. It's just that the humans are kept in manor houses rather than zoos…and when you think about it, that, too, is merely the chimeras trying to approximate the humans' natural habitats.

As far as concepts go, this is a good one. In execution? It's not quite there yet, although I am very confident that it will get there. Creator Hoku Tomose says they wrote chapter 0 as a one-shot that was rejected, but it was eventually picked up after they posted it on social media, leading to the present serialization. You can tell this is their first series. Mostly that comes down to a bit of clumsiness in terms of storytelling; there are definite efforts made to link the rest of the book to chapter 0's characters and events (the main story picks up fifteen years after human Karen ran off with her chimera caretaker Mira), and Tomose has clearly thought about some of the deeper story elements, such as the possibility that Mira and Karen joined a group of wild humans living outside of chimera society. Probably the best piece of the story's world is the way that the chimeras carry out their human breeding program – they call it “marriage,” but what it really is is a live show of human consummation: fourteen-year-old Karen is expected to have sex with her thirty-five-year-old “husband” on stage as a “ceremony.” Only Mira seems to realize that this is both exploitative and frightening.

The main characters for most of the book, chimera Juli and his human charge Meria, haven't quite reached the point Mira and Karen get to in their singular chapter, but that just means that Tomose is taking the time to spin their story out. Between the mothlike designs of both Juli and Mira and the richly depicted world, this is a winner on the art front, and I suspect that once the story gets another volume behind it, this will be something to write home about.

Bolts
Rating:

This was a little messed up. As a resident furry writer for this guide, I was very excited to read Liste Rouge, a story set in a world where the chimera's takeover as the dominant species has reduced humanity to roughly 10 people. That just sounds like it's going to be full of social commentary that could feel interesting and inspired, right? Well, I was right, but oh my God, I did not expect it to get nearly as dark as it did. This is the type of story that really plays with the idea that humans don't treat other creatures well when you consider the idea of roles being reversed. I like how this book's style and tone for the first few pages feel so optimistic, but it's done in such a deceptive way.

A lot of the chimeras have these gorgeously inspired designs while talking with a sense of casualness and professionalism. I almost want to believe they genuinely want what's best for humanity, because you can tell they do. But then you pay attention to little things in the background or one-off comments that they say only to realize that they really view humans as less than themselves. They see preserving the human race like it's about preserving an endangered species, and they're trying to maintain that race in some of the most messed-up scenarios I have seen in quite some time. There is one image in this book that will haunt me for a while because it is the precursor to what is an extensive child rape scene, but I think that one frame also perfectly sums up the entire dark idea of this book.

At first, I thought each chapter would focus on a different person in society, but by the second chapter, the story makes it clear that there is an overarching narrative centered on helping these people escape. I also think it's interesting that the chimeras seem to identify with the humans, and those who are also very child-coded, which makes sense when you consider that all of the humans shown in this story are not older than teenagers. This is the kind of dark, disgusting story that I like, though. The twisted and morphed style of all of the creatures makes it seem like I'm watching humans interact with dark Looney Tunes characters, and while my stomach is twisting in knots over a lot of the implications or direct imagery that is shown, I want to see the better future that some of the characters in the story are fighting for. It's so messed up, but I think if you're a little twisted like me and can appreciate that social commentary, then this might be right up your alley.