is a one-shot Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written and illustrated by Shungiku Nakamura

Shungiku Nakamura

is a Japanese manga artist most famous for the boys love manga Junjo Romantica: Pure Romance.- Works :* Junjo Romantica: Pure Romance * Hybrid Child * Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi - References :...

; the creator of Junjou Romantica. It is licensed in North America by Digital Manga Publishing

Digital Manga Publishing

Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...

, which released the manga through its imprint, Juné, on August 16, 2006. An OVA adaptation of the manga is in the works.

Plot

The Hybrid Child is an amazing android that can grow if it is lavished with enough love and care from its owner. Neither fully machine nor fully human, the various Hybrid Child models develop strong emotional bonds with their owners. This volume contains several short stories of love, sacrifice, and drama: Young Kotaro learns the importance of responsibility when his Hybrid Child's lifespan runs out. The tragic swordsman Seya learns to love again with the help of his Hybrid child, Yuzu. The final tale tells the story of Kuroda, the creator of the Hybrid Child designs, and how his lost love inspired their creation.