KOWLOON GENERIC ROMANCE

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaKowloon Generic Romance

REVIEWS

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  Scheveningen

  60/100
  A show with a compelling premise, undermined by failing to unveil its mystery in a satisfying way or balance its tone

  Kowloon Generic Romance is a show that attempts to blend multiple genres, combining a quirky romance and a high concept sci-fi, New Weird mystery, but unfortunately ends up being meandering and unfocused with neither half coming remotely close to realising its full potential. This might be down to the way the series is pitched, describing the Kowloon setting as dystopian. This is certainly technically accurate, but it conjures the expectations of something more fraught, or at least more focused, than what plays out on screen. Instead, much of the tone and atmosphere within the show is not only feel good but also incredibly quirky. This often undercuts the intrigue and sinister elements of the mystery surrounding Kowloon, leaving it not even as an undertone, but often out of place with the two genres never forming into something cohesive. The mystery is executed with little fanfare despite taking up a significant amount of screen time, with most of the revelations being unceremoniously told to the characters. All while there is never a moment where things pivot in a way that fundamentally alters the status quo. The comfortable atmosphere does have the thematic purpose of highlighting the ostensible focus on the exploring nostalgia, regret and memory. However, the show never clearly signals the focus of its themes beyond that, relying mostly on vague allusions and obvious surface level metaphors that never do much direct or in-depth exploration. While there is still something compelling about the premise of this strange version of Kowloon, that is largely down to the inherent nature of high sci-fi concept stories rather than anything particularly strong with the execution. Much of that leaves Kowloon Generic Romance disappointingly lacklustre with much of its immense potential unrealised.

  Perhaps the most immediately striking thing about Kowloon Generic Romance is how unexpectedly comfortable and quirky is tone is, which often chafes against the other elements of the story. To the credit of the writer, the initial framing and atmosphere of the Kowloon Walled City is effective, creating the image of a charming and nostalgic place with its many anachronisms that makes for a well realised feel-good setting. Many of Kudo and Kujirai’s interactions also match this tone with their carefree and relaxed attitudes adding an undeniable spark to their relationship. Though this leaves the romance side of the narrative feeling like it ought to be set somewhere nostalgic but still conventional and mundane instead like Mong Kok. This unguarded, seemingly aimless following of their daily lives in what ought to be a dangerous Kowloon prompts the viewer to be suspicious. Or at least anticipate some inciting incident that places this rosy perception in tension with reality, if not threatening to shatter it entirely. Unfortunately, this supposed incongruity that seems like a signal to the audience never goes anywhere to create a moment where the show pivots to confronting its supposedly sinister undertones. This quirky and exaggerated tone is simply the way the show was written, or at least how the adaptation interpreted it.

  Of course, there are scenes where the tone and atmosphere does turn serious, but these are far fewer than expected and are often quickly undercut by an almost immediate pivot back to a quirky, almost flippant tone. The precludes the show from building up any tension that would provide a sense of momentum or gravitas for the narrative. It is not that this feel-good style of writing lacks its charms, but that it feels overwhelmingly at odds with the New Weird style premise. This tonal dissonance contributes in no small part to the show initially feeling aimless since the first few episodes are spent without any indicator of how far this feel-good tone is meant to be played straight. Even if the viewer were to embrace this tone as simply the nature of the show, it leaves the many scenes that focus on the mystery and machinations feel like a tangential plot element that does little for the character drama playing out. There is definitely a way to write it such that the transition between each narrative objective is far more seamless, but it likely requires one to be subordinate to the other; either using the quirky levity of the romance as small reprieves from an oppressive and fraught setting, or having the mystery come up only sparingly while truly committing to those moments being deeply sinister and paradigm shifting for the characters. As it stands, attempting to have them both share a relatively equal amount of screen time is creating a huge amount of dissonance, particularly in the tone of the show.

  Much of the mystery surrounding the nature of Kowloon is further undermined by the characters not taking particularly active roles in attempting to discover the truth or even probing around for it. The narrative opts to drip feed this information by having certain characters outright and unceremoniously tell it to others or the viewers, essentially delivering exposition when it is convenient for the plot. Beyond being incredibly on the nose, it sucks much of the intrigue out of the story and what ought to be significant revelations are not utilized as the result of or opportunities for powerful character moments. While this might be a serviceable narrative decision to make some character or thematic point by having them be relatively passive, much of the writing to justify it seldom feels convincing. The characters often receive what ought to be paradigm shifting or at least deeply unnerving information about the nature of Kowloon yet almost never press for more, as would be expected. Alternatively, they neither respond with a convincingly level of fear or trepidation, as if they are about to learn Lovecraftian forbidden knowledge that is impossible to undo, which might justify their reluctance to probe further. Instead, most of the revelatory scenes are not given much time to linger, often creating a sense of tonal whiplash with how the characters almost instantly revert back to playful and flippant mannerisms. This gives the frequent impression of blatant attempts to cut the flow of information because it is all the writer wants revealed at the moment, as opposed to it being convincingly limited due to the internal logic of the narrative or because of some character impasse.

  In fact, a majority of the cast is already privy to some degree of knowledge on the real nature of Kowloon or are at least aware that something is amiss. Yet knowledge of this is often concealed from the audience despite the show frequently, and sometimes quite intimately following their perspective. While this storytelling choice is still serviceable, the characters are often not written subtlety or precisely enough to convey that they are merely playing along or making certain decisions because they know more than are letting on. This does improve as the season goes along, but given how clumsy it is with conveying the mystery, it is hard to then to expect the audience to see a great deal of finesse or deliberateness that warrants closer inspection to fully appreciate. To be sure, there are a handful of scenes that succeed in a more compelling or subtle display of characterisation with some particularly effective sound design and background music. Though many of these often end up making relatively surface level points, that are then either wasted by having follow up scenes simply spell out the characters intentions, or are not effectively used to launch into a more complex exploration. All this serves to contribute to the meandering or even jerky flow of the show since the frequent instances of the mystery being brought up seem all to be arbitrarily decided at the whims of the writer. To their credit, the rate at which information is revealed and the order in which certain details become know is well thought out. But the way it is delivered, and the frequent tonal undercutting, is just too much for good technical pacing alone to overcome. Instead of forming the backbone or undercurrent of the story, the questions surrounding the nature of Kowloon are left feeling like tedious “lore” that is told for the sake of mediocre intrigue or at best to aid in a clumsy metaphor.

  The mystery itself is ultimately only compelling in concept, tapping more into that primal itch of viewers wanting to know the answer instead of the nature of Kowloon making a particularly powerful thematic point. It is difficult to discuss without at least alluding to potential spoilers, but to attempt to illustrate the mystery indirectly, it is definitely in the aesthetic and thematic vein of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, 1Q84, or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, to name a few possible comparisons that are not necessarily flawless stories themselves either. This is not meant to demean Kowloon Generic Romance as being derivative, more so to point out that the very nature of having this sort of metaphysical and surreal mystery is an inherently powerful hook. However, whether the nature of Kowloon is ultimately revealed to be something similar to The Matrix as some kind of mental projection or memory construct, or something closer to magical realism given the pepperings of Feng Shui brought up, it scarcely seems to matter on the thematic side. There is the obvious connection to nostalgia and memory at play, but Kowloon is such an obvious symbol for returning or being trapped in the past that it is hard to praise on its own. Kowloon clearly has the potential to be a powerful metaphor, which can also be deployed in a very literal manner given the sci-fi nature of the story, but there is simply little artistry in the directing or writing as it stands to make it compelling or give it any depth. The mystery feels like it exists for the sake of it instead of being a complex externalised symbol, all while lacking impact in its execution.

  At this juncture, Kowloon is utilized more as the setting for a serialised, indefinite story. Yet the entire set up for this version of Kowloon has been one that demands a tighter, more finite narrative since there is a substantial and consequential mystery built around it. Or at least that is how the pacing of the show and the way its screen time is divided between narrative priorities has made it seem. The premise is designed, or at least predisposed, to having the city as a character that interacts with the cast and drives the narrative instead of just being where the plot happens to occur. This all begs the question of if the story could be equally or better served by just being a straight up period drama without the expectations surrounding its sci-fi and New Weird elements. Many of the themes like nostalgia, memory, identity and loss could be explored in a mundane setting, such as having the story take place during the lead up to the real Kowloon Walled City’s demolition in the 90s. It serves general the same purposes as a catalyst for the characters to reflect on their lives and for the usually dangerous city to somewhat mellow out in the twilight of it all. Instead of using the fantastical to engineer a scenario to explore the characters, Kujirai could simply be an amnesiac, among other ways to tweak things for a more mundane setting. If anything, this might even improve the themes of the show by forcing more subtle metaphors and character work while also not having to expend narrative resources on the nuts and bolts of the sci-fi mystery. This hypothetical version of the story is not meant to criticise the show’s genre choices since such a drastic change would be unfair and functionally asking Kowloon to be something it is not. Rather it is meant to highlight how the sci-fi mystery is not adding as much to the narrative as it ought to, being at this juncture a rather clumsy metaphor that only really brings intrigue for the sake of it to the story.

  This leaves the characters to carry the narrative, which is again made difficult by the tone they are largely written in relative to the setting. It is hard to find much of the cast, their motivations, or their plight compelling when the setting has a distinct lack of gravity to it. Perhaps this could be manageable, or even appropriate and endearing, if the series was predominantly interpersonal character scenes, but the mystery comes up so frequently that sustaining this tone throughout feels inappropriate. Of course, the relationship between Kujirai and Kudo has more nuance to it, owing to the sheer amount of early screen time they receive, giving space for scenes of both levity and seriousness. But much of their relationship feels like it is barely shaped by the sci-fi elements beyond it being used to establish the premise for it. They spend a majority of the time talking around the mystery and the ramifications it has for their relationship instead of taking time to explore it or reflect how it changes the nature of their feelings and where to go from there. What discussions we do get, such as the scenes between Kujirai and Youmei, is often only scratching the surface of the potential complexity, all while the flippant tone and brisk way these issues are talked through make it feel significantly less impactful. There are still some compelling character moments, particularly in the scenes where Kudo is brooding and trying to move on from the past, which succeed in showing more than telling, but these are few and far between. The remainder of the cast certainly have the foundations for interesting arcs, but much like Kudo and Kujirai’s relationship, it has taken the show a significant amount of time to only really explore the surface elements of what makes them tick before it resorts to telling the viewer a significant amount about them to quickly close off their arc.

  The show has simply been incredibly slow to develop its characters. It is either satisfied with this very basic level of depth relative to how far along the story is, or more charitably is suffering from the inefficiency of how the time dedicated to exploring the mystery does little for the characters. This could be a result of adaptational failures that lost some kind of magic in the manga’s tone and pacing, or the structure of the story precluding it neatly fitting into a season of anime. Yet it is hard to overlook how this situation has been brought about by multiple issues in different parts of show all compounding it each other. At times the show can be waxing poetically about its themes, to the point of being coy about what is already obvious and ought to be discussed directly, only for it to then give hamfisted exposition about its mystery that precludes any interesting scenes or character responses; which is all undermined with its pivot back to a quirky and facetious tone. Any of these elements could be solid if they were the primary focus of the narrative, but they not only feel like they operate in isolation from each other, but are frequently in tension or outright undermine different parts of the narrative. No amount of adjusting viewer expectations away from a focused New Weird dystopian mystery to a meandering slice of life would have helped given the show ultimately wants to do both but lacks the writing, run time or narrative structure to make it cohesive.

  Overall, despite being able to see a compelling vision for Kowloon Generic Romance, its parts fail to come together into something cohesive. The romance, the sci-fi mystery and the quirky everyday life of Kowloon all attempt to pull the show in different directions given how they are weighted relatively equally by the narrative. Perhaps the manga has a better handle on this balance given it is a longer form medium, or the adaptation might be forced into being only a season long despite its story calling for more episodes. But even if that is the case, it is still not bringing out the best in its source material or realising its vision for the story. The show does pick up towards the end, but it is often a function of merely tackling plot or character points that have been fairly obvious and could have been broached earlier. This also leaves the mystery feeling distinctly derivative because of how much repeated emphasis is placed on it over the course of the show, only for the answers given not to be all that conceptually or thematically interesting for anyone who has watched things with a similar premise. The way the mystery is delivered is simply unsatisfying and the amount of support it provides the characters is insufficient to justify the amount of time spent. It is then hard to give Kowloon Generic Romance more than a 6 out of 10, perhaps going even lower if one takes into account the obvious squandered potential this entire premise has. Maybe the manga does have the brilliance to execute its premise to its full potential, but it is hard to give an adaptation extra points simply because it basks in the afterglow of its source material.

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• 

  marioink508

  72/100
  Why KOWLOON’s Overstuffed Plot Sinks Its Brilliant Characters

  _This review contains __HEAVY SPOILERS__ for __KOWLOON GENERIC ROMANCE__._ ‎‎ [__Why KOWLOON’s Overstuffed Plot Sinks Its Brilliant Characters__](https://anilist.co/user/marioink508/) __KOWLOON packs so much plot into every episode that its standout characters end up drowning in the narrative tide__ — _yet the few moments of genuine connection still sparkle beneath the chaos._ --- ‎‎ [__Story - 5.5/10__](https://anilist.co/user/marioink508/) ‎‎ 'KOWLOON' has been one of the worst experiences I've had with the mystery genre... Most of the issues arise in the first half of the series with some of them staying for the whole series while others get progressively better as the narrative unfolds. First off, this series is supposed to be a romance, even if the main story of the series is this really convoluted mystery. The romance side of things only holds true for a quarter of the season, with some slight hints from time to time later on, which I did not appreciate. The romance in the initial episodes was genuinely great, the dynamics were good and it felt realistic and very grounded, and it stayed that way even when it became overshadowed by the mystery plotline. But having it be so overshadowed that in the second half you barely see any signs of romance was a poor choice. I would mostly fault the pacing for this, it was really fast and disorienting... even in the sci-fi mystery, there were a lot of elements that felt heavily forgotten or even unexplained. And that goes right into my second issue... the convoluted narrative around the mystery plotline. Following a incredibly fast-paced adaptation, there were many elements that in the starting episodes felt completely foreign, with facts about them being left unexplained for more than half a season. All of those were connected to the overly complex sci-fi style of this series... I feel like it really tried to build a good sci-fi universe, yet it overcomplicated a lot of stuff... There are moments when they unveil something from the past that wasn't explained making for the story to start and shape up, yet not even an episode later you are thrown for a loop by having exception to the rules being applied, making for a really confusing story. Also, this series just follows way to many characters... that, combined with the complexion of the story, that is not even well executed, cause a multitude of problems when you actually try to piece stuff together and try to enjoy this series. My main problem here is that, the base story is not even bad, towards the end, whenever you are actually able to make sense of everything, it is rewarding and you do realize that there are a lot of elements that do make sense and actually have meaning, even if for the weird rule exceptions or other narrative choices that don't make sense... the story is good, so that's why I'm genuinely disappointed in how poorly this was executed for more than half the season. This series is also a catfish, or so I felt like it was... It draws you in with great romance and really nice animation for episode one, even having some slight mystery added, not much but there... and then you are thrown into episode two, where visual quality drops significantly, the mystery plot already starts to shape in bad ways, the romance still stays strong here though... that only falls half way through. ‎‎ #####_Episode 5_

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  One thing I found really well executed in this series though, was the concept of 'identity crisis'. This concept is easily the highlight of the show, being present in almost all characters realistically... some more than others. Our main example of identity crisis and personality disorder is Reiko, the build-up around those concepts is really well thought out and progressed... starting with just a personality disorder that slowly descends into a heavy identity crisis, it is truly amazing how well this is handled both narrative wise and connected to her character... It covers a lot of basis, getting progressively more and more in depth and creating an atmosphere around her that is truly frightening. The healing aspect is also really well progressed through all the madness around, showing strong character development and attitude. I did mention that she is not the only character experiencing this, that is true, almost all of the characters in this series experience this, more or less depending on their coping mechanisms... Reiko is by far the most in depth and heavily plot related, but Youmei is also a well covered character, as well as Xiaohei, although he is covered less due to his late appearance and reveals.
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  Episode 2

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  Characters - 8/10
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  For me the characters kind off resembled the narrative in a way... some started really poorly and annoying, but became more relevant, acceptable or even outstanding the more the cloud of confusion around the plot faded. In this boat I would put characters like Miyuki, which firstly I found completely horrible in terms of personality and just felt like an awkward character around the beginning... but later on with more stuff uncovered from both their backstory and their thought process, they became a lot more grounded, less awkward, quite an intelligent character with a heavy background. I still found the choices of following him throughout the story somewhat unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, but he did also add some value even for my dislike in the approach around his narrative value. Tao is one of the characters that to me had way more impact than I would've expected him to have, his reasoning is pretty mediocre which made me assume he would have a lot less relevance, yet he managed to have quite a great amount of implications around the whole series even for his oddly basic existence.

  Yulong, is by far one of the weirdest appearances in this series, be that the overly weird introduction that he had, where I felt like he was a weird character that was designed to have a quirk just so he can be remembered in the story, or be that the actual depth this guy had, the intelligence and influence across the board. He did lose his quirk pretty fast, which I feel like was the best choice, but why even have it at all... Xiaohei, was one of the more intriguing takes... both of them. The whole narrative around Xiaohei was really interesting and tackled the concept of identity crisis in a different way than we get to see with both Reiko and Youmei. Their arc was really short yet managed to capture this concept really well, in their story there is also present one of the previously stated 'exception' in the rules, which did take from the value of their arc, yet it still felt well covered and nicely spaced in the story, being towards the end also helped it not being overshadowed and lost in the confusion from the early writing.
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  Episode 11

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  The main cast for this series is really well done from a character development standpoint, both Reiko and Youmei are constantly covered across the narrative, making for some rewarding progression and characters that are even from a base interesting enough to capture your attention. My main point towards both of this characters is the identity crisis element, but even outside of that, the thought process and overall self discovery that both of them go through is impressive... Youmei's background is quite dramatic and builds well combined with the world-building elements which was great... her being bound by regret and how that plays out really elevates her character. Kudou was probably the least covered the whole series, outside of the ending episodes, which I will say made sense in the overarching plot, but felt somewhat vague, which I did not like that much, a lot of what he does and everything around him is covered in fog, making him a difficult character to analyze. Also, his development across the majority of the series is stale, an element that builds on the narrative as well, but it just feels way too boring, making for a underwhelming character.
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  Episode 5

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  Visuals - 8/10
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  Visually the series is inspired by older anime styles, having character designs reminiscent of late 90s early 2000s, good animation and pretty well detailed environment and world-building in general. My biggest issue with the animation was the clickbait type performance the series pulled in the first episode, showcasing really outstanding visuals, that ultimately were really lowered for the whole rest of the series, and while I still find the series great overall in animation, it felt in poor taste to showcase that level of animation knowing it wouldn’t be maintained throughout... and, I don't even feel like it would've been that hard of a thing to do, by that I mean the visually stunning lighting and details whenever a relevant moment happened... it wasn't even like a permanent thing, it was a moment specific style that could've really elevated other moments in the series.
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  Episode 1

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  Closing Notes
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  Overall, this series has a great premise and a really rewarding late second half, but it does fumble horribly in the execution for the majority of the time, which is a real issue. We have a casting of characters that is really impressively written in general, even with their bad moments, they easily outshine the more the plot unveils and makes sense... The pacing of this series ruins those characters as well as the decently well written sci-fi mystery element of this series. Outside of that we also have the poor choices of overshadowing the romance of this series which bring a really great dynamic and a beautifully realistic approach. I honestly feel like if this wasn't rushed and followed maybe two / three seasons, I would've been an amazing series, that, and keeping the romance alive... I can't stress enough how well the romance was done, and what potential it had... I'm really disappointed with how this series was executed, it had a lot of promise and fumbled over pacing...
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  Enjoyment Level - 7.3/10
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  Favorite Characters - Reiko Kujirai & Youmei
  Favorite Episode - Episode 1

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• 

  melamuna

  50/100
  An Anime with Vibes & Identity Crisis

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  In the sea of romance animes that are littered in high school settings, and the same-old shenanigans adolescence has brought up a thousand times in same-y romance shows. Not to say that there's something wrong with it, but some audiences crave for something new and a brand new perspective—particularly dominated in the certain age group of the adult scene, and it is refreshing to have a series that tackles the adult perspective of romance. We've seen them in previous works along the years, and In the previous season (Winter 2025), we've seen the anime “I Have Crush at Work” which tackles the adult romance in a more cute-sy vibe. But in this one, Kowloon Generic Romance takes a step further in incorporating a unique setting in its storytelling—behind the walls of Kowloon Walled City. ***

  Kowloon Walled City is one of the most fascinating used-to-be standing locations in history. Enclosed with tight-knit walls with narrow hallways, everything and anything that can happen with so-called fictions can be possible within the city that's invisible from the eyes of the people outside. We follow our main character Reiko Kujirai (Haruka Shiraishi) who's the anchor of anomalies this city had presented to us, particularly with her certain characteristic (in which the show revolves its overall plot), along with Hajime Kudou (Tomokazu Sugita) whose odd yet sweet romantic moments with Reiko gave us something to root for. Their romance deviated away from its typical “will they, won't they?” scheme, by giving us fragments of their past memories, whilst also building brand new moments that traverses their (re) building relationship inside the anomalies of the walled city.

  If that's what the series is entirely about, i would have already been on board with its mystery-esque, nonlinear structure, yet the anime does not shy away from the potentials in plotlines in the world it's set in, hence, introducing many characters with multiple character journeys such as Miyuki Hebinuma (Ryoutarou Okiayu) who has an unpredictable way of conveying his thoughts and plans, and many more characters—adding dense stories inside a dense city. On paper, this should have been a captivatingly dense series, but it doesn't work for me for most of the time.

  The start of the series alone is captivating in of itself as we only focus on our two lead characters and their circumstances, but once you start introducing other characters in the story with their own motivations, it becomes way too convoluted with threads that are poorly woven—some none at all. It's like watching two animes inside a season simultaneously, with each plotline feeling drastically different from each other—only connected by a thin thread that is set inside the city and its anomalies. Its interesting setting and plot is greatly overshadowed by having too many ideas presented, yet barely executing the potentials of their setups, resulting in a half-baked execution. Even the description of the series (Provided by Yen-Press) feels awfully vague, or rather, the series itself couldn't identify what it wants to be, and thus shoving in too many ideas, yet leaving everything tied up halfway. Nothing demonstrates as well as this series had in the confusion of what it tries to tell—as if it's having an identity crisis in of itself.

  Although, this can only apply for viewers (like me) who agonise in connecting the dots in every scene it's in, but that's not how the series presents itself anyways—along with the people who watched the series. Sometimes you just want to watch a show, and just sit through with it, and absorb the vibe and tone it emits. Although I couldn't shake off the feeling of its wasted potential of its rich premise. ***

  If you’re looking for an anime to play in the background or binge quickly, Kowloon Generic Romance is a passable choice. It offers slice-of-life elements in an unusual setting with an intriguing premise. However, don’t expect much beyond that—it ultimately feels confused about what it wants to be, leaving the viewer underwhelmed and puzzled by its lack of clear direction, and confused of what story it tries to convey. ***

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