Kowloon Generic Romance

Episode 3

“Rooms are supposed to be a reflection of the person who lives there,” says Kudo in a succinct encapsulation of this episode's themes. As realtors, Kudo and Kujirai help clients find their ideal homes, like cute little Xiaohei, desperate to find an apartment with enough storage to store her enormous clothing collection, no matter if it squeezes out her living space. Or creepy plastic surgeon Miyuki Hebinuma, who uses the excuse of seeking new medical clinic premises to get closer to Kujirai at her workplace. What is it with this poor woman and non-consensual kisses? In episode one, a sleepy Kudo planted a lingering wet one on her lips, but this time, Hebinuma shoves his abnormally lengthy forked tongue down her throat, much to her horror (and Kudo's brain appears to crash at the sight too.) Did the animation need to focus so much detail on his moist, wriggling appendage? Probably not, but it certainly accentuated the entire situation's deep wrongness. Dr Miyuki Hebinuma gives off nothing but red flags, though more on him later.

We see a further flashback from Kudo's past, once again to his first week in Kowloon, where Kujirai B plays the “senpai” role to her new, green recruit. Interestingly, she's portrayed by a different voice actress than Kujirai A, so in addition to her distinctive makeup and attitude, her voice sounds deeper and more mature. When a nervous Kudo is invited into her small one-room apartment for the first time, he notes the absence of plush toys, the cool drinking water in her fridge, the arrangement of toiletries in her bathroom, and the way she sits and smokes outside on her balcony. That the scene is filtered through a blurry lens adds to the sensation of nostalgia, of hazy memory.

Compare that to the equivalent present-day scenes where Kujirai A and Kudo's roles are reversed – he now takes the “senpai” role. When visiting her apartment, he finds that although some things are the same, such as the bathroom, she now has a Gene Terra plushie, and no cool water in the fridge. It's yet another reminder to him that she's not the woman he remembers. Despite her similarities, such as a shared love of smoking and watermelon, she has experiences Kujirai B never had, such as liking lemon chicken, and new social contacts.

This episode dials into the pervasive sense of eerie wrongness, whether it's Xiaohei muttering something about “never wanting to leave Kowloon last time” and forgetting it immediately, to Kudo finding unexpected dead ends in previously open passageways during his investigation into the missing barman, Gwen. Of note, the brief view we get of the current day outside world is of a more modern, post-Kowloon-demolition Hong Kong, and the coins Kujirai uses date from after the UK handed the province back to China in 1997. I'm sure the smartphones we see characters use never existed before Kowloon was demolished in 1994, either. It's not just Kujirai and her memories that are screwy here, it may be everything.

So that brings us back to Miyuki Hebinuma, who, it appears, isn't quite the man the press makes him out to be. His servants gossip about how he's rumored to be an illegitimate child adopted by his father after something happened to the “true” heir. He also appears to be in a gay sexual relationship with Gwen the barman… except this isn't the Gwen we met before. It seems Kujirai isn't the only person to have had two versions. This version of Gwen has been skulking around Kowloon in a mask at Hebinuma's request, investigating Kujirai (as has also an unnamed third party Hebinuma talks with on the phone.) When he playfully tugs on Hebinuma's loungewear, it falls downwards, revealing an extensive snake tattoo across his whole body. Is Hebinuma involved with organized crime somehow? The guy only gets more sketchy with each scene he appears in.

Poor Kujirai and Kudo's relationship takes a backward step after she buys him a sunflower to thank him for his help, only for its true meaning, “I only have eyes for you,” to freak him out, and he lets it die. Admitting to her, “I don't like you,” seems to be the final nail in the coffin that leaves her spiraling. Not only did New-Gwen tell her that Kujirai B “no longer exists in this world,” but confronting Kudo about his knowledge of her apparent former self seems all too much for her. Her sudden collapse perhaps suggests foul play on Hebinuma's part…?

This adaptation remains incredibly dense, with so many important scenes crammed into such a short time that the episode seems to reach its end impossibly quickly. Though episode three isn't quite as breathlessly paced as the first two, allowing some of the mirrored past/present scenes to elapse more naturally, I still feel something is lost compared to the far more relaxed paced manga. Despite that, I can't complain, as the show nails the central relationship and detailed characterization of the central couple. Their conflicting emotions and undeniable chemistry are masterfully communicated, and all of the important dialogue is given time to land. Overarching themes like the nature of nostalgia continue to develop, with the beautiful line “nostalgia is a feeling of wanting to lock something up in your heart” epitomizing the story's central philosophy.

For the first time, the wonderful ending song with its traditional Chinese musical motifs is accompanied by the ending sequence animation. With distorted images as seen from a goldfish-eye-view, this references a particularly clever manga chapter drawn entirely from the viewpoint of Kujirai A's goldfish “Success.” With so many wonderful details adapted like this, despite the relatively rushed pace, Kowloon Generic Romance's anime is killing it so far.

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Kowloon Generic Romance is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.