Kowloon Generic Romance

Kowloon Generic Romance is an anime I highlighted as one to watch at the beginning of the series, and by and large I stand by my initial assessment of this mysterious romance set in the heart of the Kowloon Walled City. But not without a caveat or two. And man is it hard to talk about a mystery anime without giving too much away... Here goes!

To recap, Reiko Kujirai is an office worker at a Kowloon real-estate agent who manages properties alongside her co-worker Kudou, a stoic individual who seems interested (and protective) around Reiko but will become stand-offish at the oddest moments. We soon learn that the original Kowloon was destroyed, but that a select few can see this "new" Kowloon that sits under a mysterious object called Gene Terra.

We also learn that Reiko isn't who she thinks she is - she has no memory older than 6 months and it turns out that another Reiko Kujirai (dubbed Kujirai B) who looked identical to her died not long ago and was in a relationship with Kudou. Is she a clone? Or something else...

It's the mystery of Kowloon Generic Romance that drives the series forward - indeed, makes the series addictive - and it has the good sense to answer as many questions as it can, while leading to more questions. It has that appeal of Lost in its early seasons, each mystery debated at length with friends and colleagues, all of whom have a different idea of exactly what's going on.

The supporting cast are often more than meets the eye and their secrets move the mystery along

The series takes its retro setting seriously too, with Kowloon looking worn and foreboding, but also strangely idyllic. The streets are filled with people enjoying the cuisine and culture, seemingly unbothered by the world outside the city or interested in anything better than the rundown surroundings they thrive in - nothing like the criminal infested and dangerous nightmare it really was. Regardless, it's a fascinating setting and a wonderland for architecture nerds like me. Even the character designs are curiously 90's with their sharp features and spikey hair. In every sense, Kowloon Generic Romance feels like the good old days. Right down to the slightly stilted animation, but you can put that down to stylistic choice if you feel generous. However you look at it, spending time with this anime is enjoyable through atmosphere alone 

Being a series review, I have to take an overview of just how successful the mystery of Kowloon is - does the final reveal satisfy? Initially, the reveals were generally handled post-credits, where you'd get something completely off-kilter that would satisfy you, or lead you to doubt what you'd been watching, and it's really in the early stages that Kowloon is at its strongest. Sadly, the reveals do get weaker (or just daft) over time.

Don't get me wrong, there are some blinding twists in the story that really hit home, especially for the supporting cast. Reiko's mission to become her "absolute self" drives the central narrative, but seeing her friends like Yaomai overcome her own trauma and confront the reasons behind her own attraction to Kowloon are just as satisfying. Satisfying in a different way is famous doctor Miyuki's quest for revenge which takes a sad but satisfying turn toward the end.

Ultimately however I was left feeling short-changed by the ending, no matter how happy certain characters made me with their final outcomes. There are two reasons for this. 

Firstly, Kowloon likes to info-dump in later episodes rather than show, so you'll have two characters just talking in a corridor, with one dropping reality shattering reveals without ever actually showing us anything. It's frustrating because you want to see the characters discover these elements of the story, not just get told them in a random conversation because character A just felt like telling character B a thing for their own amusement. It feels a bit cheap, honestly, and the series deserves a lot better - I would have far rather endured the wait for a season 2 if it needed the time to relay these shocks.

Secondly, the series really starts to sag around the 8th episode, with the mystery becoming strangely more convoluted while also leaving less to uncover. What exactly is Reiko Kujirai? What is Gene Terra and how did it activate in the way that it did? No idea. You get hints, but largely it enters deux ex machina territory and you just have to go with it. Such vagary is fine if it accompanies something solid at the centre, but when the story relies on things making some sort of sense, you can't leave these fundamental concepts at the door.

On second viewing, it's fascinating to see how the context of many scenes are changed

By the final episode the series seemingly gets its mojo back - the cool visuals return with some great imaginative flourishes, the focus shifts from Reiko to Kudou and the mystery behind many events is unravelled (somewhat). By the final curtain we have an ending that feels heartfelt but, honestly, a bit unearned.

This is a story about moving on from grief and loss, and then completely flies in the face of the concept in the way it concludes. I could maybe guess why things end up the way they do, but nothing shown on screen would ultimately confirm it. 

Even so, I did enjoy the series. It had potential to be something incredible, but the clumsy final third fumbles the narrative and as such I don't feel satisfied. I felt the same with Gundam: Witch from Mercury, another show with a fantastic premise and a killer opening episode, ultimately flubbing its potential with magical elements and an ending that seemed, in many cases, unjust. In both cases I remain fond of the characters and the world they ultimately created, I just wish what had happened in that world had lead to something that felt logical - there's less satisfaction when trickier concepts are sidestepped with an "it just does" attitude.

In the end, it's worth a watch and you'll likely enjoy your time in Kowloon, but you may come away wishing that, like the city itself, there was more substance to it.