Is there a place that makes you nostalgic? Well, for me, there are a lot… and some of them I can explain why I feel that way towards them. However, some are just like a mystery—I just felt like it because that’s what I really felt, no extensive explanations nor memories at all, and it kinda felt weird. Speaking of weird, I've just finished watching the anime that left me feeling strange and nostalgic. I’ve marinated it for months because I wanted to binge-watch it later. I thought it would be like the mature love stories that I’ve already watched before, but when I started watching it, I was caught off guard. It wasn’t a josei at all, for with all the mystery and sci-fi stuff in it, its plot was more like seinen, and yes, it indeed is when I checked its demographic later. And that’s why, before I share with you my review on it, let’s first get to know a little about the city where it happened—a city where summer never ends, and the romance that blossomed in that certain strange summer.
About the Anime
Kowloon Generic Romance is a seinen anime that first aired this year, April 5 up until June 28. This 13 episode-long mystery romance anime was animated by Arvo Animation and was based on the shounen manga written and illustrated by Jun Mayuzuki. Upon knowing that it was based on the manga written by her, I was immediately filled with hope that this would be a nice anime. I already watched her After the Rain and it really left a nice impression of the way she writes her character and story. So, I started this anime last Saturday with just the hope that I’ll enjoy it like I did with her prior work. And since I have no idea what it will be all about—only expectations—like I mentioned, the first episode somewhat caught me off guard. Why? Read further if you want to know and get some spoilers.
Like most anime, it all started with the introduction of the main character, who happened to be an office worker, Kujirai Reiko. Yet unlike the usual love story, where characters immediately get interested the very first time they meet, theirs seems like a slow burn and unusual. And what adds to the unusualness is the city they lived in—the Second Kowloon Walled City. It is nostalgic in every way, with flickering lights, a busy marketplace, lively people, and the noisy chirping cicadas. But now and then, new things creep inside that nostalgic city, and those new things are the ones that Kudo Hajime didn’t like. Despite the fact that Kujirai Reiko never confessed her hidden affection for her coworker Kudo, she was still content interacting with him daily.
However, a seemingly harmless prank changes it all because, along with that prank, the half-asleep Kudo suddenly kissed her, yet after he realized what he had done, he pushed her immediately. With the excuse of mistaking her for someone else, Kudo left her behind, baffled and flustered with the sudden advancement of her once one-sided love. The curious Kujirai was then drawn into people and events that were new to her, and before she could realize, she’s now seeing the side of Kudo she’d never seen before. The reason behind his fondness for the nostalgia that Kowloon gives and his apparent dislike for new things, little by little, they started to make sense to her. But it’s not only him that she gets to know more because, along with the discoveries of that side of him, she also discovers strange things about herself. Things that would question her existence—the very life she thought she owned.
Are you confused? Or just curious? Well, I felt both while I was watching this anime. At first, I’m at a loss as to what is happening because it seems that the story started already, and I just happened to watch part of it where everything gets interesting and fast-paced. Honestly, I’m partly wrong because, despite that, it gets interesting and intriguing in each episode, but the fast-paced parts seemed left out. The first twelve episodes were somewhat slow for me; I mean, it felt like it was teasing my ignorance of what would happen. And it’s effective because despite that it unravels the story in a slow manner (plus there are subplots that I don’t think are that necessary to the romance of the main characters), I still felt compelled to watch it until the end to fully grasp what’s really the mystery beyond their unusual romance.
As for the characters, again, I wasn’t disappointed with how Jun-sensei wrote them. Even the supporting ones have depth in them and also backstories that can somewhat resonate with me and also with other viewers. It’s like that they aren’t just there because the story needs other characters to fill in the background, rather, they are there because their lives are connected to the main characters. They could have their own stories and somehow, I saw a peek of them all throughout this anime. I don’t know if they’re that relevant to the progression of main characters’ romance, but they are relevant in order for me to understand them more. Their actions are the mirror of what they are, that’s why I’m kinda grateful that this anime somehow shared their background stories, because through that I can better understand why they reacted and acted that way.
Enough of the supporting characters, the visuals were one of the things I enjoyed while watching this anime. When I finished watching it, I tried to compare its art style in manga to the ones they use in anime, and they indeed look similar. The way their art style looks like retro and modern at the same time was one of the reasons why I decided to definitely watch it. Although not all the time, the movements of their characters were fluid—I can’t help but praise some details that they really animate well—the gold fish, for example, looks mesmerizing. Also, I like how they’re able to emulate the nostalgic vibes in Kowloon…from the rundown like apartments to the bustling marketplace—even I, who have never been to Kowloon, felt the nostalgia in details like those.
Further, I just discovered after watching this anime that there’s really a real-life Kowloon Walled City. I thought it was just a fictional name of a place made by Jun-sensei, but when my curiosity got piqued with the seemingly familiar setting, I looked it up and found out it’s indeed a real city that also got demolished in 1994, and knowing that added more to the resonance I felt while watching this anime. Anyway so much for that, to sum up my entire experience, I can say that I enjoyed the majority of the hours I spent watching this anime. Of course, I can’t deny that there are parts that felt dragging, yet for me, it’s always its mystery that propels me to watch the next episode.
Although I can’t confidently say that I accurately understand the answers to my question in the earlier episodes, the way it ended is something that left a nice feeling, as well as a message to me. It’s heartwarming and hopeful, so if you want to watch an anime with a yaoi subplot, nostalgia-inducing sceneries, and an unusual mix of genres, then you definitely need to try watching Kowloon Generic Romance—for although it has generic on its title, its romance is definitely far from the generic ones.
And before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you seen this anime already? Or you still haven't yet? Well, if you have something to share, then feel free to comment below. And that would be all for now, minna-san~ I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne!
The pictures that didn't have a source were screenshots from the anime.