Kowloon Generic Romance

With its flickering streetlights, moldy back alleys, and noisy populace, the Second Kowloon Walled City, despite the squalor of its already-demolished predecessor, evokes a special kind of nostalgia that its residents find endearing. Amidst the walls of this fading yet beloved landscape lives Reiko Kujirai, a 32-year-old realtor deeply in love with her coworker, Hajime Kudou, who is two years her junior. Though they have their differences, the two get along well enough to experience the joys of the walled city together.

However, everything starts to fall apart when Kudou, half-asleep, suddenly kisses Kujirai—seemingly reciprocating the feelings she has yet to confess. But when Kudou explains that he had mistaken her for someone else, Kujirai finds herself drawn into a series of events that lead her to a past she cannot .

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kujirai, Reiko Main

Shiraishi, Haruka Japanese

Kudou, Hajime Main

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Yaomei ing

Koga, Aoi Japanese

Hebinuma, Miyuki ing

Okiayu, Ryoutarou Japanese

Gwen, Tao ing

Ban, Taito Japanese

Xiaohei ing

Saitou, Souma Japanese

Xiaohei ing

Suzushiro, Sayumi Japanese

Hebinuma, Father ing

Miki, Shinichiro Japanese

Wong ing

Nakano, Yutaka Japanese

Sean ing

Yanagita, Junichi Japanese

Hijikata, Makoto Producer

Karki, Rajeev Producer

Sueyoshi, Takamitsu Producer

Arisawa, Ryouya Producer

Reviews

Jun 11, 2025

Natsume_chan16

Recommended

Preliminary (7/13 eps)

Art work: The animation is top notch! There is no comparison! It doesn't try to be something else, it sticks to its originality. Th world building through art is very good. You understand that world even without being there, that is the power of great animation. Its also clean & beautiful keeping up with today's times.
Story: You might want to be patient with the story line as it is complex & goes back and forth in time. So keep notes of events! It gives you all context but also hides stuff so as to not give all away. It shows some places which feel similar ... to a mix of China & Japan.
Music: Surprisingly the music & sound engineering, background score is good! Music suits mystery anime vibes.
Characters: Each & every character is different! You feel invested in them. They all have a back story & you will at least find one character to relate with. Character design is also so prominent that you can distinguish everyone easily.
If I have to compare this anime as to how it feels while watching- it resembles X&Y chinese anime. The mystery and animation is similar! The chemistry between main leads is also same. If you want to watch something refreshing & mysterious with great animation & story that baffles you then choose this!

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jun 10, 2025

botagas

Recommended

Preliminary (10/13 eps)

I can confidently say that so far it has been interesting. I can't say how others feel about it, but for me, it has been giving quite a few mystery vibes. The many questions I've had over the course of this season were getting answered bit by bit, and I feel like that has contributed greatly to catching my attention and interest.

The characters are... interesting. They all develop to some extent, and they all discover something new to a certain degree, which allows them to grow in one way or another. Slowly discovering the secrets of the Second Walled City and how it operates ... has been intriguing, and how each character experiences it as well.

I think it is worth watching. It has an interesting plot and I feel like it leans more towards mystery than romance, at least from my experience. It raises some questions that the viewer wants to answer and allows the viewer to theorise many answers to those questions, which hooks you for more.

TL;DR
I believe it has potential due to how mysterious it is. It doesn't feel like the romance plays any significant part while watching, and in fact raises more questions than provides answers, at certain points. Thus, bringing you in for more interesting plot development.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jun 7, 2025

PanzerIV-J

Mixed Feelings

Informative

Preliminary (6/13 eps)

Great Visuals.
Good Characters.
Confusing Backstories.
Weird Vibe.

That’s how I’d describe Kowloon Generic Romance.

Let me be clear: this isn’t a bad anime—not at all. But it does feel like a collage of familiar ideas pulled from other shows. You've likely seen similar characters and dynamics before, placed into a vaguely dystopian, sci-fi romance structure. It’s presented with visuals reminiscent of late 80s to early 2000s anime, coated in what many might call a “retro-wave” aesthetic.

All that said I do not think this is perfect, nor do I think this in any way bad. But, I do believe that this has many problems that would stop people from enjoying ... it. Here's a list:
1. Pacing:
This anime moves slowly. Painfully slowly. Think Steins;Gate 0, but with even less urgency. There’s a quiet, methodical progression that doesn't exactly hook you or push you to hit “next episode.” While I can appreciate that it avoids obnoxious cliffhangers, the lack of momentum may turn viewers away early. You really need patience for this one.

2. Backstories:
This is probably done on purpose, but the backstories of the characters never are quite revealing, every time I saw a reveal I just thought "hmm, alright what is this supposed to overall lead to?", and the anime seems to do it to just reveal romantic moments between the characters in their past, which doesn't really mean much to the viewer overall since they don't exactly edge the plot on too much.

3. Vibe:
This show wants to capture a retro-futuristic mood, and for the most part, it does. But it’s... odd. Imagine a 1980s world where people use modern smartphones but still work on chunky CRT monitors. It’s a strange blend that can break immersion and create an uncanny tension between past and future. It's not bad, just dissonant.

Now onto the good:
1. Characters:
The characters are surprisingly grounded. Their beliefs and actions make sense, and they aren’t just trope boxes being ticked off. There's subtlety in their relationships—especially in the romance—that's refreshing compared to the over-the-top melodrama many other anime lean into. While it’s not completely devoid of exaggeration, it rarely slips into full-blown nonsense.

2. Visuals:
I personally don't really mind much on whether or not an anime has amazing visuals, but I know many others do, and I can say without a doubt that this has a "vapor-wave, or Retro-wave" aesthetic, even if I see some issues with it. This really does remind you of animes that came out a long time ago, and I believe a lot of people will be caught up in the faux-nostalgia that this generates from these visuals. I cannot seem to quite pin point where I feel these visuals were inspired from, but they certainly look great, and I am sure that they will look great in 20 years from now.

Whether or not you’ll enjoy Kowloon Generic Romance depends heavily on your patience—and your taste for dystopian, mature, sci-fi romance. If you’re not into those themes, or if the issues I’ve mentioned sound like deal-breakers, then this probably isn’t the show for you.

7/10, A visually beautiful, thought-provoking anime with notable flaws. Worth watching, but not for everyone.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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