Kowloon Generic Romance

Episode 6

Looks like my prediction last week was on the money. We get some flashbacks at the beginning of episode six, helping to flesh out Miyuki and Gwen's relationship, along with the all-important breakup scene. A heartbroken Gwen kissing and then biting Miyuki's tongue so hard it bleeds certainly is one way to ensure his former lover never forgets him. What's Miyuki's motivation here? While the decision to end the relationship seems to come out of left field, there's a lot more than meets the eye with Miyuki's family history and entanglements with the Generic Terra project. While it seems Miyuki's father has handed the reins of the company over to his “adopted son,” it seems his motivation is for Generic Terra to generate a copy of his original, deceased son, complete with memories, and Miyuki has been entrusted with this.

Hebinuma Senior certainly exudes dangerous Godfather-esque vibes; even as he takes Miyuki's hand, he peels back his glove as if removing a reptile's skin. I'm still not entirely sure what all of the snake symbolism around Miyuki is, though there may well be a Garden of Eden link to some of it (considering following their creepy kiss in a previous episode, Kujirai commented on how she could taste apples afterwards…)

We do learn that Miyuki is intersex, though I'm not sure what larger impact that will have on his story going forward. While Miyuki presents as male, wears masculine clothing, and uses male pronouns, it seems he has both male and female genitalia, though they are infertile. While he has a womb, it seems it's incapable of ing a pregnancy, even via IVF. I wonder if Miyuki's body is the result of medical experimentation, perhaps on his scary father's orders?

Rather than being a purely cold, calculating asshole with daddy issues, I wonder if Miyuki is trying to protect Gwen from both Hebinuma Senior, and perhaps also from Generic Terra? By doing everything possible to drive Gwen away, Miyuki sacrifices both of their romantic happiness. Shame Gwen was never consulted on his opinion of the matter. Miyuki seems consumed by revenge, though for what, we don't know the full details. Such revenge takes the form of Generic Terra giving Hebinuma Senior what he wants – a copy of his son without memories. An empty clone, in other words.

Miyuki's adoptive father confirms that standard cloning already exists in this world, but Generic Terra is supposed to produce something else, the previously mentioned “Zirconians.” I presume these are indistinguishable copies of people whose backed-up memories can be ed and kept current with repeated updates. This grants a form of immortality should something happen to the original person's body. So far, so much a sci-fi staple. This doesn't explain what Reiko Kujirai is, and why Miyuki's so fascinated with her. The current Kowloon seems to be a third iteration of the city, a projected facsimile of the second, before its demolition, is an unexpected result of Generic Terra “resonating” with something, but we don't yet know what.

So far, there's no common ground between those who can see Kowloon and those who can't. While former residents like Kudo and Miyuki might think their sense of nostalgia for the place grants them access, how does that explain Yaomay? Until six months previously, Yaomay had never set foot in any Kowloon other than the current version. We also get confirmation that Yaomay's appearance change in a previous episode wasn't merely a change in her perception, it was physical. Then there's Miyuki's acquaintance Yulong, who, despite also being an ex-Kowloon resident, can't see the city or its people. I hope the suggested “Feng Shui” isn't the only answer we get. If so, then I worry that in the real world, the presence of such a potentially powerful force could mean rearranging my furniture could resurrect dead people in my living room.

This episode is perhaps the most lore-dense the show has been so far, as it adapts chunks from volumes five and six of the manga, the part of the story that starts to explain what's going on. I can imagine this being quite discombobulating for anime-only viewers, as compared to the manga's relatively relaxed pace, the reveals come thick and fast. We spend comparatively less time with Kudo and Kujirai, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Yaomay's hearts-in-her-eyes reaction to meeting the hunky Gwen for the first time is hilarious, and their interaction in the cafe poses some further questions. If this Kowloon doesn't exist, then what of the food that Yaomay eats? It's very telling that Gwen declines to eat or drink anything originating within the city walls. How can an outside human survive for six months eating only (presumably) projected food? Is Yaomay chowing down on chunks of rubble she thinks is food? Her poor teeth!

The short flashback scene with Kujirai B only confirms how different she was compared to the person Kujirai A is becoming. B practically drowned in nostalgia, unwilling to try new things, to move on from Kowloon. She declined to read the second volume of the murder mystery that A was desperate to find (in case it spoiled her memories of the first), and she couldn't countenance the thought of a pet. She seemed stuck in her ways somehow. I wonder if, despite her engagement to Kudo, she was perhaps desperately unhappy? Without emotional baggage pulling her down, Kujirai A seems a much lighter, brighter person, keen to experience new things, even to travel the world, though her motivation to do so seems to be at least partly to spare Kudo the emotional pain of seeing someone with his deceased fiancée's face. Kudo's distress at considering Kujirai A leaving him prompts him to ask her to “stay by my side forever,” though this suspiciously coincides with another tremor. This time, it seems like part of Kowloon has crumbled. Is this version of Kowloon's integrity dependent upon Kudo's mental state? Will the whole thing collapse like a house of cards if he becomes too unstable? Is Generic Terra resonating with Kudo, the reason for the third Kowloon's existence?

Even with the answers provided in this packed episode, many questions remain unresolved. As we rapidly catch up with the manga's English translation over the next few weeks, I hope we're heading towards a satisfying conclusion.

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Kowloon Generic Romance is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.