#tao guen

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I like that there's gender equality when it comes to chest size in this story.

Both men and women got large racks in Kowloon Generic Romance.

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I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!

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“Kowloon Generic Romance” The First Promo for Spring 2025

The official website disclosed a promotional video for the anime adaptation of Jun Mayuzuki's Kowloon Generic Romance manga. TV Tokyo is set to debut the anime in April 2025.

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Kowloon Generic Romance Episode 4 Review - Kowloon And Clone Sound Similar

With the events that transpired in this episode, I feel like the story has become some sort of reverse Among Us where you find the real amongst the imposters. Who the f*** do you trust in this story? This is certainly has become a ‘trust no one’ situation…

The flashback with Kujirai-B gives a lot of insight about the possible theory that Kowloon is a simulation, yet another one forms. I have another theory that the Kowloon they’re in right now is a third version of Kowloon created by Genetic Terra and that once it’s destroyed, everything that it created will cease to exist. Either theories feel very plausible to me…the biggest question is when this Kowloon was created.

The topic of clones being introduced into this story really fascinates me with how the author writes it. It reminds me of another Tales game called Tales of Xillia 2 where it’s about alternate universes and how the same person from alternate dimensions will disappear if they meet the original. I wonder if that’s the case. I also wonder if Generic Terra creates these clones and if it does, why? The fact that it copies everything about the original person but lacks the memory is quite terrifying. Oh, but it does seem as if Tao’s clone had memories of his original before he disappeared, so why is Kujirai the only supposed clone without a memory? And why does Tao have a clone despite his original being alive? Who else is a clone? Are they all clones? Is Kudo a clone too?

There are two factions of this plot now. There’s one side who wants to unravel the mystery of Kujirai and Genetic Terra that has Hebinuma and Tao while there’s another side who wants Kujirai to not be in the shadow of the original, which is just Yaomay. It’s really interesting how both sides think with Hebinuma and Tao being very curious individuals while Yaomay wants nothing to do with the past and wants to live in her present.

It’s interesting to see that Hebinuma and Tao are in a relationship as it’s mentioned that Tao doesn’t want Hebinuma meeting his clone as he’d fall for him, but the clone no longer exists. I wonder if their relationship serves as a foil to Kudo’s lost love… I also liked the metaphor that Yaomay gave regarding her zirconia earring and cloning. Sure, Yaomay may have had plastic surgery from head to toe and that her earring may be a fake, but it doesn’t matter as long as someone appreciates their existence. I hope that this can be a good stepping stone for Kujirai to develop an identity.

Did I ever mention how much I like the opening and ending songs? The opening song gives off that 90’s Japanese city pop feel that was popular with a lot of shoujo anime openings at the time. The same also applies to the ending song. I feel like the production staff knew how to elevate the setting of the story. Am I the only one who thinks this way?

This anime certainly loves ending their episodes with astronomical-leveled cliffhangers. Gosh, why can’t next Saturday come sooner? I’m on the edge of my seat here! Let me know your thoughts about this episode!

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Kowloon Generic Romance Episode 3 Review - My Eyes Are On You

Viewers and manga readers should play Tales of the Abyss for a good experience with a main character that has similar issues with Kujirai. Yes, I’m shamelessly promoting the game that was released in 2005 for the Playstation 2 (and also has a 3DS port), but I can’t help but to notice the similarities. I wonder if the author ever played the game…

I do feel bad that Kujirai is essentially on the verge of having an identity crisis as her life isn’t hers but Kujirai-B’s. But, there are still a lot of differences between them. I think the most unfair thing is that no one is giving Kujirai a chance to be herself. They’re always comparing her to Kujirai-B against her will. Sure, she looks identical to the original, but she’s a different person, even if she looks the same and have similar quirks. Just who is the real Kujirai? There’s so much about her, yet why she’s this important is never stated. All that is known is that a lot of people adored her, especially Kudo.

Heck, I feel like this entire episode (and maybe the anime) is full of identity secrets. First, there’s Hebinuma who forcefully kisses Kujirai, yet he’s a germaphobe and sleeps with the mysterious masked man. He’s also caught up in some sort of identity swap where he’s rumored to be adopted as the supposedly real son of his father died in an accident alongside the mother. There’s also Gwen who looks like the bartender from the Goldfish Teahouse, yet he’s not. What is his deal with confronting Kujirai?

I feel like the only ‘normal’ person is Xiaohei, but even I can’t be too sure about that because this anime is making me suspect everyone as suspicious. If Kujirai’s not going to be super wary about everyone in Kowloon, then I’ll do it for her. Is there anyone to trust in this story aside from Success the Goldfish or am I going to start suspecting the fish too?

What is with Kudo’s attitude though? Like, I understand that he’s still not over Kujirai-B’s death, but he doesn’t need to be an ass about the things Kujirai does like giving him a sunflower or telling her he hates her. She’s in a situation that she cannot control, and Kudo should know this better than anyone.

I still love the atmosphere of the anime and how everything is colored. Also, my theory about Kowloon being a simulation is still present because of the door. Like I mentioned last episode, Yaomei is the only one with a high tech door while everyone else got a normal rundown door with a knob. Heck, old doors are often seen in this episode. I also theorize it being a simulation because no person who buys an apartment can just delete their entire information about it. There is clearly something going on.

Hebinuma’s voice actor Ryotaro Okiayu did a great job with how creepy he makes his character to be. Man, I get creeped out every time he shows up on screen. The tongue noise doesn’t help either… But yeah, this isn’t the first time Okiayu plays a supposedly gay character as he’s been in BL before—one of his known BL roles is of Asahina from Junjou Romantica. Despite that, Hebinuma is a character shrouded with mystery and I can’t wait to know more—heck, I can’t wait to know more about what the heck is going on.

Also, congrats to Kowloon for getting an English dub! The leads are going to be voiced by Lauren Landa and Ben Balamecia (I hope I spelled that right). Both are great voice actors and I hope they do a great job! Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

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Kowloon Generic Romance Episode 5 Review - Becoming The Absolute Self

Every episode that airs, the less ‘generic’ this story becomes. Heck, this episode gives insight to Yaomay, probably who I might consider as the most ‘generic’ character up to this point and completely changed my opinions on her. I get what her purpose in the story is and I honestly can’t wait to know what’s next.

I did theorize that every character aside from our girl Kujirai is suspicious, which includes Yaomay. However, this episode disproves all potential suspicions on her. She is the least suspicious person and probably the one who is least likely to betray anyone not named Kudo. Yaomay’s purpose in this story is to be someone who accepts her current self and is a stepping stone for the current Kujirai to do the same. She is the only other person I trust in this story now.

Her past is that she used to be a famous nepo baby actress who is the daughter of a renowned veteran actress Yang Li. Her mom is very controlling of her in the sense that she controls everything from what she wears to what her accessories would be. It suffocated her as she kept living as a ‘replica’ of her famous mother—as if her mother wanted her to become her so that her legacy wouldn’t die in a way. People only accepted her as the daughter of Yang Li or the second Yang Li and not as Yaomay. She had no identity of her own, which was why she got plastic surgery and ran away from that life. To be honest, I can relate to her. I used to live like her in a way. My own mother wasn’t a famous actress but she did often control what I wore and bought clothes that she thinks I’d like. Fortunately, I was able to develop my own identity and was able to talk back to my mom and stepped my foot in when she was being too meddlesome. Living a life where you can’t decide for yourself is definitely an awful feeling.

Other than Yaomay’s past, another unusual aspect of this episode is seeing a very high tech city where Hebinuma and Guen live. In the TV show Hebinuma’s in, he’s introduced as the person in charge of Generic Terra, so I’m assuming he’s not the creator but it’s handler, right? Given that the episode ends in a bombshell cliffhanger that Kowloon is a destroyed, ruined wasteland with the ominous rhombus floating above them does align with the simulation theory. Given that there are frequent earthquakes in the imaginary walled city and that Kudo could be the source makes me wonder if he is somewhere in the wasteland sleeping and dreaming about Kowloon. If there are earthquakes, does this mean that something erratic is happening in his body or whatever system he’s in? 

I believe that Generic Terra could be a dream simulator and that Kudo’s memories of Kowloon is the simulation as he wanted to see his deceased lover again. I think that maybe he’s been dreaming for so long that everyone inside the dream is starting to form their own sense of self? Are we getting some sort of Final Fantasy X vibes here now? On top of that, who is Guen? Is he someone who watches over the second Kowloon on Hebinuma’s behest?

This anime never fails to impress with their voice cast as Yang Li is voiced by Mie Sonozaki whom you might know as Jeanne from the Bayonetta franchise, if you play it in Japanese, Violet from One Piece and Sora from Yugioh Arc-V. Another veteran voice actor makes a brief appearance towards the end in the form of Shinichiro Miki who voices Hebinuma’s father.

My favorite aspect of this episode is seeing Kujirai, Yaomey and Kudo go to the bookstore. As a bookworm myself, I love anything that has a bookish setting, so it was mystifying to see them go to a bookstore. Other than that, I seriously love the unpredictable nature of this show. It keeps my brain stimulating! Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

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Kowloon Generic Romance Episode 7 Review - Cliffhangers Must Be A Pizza Topping

If you want to know what ‘generic’ means, it means either “characteristic of or relating to a class or a group of things” or “not specific.” It can also mean “relating to a genus”. However, those are adjectives. As a noun, a ‘generic’ means a consumer product having no brand name or registered trademark. 

What does this mean? It means that Kujirai is just one of the byproducts of Kowloon. She’s like the city—a being that only a few can see, but she’s also beyond a generic as she’s got an identity outside of being Kujirai-B’s clone. She is a part of Kowloon as it is a part of her; it’s like Kujirai-B unknowingly cursed her from the afterlife to make her fate be a part of Kowloon—to live and die within it like she did.

I feel like that’s also Kudo’s intent. He doesn’t want Kujirai to leave because he knows if she leaves Kowloon, she’ll disappear and he doesn’t want that. Yet, at the same time, he also wants to live and die in Kowloon, like how Kujirai-B did. Other than the big bombshell that was dropped at the ending, there’s still a lot of questions to what Kowloon is. Kudo seems to have knowledge about clones and such, but he’s not one himself, as confirmed with his meeting with Guen. He loves Kujirai, but still cannot process his feelings as he’s still not fully over Kujirai-B’s death. Since he lives in Kowloon, he can see it. However, I do wonder if the whole place truly is an illusion or if it’s a simulation created by Generic Terra using Kudo’s memories. I can’t wait for the anime to finally explain everything about Kudo because he’s the most mysterious of them all, in my opinion. It was sad to know what Kujirai-B’s death actually was. Depression must have consumed her. I wonder if Kudo is going to go the same path as her or if he’ll be able to move on. The way he behaves like his lost love does give me that vibe…

The Hebinuma and Guen scenes really do show off how similar they are to Kujirai-B and Kudo’s relationship. Both Hebinuma and Kujirai-B are obsessed with Kowloon in their own way, while Kudo and Guen are trying to find ways to be with their lovers with Kudo wanting to stay in Kowloon and Guen wanting to go in for Hebinuma’s sake. However, I can feel that the route these two are heading is going to be different from what Kujirai-B and Kudo used to have. Their first meeting was super cute, though. It was cute seeing Guen liking Hebinuma at first sight and calling out to him.

I commend the author for being an advocate of gender equality because both the men and women of this story are stacked in the chest department. Other than that, I liked this episode because of the way it makes me on the edge of my seat every time! What’s going to happen next week with this crazy reveal? Let me know your thoughts!

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Kowloon Generic Romance Episode 6 Review - Information Overload

Th halfway point of this anime comes at the cost of major exposition dumping. There’s so much world building that my brain almost felt as if it was going to heat up due to overload. I understand everything yet I also don’t…

This episode mainly focuses on Hebinuma and Guen, with our leads Kujirai and Kudo taking a bit of a backseat. Though, I do feel like Hebinuma and Guen has a different approach to the main couple, serving as their foil. Guen is devoted to his beloved Miyuki, but he gets pushed away after Hebinuma breaks up with him and makes him leave. Hebinuma’s actions are mainly due to him not wanting to get him involved any further, but it does show some parallelism he has with Kudo of all people. Both are dark-haired men, but Kudo pushes Kujirai away due to his inner turmoil over Kujirai-B’s death, but still longs for the current one. While Hebinuma still pushes Guen away, a part of him still longs for him as implied with how he went to a clinic to ask Dr. Wong if he was able to conceive, revealing him to be intersex.

Hebinuma’s main goal is to seek revenge against his father. While he is the operator of Generic Terra, the reason why it exists was so Hebinuma could create a clone, called a Zirconian, to be able to bring back his father’s dead son. Hebinuma’s idea of revenge is to make his father be super distraught when he sees his newly resurrected son and find out that he has no memories of him at all. I’m guessing that Kujirai and other clones in Kowloon are part of his experiment, to see if Zirconians are successful. This means that Kujirai is a successful attempt of the cloning experiment as she’s Kujirai-B, but a completely different person than the person she was based off of.

Now, there’s the topic of Kowloon itself. The final segment of the episode has Hebinuma and the newly introduced Yu Long talk about the current Kowloon in that the new, second version of the city is nothing more than a mirage, illusionary city that only some people can be granted access to. It’s hard to tell if this is a simulation now. While not all people can go in, there are instances where people are spirited away in the real world and taken to Kowloon. This is why Yaomay is a topic of interest for Guen, Yu Long and Hebinuma as she’s a complete anomaly. She’s not a clone, but a real person living in this illusion world. However, the simulation theories grow as Yaomay tells Guen about how she reverted back to her previous self a while ago, as shown in Episode 5, but was able to revert back when she chose to become her absolute self, an idea that intrigues Guen. Yu Long and Hebinuma wonder if concepts like Qi and Feng Shui are involved when it comes to Kowloon’s access. It really does make me wonder just what this city is.

Yu Long is quite a mysterious character as it’s revealed that he’s Hebinuma’s assistant in overseeing Generic Terra but he’s also from Kowloon, but cannot enter the second one while Hebinuma can. He also has this weird habit of stirring that jar of peanut butter. I do wonder what his role will be in future episodes. Like I said before, no one is to be trusted other than Yaomay and Kujirai. Heck, even Xiaohei cannot be trusted because the janitor Yu Long greets towards the end of the episode has his hair drawn and colored the same way as Xiaohei. Does this mean that Xiaohei has a different gender clone lurking about in Kowloon while the original works for the company?

It’s weird to hear Shinichiro Miki as Hebinuma’s father. Not that him voicing a father is weird, but the fact that he voices an evil, homophobic one makes it unusual because Mikishin did a lot of BL in the past, so for him to play a character that’s the opposite of some of his past roles is amusing. Yu Long is voiced by Kengo Kawanishi and I cannot stress enough how much Kawanishi and Akira Ishida sound similar. They have the same tone, but they also sound different when enunciating. Also, why is Kawanishi being typecasted to play characters with a Kansai-ben because Yu Long, albeit Chinese, speaks in a Kansai dialect like a few of his other characters with one of the more notable ones being Tsugeura from Wind Breaker with its second season currently airing in the same season.

With the episode ending with another earthquake, it makes me wonder what the heck is going on and what could be the source of it this time? Is the city falling apart? Let me know what you think!