Kowloon Generic Romance

Episode 11

The brakes are off once more as Kowloon Generic Romance kicks into high gear with a tense episode packed with revelations and resolutions all mixed with a heavy dollop of dread. For English-language manga readers, we're into uncharted territory now, with at least half of the material in episode 11 presumably originating from untranslated chapters. I'm not sure how much of it may be anime-original, however, considering we have only two more episodes left after this in which to bring Kujirai, Kudo, and friends' knotty narrative to a satisfying conclusion. The manga shows little signs of stopping any time soon...

Thankfully, whether anime-original or not, episode 11 is one of the best of the series so far, finally confirming some prominent fan theories about just what the hell is going on in this freaky, generic version of Kowloon. As has long been suspected, the contents of Kowloon 3.0 are directly associated with Hajime Kudo's memories. Those mysteriously blocked-off streets? Places Kudo had never visited. That novel filled with gibberish? Kudo skim-read it and didn't recall the details. The missing cat shelter that Gwen built? It only returned after he informed Kudo of its existence. Is Little Xiaohei actually male? That was an in-joke kept between Gwen and Kujirai, so when Gwen corrects Kudo's misconceptions… it leads to one of the biggest, and most upsetting “oh, shit” moments so far in the series.

This episode hurt my heart.

In the manga, at least, little lolita-styled Xiaohei is a constantly-appearing side character, always upbeat and terrifyingly busy with so many part-time jobs, it becomes a running joke that she pops up absolutely everywhere in Kowloon. While the anime has cut down her number of appearances significantly, I still think the dread we feel when Gwen realises what he's done by informing Kudo of her real identity is earned.

Of course, the timing is almost heartlessly cruel – big Xiaohei is stressing about Yulong's request to kill Kujirai A, something he's not keen to do – and of course, that's the point Kujirai A bumps into him. At which point, she receives a panicked call from little Xiaohei that she can't turn off an alarm at her house as it's too high to reach, so Kujirai drags the conspicuously tall Xiaohei with her, refusing to countenance “no” for an answer.

What results is initially a sweet, if sad scene, as both versions of Xiaohei come properly face-to-face for the first time, with big Xiaohei lamenting the parts of his life that he felt compelled to give up, while here's a generic version of his past self still free to indulge in the fashion he loves. Little Xiaohei's beaming smile as she learns big Xiaohei also loves frills is so unbelievably adorable… and then she disappears, as if she were never there. Kudo now perceives them as the same person, and for some reason, that means one's existence must be overwritten by the other. It's such a desperately cruel twist, but we knew this could always be a possibility.

Poor big Xiaohei's identity crisis is heartbreaking to watch; he feels like he is the impostor, while little Xiaohei gets to live the life he wants–until she can't anymore. Now that little Xiaohei has gone, there isn't even the option for big Xiaohei to upload his consciousness into her body, as Yulong promised was a possibility. Yaomay's insistence that he take some of the frilly clothes is what helps give him the courage to accept himself and to step away from Kowloon and his regret. For, as Yulong earlier intuits, only people harboring profound regret can see and interact with Kowloon 3.0.

This leads to another heartbreakingly sad moment that caps this episode off: a newly inspired Yaomay, determined to confront her mother's control of her life, walks away from Kowloon with Xiaohei. As Xiaohei's frilly dresses dissipate into the aether, along with his regrets, so, for them, does Kowloon. Without any regret tying them to this mysterious underworld, Xiaohei and Yaomay are forever separated from it, and the friends they made there. For Yaomay, this is a catastrophic loss, as Kujirai A was her best friend, the one who inspired her to seek her “absolute self,” and in doing so sowed the seeds of their separation.

As Kujirai stands alone, within Kowloon's walls as a dust storm rages outside, I feel for her. She's lost two of her biggest allies, leaving her with only the mercurial Kudo and the less-invested-in-her-welfare Gwen, not to mention her potential mortal enemy, Yulong, now able to enter the illusory city to hunt her down. Whether the continued existence of Xiaohei's frilly jacket lining may hint at a panacea for Kujirai and the possibility for her survival outside of Kowloon is hard to say. It may be that Yaomay made them from fabric originating outside of the city.

We still don't fully understand the mechanics of Kudo's relationship to Kowloon 3.0, even if it somehow seems to have been conjured from his memories. The brainwashing food doesn't seem to affect him, for one. We're told that this version of Kujirai isn't his creation, so what is she? Through her magic glasses, she witnesses a disturbing scene where Kujirai B procures suspicious capsules through a letterbox by exchanging talismans. I'm unsure of the relevance of the Magician tarot card that accompanies them, but surely the ouroboros/infinity symbols inscribed on the capsules are important? That the symbol also resembles an “8,” which is a number associated with “luck” in Chinese culture, is surely also relevant. As Kudo's odd little quirk of touching eights wherever he goes illustrates, Kowloon is covered in instances of this number, the Chinese name for which sounds similar to the word for “wealth.” Whether this is related to the talismans plastered everywhere is unclear, but there seems to be some link between them and Hebinuma Pharmaceuticals.

While the Hebinuma plot doesn't advance much this time, we do at least get some background on Miyuki's childhood and Yulong's motivation to help him. Miyuki's desire for revenge stems from the death of his Kowloon-resident mother, despite Hebinuma Senior's promise to save her life. Miyuki's attempts to ingratiate himself with his father are why he sports the snake tattoo and took a knife to his tongue. Yulong feels Miyuki has become obsessed with Kowloon 3.0 and revenge, and resolves to save his friend, whatever the cost. Kujirai had better watch herself.

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Kowloon Generic Romance is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.