Kowloon Generic Romance
Japanese manga series by Jun Mayuzuki From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kowloon Generic Romance (Japanese: 九龍ジェネリックロマンス, Hepburn: Kūron Jenerikku Romansu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Jun Mayuzuki. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump since November 2019, with its chapters collected in 11 tankōbon volumes as of April 2025. The story is set in Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong. An anime television series adaptation produced by Arvo Animation premiered in April 2025, and a live action film adaptation is set to open in Japanese theaters in August the same year.
| Kowloon Generic Romance | |
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Reiko Kujirai | |
| 九龍ジェネリックロマンス (Kūron Jenerikku Romansu) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Jun Mayuzuki |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Young Jump Comics |
| Magazine | Weekly Young Jump |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | November 7, 2019 – present |
| Volumes | 11 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Yoshiaki Iwasaki |
| Written by | Jin Tanaka |
| Music by | Ryōhei Sataka |
| Studio | Arvo Animation |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
| Original run | April 5, 2025 – present |
| Episodes | 3 |
| Live-action film | |
| Directed by | Chihiro Ikeda |
| Studio | Robot |
| Released | August 2025 |
Synopsis
Kowloon Walled City, the most densely populated place on Earth, houses over 33,000 residents within a labyrinth of interconnected high-rises spanning just 6.5 acres (2.6 ha). Within this urban enclave lies the Wang Lai Realty Company, where an office romance develops between two coworkers: the easygoing yet brash 34-year-old Hajime Kudou and the reserved 32-year-old Reiko Kujirai. Despite their contentious dynamic, the two share a close rapport, frequently having lunch together. Their mutual affection for Kowloon Walled City gradually deepens their bond—yet an underlying peculiarity lingers between them.
Characters
- Reiko Kujirai (鯨井 令子, Kujirai Reiko)
- Voiced by: Haruka Shiraishi[3] (Japanese); Lauren Landa[4] (English)
- Portrayed by: Riho Yoshioka[3]
- Hajime Kudou (工藤 発, Kudō Hajime)
- Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[3] (Japanese); Ben Balmaceda[4] (English)
- Portrayed by: Koshi Mizukami[3]
- Miyuki Hebinuma (蛇沼 みゆき, Hebinuma Miyuki)
- Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu[5]
- Portrayed by: Ryo Ryusei[6]
- Tao Gwen (タオ・グエン, Tao Guen)
- Voiced by: Taito Ban[5] (Japanese); Edward Mendoza[4] (English)
- Portrayed by: Shuntarō Yanagi[6]
- Yaomay (楊明, Yōmei)
- Voiced by: Aoi Koga[5]
- Portrayed by: Minami Umezawa[6]
- Xiaohei (小黒, Shaohei)
- Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro[5] (Japanese); Risa Mei[4] (English)
- Portrayed by: Kotone Hanase[6]
- Yūlong (ユウロン, Yūron)
- Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi[7]
- Portrayed by: Figaro Tseng[6]
Production
According to Mayuzuki, she had the idea of launching a series about Kowloon Walled City while her previous work After the Rain was still being serialized. She liked the topic of Kowloon Walled City and first learned about it from Kowloon's Gate when she was young.[8]
Media
Summarize
Perspective
Manga
Written and illustrated by Jun Mayuzuki, Kowloon Generic Romance started in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump on November 7, 2019.[9][10] In April 2025, it was announced that the manga had entered its final story arc.[11] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was published on February 19, 2020.[12] As of April 17, 2025, eleven volumes have been published.[13]
In January 2022, Yen Press announced that it had licensed the manga for English release in North America.[14] The first volume was released on August 9, 2022.[15]
Volumes
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 19, 2020[12] | 978-4-08-891488-6 | August 9, 2022[15] | 978-1-97-534578-5 | |
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| 2 | July 17, 2020[16] | 978-4-08-891532-6 | December 13, 2022[17] | 978-1-97-534580-8 | |
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| 3 | November 19, 2020[18] | 978-4-08-891728-3 | April 18, 2023[19] | 978-1-97-534582-2 | |
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| 4 | February 19, 2021[20] | 978-4-08-891829-7 | July 18, 2023[21] | 978-1-97-534584-6 | |
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| 5 | June 18, 2021[22] | 978-4-08-892012-2 | October 17, 2023[23] | 978-1-97-536377-2 | |
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| 6 | November 19, 2021[24] | 978-4-08-892131-0 | February 20, 2024[25] | 978-1-97-537143-2 | |
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| 7 | May 18, 2022[26] | 978-4-08-892271-3 | June 18, 2024[27] | 978-1-97-537145-6 | |
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| 8 | December 19, 2022[28] | 978-4-08-892433-5 | September 17, 2024[29] | 978-1-97-537147-0 | |
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| 9 | October 19, 2023[30] | 978-4-08-892863-0 | January 21, 2025[31] | 979-8-85-540367-1 | |
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| 10 | October 18, 2024[32] | 978-4-08-893267-5 | — | — | |
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| 11 | April 17, 2025[13] | 978-4-08-893715-1 | — | — | |
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Anime
In October 2024, it was announced that the series will receive an anime television series adaptation.[3][33] It is produced by Arvo Animation and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki, with series composition by Jin Tanaka, character designs by Yuka Shibata, art direction by Yūji Kaneko, and music composed by Ryōhei Sataka. The series premiered on April 5, 2025, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates.[5][34] The opening theme song is "Summertime Ghost" (サマータイムゴースト, Samātaimu Gōsuto), performed by Wednesday Campanella, while the ending theme song is "Koi no Retronym" (恋のレトロニム, Koi no Retoronimu, lit. 'A Retronym for Love'), performed by Mekakushe.[7]
Crunchyroll is streaming the series.[35] Medialink licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia for streaming on Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel.[36]
Episodes
| No. | Title [37][38] | Directed by [a] | Written by [a] | Storyboarded by [a] | Original release date [39] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | TBA | TBA | TBA | April 5, 2025 | |
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Inside the reimagined Kowloon Walled City created by technology called Generic Terra, Reiko Kujirai wakes up and starts her workday at the Wong Loi Realty Company alongside her co-worker Hajime Kudo. Reiko struggles with her vision, prompting her to use eye drops made by Hebinuma Pharmaceuticals that has Hajime on edge due his distrust of the company that secretly owns Generic Terra. Reiko sees an optometrist to get her vision corrected. Reiko and Hajime talk about Kowloon and how despite its terrible living conditions, Kowloon's inhabitants enjoy the nostalgia the place brings. The next day after finishing the workday, Hajime brings Reiko to Sunset Street, a nightlife area, and then to the Goldfish Teahouse, a place Hajime frequently visits. At the teahouse, Hajime tells Reiko to find a familiar quirk that can make her happy so that it can help her remember the person with that quirk. Reiko gets a goldfish as a souvenir and thinks about what Hajime said. Reiko spends the next day repainting the walls at a vacant housing unit and nearly faints due to heat stroke before Hajime comes to her aid. The next day, Hajime sleeps on the couch and kisses Reiko when he wakes up, saying he has mistaken her for someone else. At the end of the day after Hajime leaves work, Reiko discovers a photo of herself with Hajime at the teahouse. The waiter confirms that he took the photo, which has Reiko realizing that she is missing part of her memories. | ||||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | TBA | TBA | TBA | April 12, 2025 | |
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Reiko's friend Xiaohei calls her complaining about the nonstop noise that has been bothering her, which is caused by her neighbor Yaomay, a seamstress who makes plushies. Reiko asks Yaomay about the photo, with Yaomay believing that Reiko is not the same as the one, referred to as Kujirai B, in the photo. As Hajime notices the missing photo, Hajime recalls the time he started working at the realty company inside the original Kowloon Walled City after being transferred from the Japan branch, and how Kujirai B expressed her nostalgia showed him around Kowloon. Kujirai B told Hajime about how she loves the nostalgia of the city, but Hajime refused to get attached to the place knowing that it was set for demolition. In the present, Reiko and Yaomay have dinner together, and Yaomay suggests that Reiko waits to know the truth due to its complicated nature. The next day, Hajime notices that Reiko does not have her ears pierced unlike with Kujirai B and has crow's feet. The next day, Reiko and Yaomay head to a medical clinic owned by Hebinuma to get checked up, and afterwards they head to the teahouse only to find out that Tao Gwen, the waiter who took the photo, quit his job. Reiko buys a pair of clip-on earrings to surprise Hajime, but fails. The next day, Hajime apologizes for his actions, and to make it up they have dinner at the restaurant Reiko went with Yaomay. The next day, Reiko meets the president of Hebinuma Pharmaceuticals, Miyuki Hebinuma, for consultation about anti-aging treatment for her crow's feet. Miyuki touches Reiko's face and noticing that her wrinkles have not aged, he tells her that the missing memories never existed, causing Reiko to leave in disgust. | ||||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | TBA | TBA | TBA | April 19, 2025 | |
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Back in the original Kowloon Walled City, Hajime learned from Kujirai B about what nostalgia is, which she equates to love. In the present, Miyuki visits the realty company, causing Hajime to get confrontational. Miyuki sprays him with sanitizer and forcefully kisses Reiko before taking his leave. On a day off, Hajime visits Reiko's apartment after shopping for a new fish tank and feels a similar kind of nostalgia as the one he felt when he visited Kujirai B's apartment for the first time. The next day at work, Reiko gives Hajime a sunflower and vase to thank him for carrying the fish tank. Xiaohei drops by wanting to move to a larger apartment and sees the sunflower wanting it for herself. Xiaohei ends up choosing an apartment Hajime recommended with access to a roof that overlooks a hidden sunflower garden. At Miyuki's home outside the walled city, Miyuki and Gwen discuss an article that was published revealing that the real heir to the Hebinuma family fortune died in an accident and that Miyuki was adopted to fill his role, while Gwen is revealed to be working for Miyuki and is not the same person as the former waiter, hence the reason he needs to wear a mask while in the walled city. Hajime goes searching for Gwen but cannot get to his apartment with the layout having shifted. Meanwhile, Gwen visits Reiko and tells her that he knows about the history of Hajime's relationship and that Kujirai B is dead, confirming that Reiko and Kujirai B are not the same person. Gwen tells Reiko that she is living somebody else's life. The next day, Reiko and Hajime discuss the matter, and Hajime tells her she has been living an illusion, causing Reiko to pass out. | ||||||
Live-action film
In October 2024, it was announced that the series will receive a live action film adaptation.[3][33] It will be produced by Robot and directed by Chihiro Ikeda and is set to open in Japanese theaters in August 2025.[40][6][41]
Reception
The manga had over 1.2 million copies in circulation by December 2024.[42] In 2020, the manga was one of the 50 nominees for the sixth Next Manga Awards.[43] It ranked third on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2021 for male readers.[44][45] It was nominated for the 14th Manga Taishō in 2021 and placed ninth with 46 points.[46][47]
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
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