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<\/a>We still have a month to go, more or less. But in the end I think Spring 2025 is likely to end up right where it looked like at the beginning, with Kowloon Generic Romance<\/em> as the clear best series. There have been bolts of genius elsewhere, and some pacing issues here. But in the end I think Kowloon<\/em> is doing a better than decent job at managing the Herculean task of adapting almost a volume per episode (Iwasaki Yoshiaki has been directing anime for a quarter-century). And everything else about it is clearly on another level from anything else on the schedule.<\/p>\n<\/a>It\u2019s certainly clear than the goldfish metaphor is a big part of what Kowloon Generic Romance<\/em> is laying out. It works as a sort of all-purpose metaphorical framework, because there are three distinct elements that all could fit. The goldfish grows only as large as the container it\u2019s kept in. The goldfish has an extremely short memory (though Mythbusters<\/em> proved it\u2019s nor as short as legend says). And the world the goldfish sees looking out is distorted by the walls of its container \u2013 be it a plastic bag, a bowl, or an acrylic tank. The question is the proportion these three elements occupy in the overall mythology.<\/p>\n<\/a>My increasing conviction is that this this third Kowloon is all or partly a projection of Kudou-san\u2019s mind. A function of his regret over the loss of Kujirai-B. And nothing that was said this week makes me think differently, for example the fact that he seems unaffected by the phenomenon of Kowloon food (or drink) wiping memories. Or Yulong noting that perhaps it was a function of things people were sad about, that had disappeared. Maybe it isn\u2019t only<\/em> Hajime \u2013 it could be some sort of mass self-hypnosis \u2013 but Hajime is clearly a big part of it. And his obsession with nostalgia fits that theory perfectly.<\/p>\n<\/a>If there was one scene this week that was particularly brutal, it was Hajime\u2019s visit to Reiko\u2019a apartment. He came there seemingly in a good mood, not giddy (he doesn\u2019t seem to have that function anymore) in the afterglow of their night together, but comfortable with it. But the presence of the stick sugar in the coffee bag derails everything emotionally (I\u2019ve used sugar on cooked french toast<\/a> instead of maple syrup but never before cooking \u2013 and doesn\u2019t the batter drip all over the toaster?). His obsession with quirks foils him here, as he remembers this one of Kujirai-B\u2019s. And the impact his curt departure has on Reiko<\/a> is hard to watch.<\/p>\n<\/a>I get it, from Kudou\u2019s perspective. In his mind, he\u2019s cheating on the woman he loved \u2013 and it probably feels like he\u2019s doing so with her younger twin sister. But Reiko is for all intents a real person \u2013 he seems to view her that way at least \u2013 and there are consequences to his actions. Reiko is in literal danger too, from both camps in the ongoing power struggle over Kowloon. Hebinuma-papa (for obvious reasons) wants to know for sure what happens when a clone of\u00a0 a dead person leaves Kowloon, and is prepared to use Reiko to test it. And Yulong \u2013 on Miyuki\u2019s behest \u2013 seems willing to make the same move.<\/p>\n<\/a>Xiaohei \u2013 the \u201coriginal\u201d one \u2013 is caught in the middle here. His spy visits to Kowloon draw him close to Reiko and Yaomay, and he can\u2019t help starting to see Reiko as a real person. He\u2019s an interesting wildcard here \u2013 a guy with an interest in cross-dressing<\/a>, who Hajime saw as a woman (which is why he likely showed up as one when Kowloon reappeared). I wouldn\u2019t swear it but I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen female Xiaohei since this one came to Kowloon \u2013 did she disappear, or does Hajime\u2019s mistake exempt her from that? In the end it seems that Xiaohei is going to be recruited-blackmailed by Yulong, who knows about his undercover role for Hebinuma<\/a> \u2013 though for now, his mission may not be materially different.<\/p>\n<\/a>There are more mysteries here to be sure. What is \u201cthat\u201d, which Hebinuma orders Xiaohei to destroy if he finds any of in Kowloon? And we don\u2019t know the full story on why Reiko sees Kujirai-B\u2019s memory when she dons her glasses<\/a> \u2013 and if that\u2019s all it is, or it represents the first step of reverting to her identity. It\u2019s also going to be fascinating to see if Miyuki \u2013 who it seems gave up everything to assume the role of Hebinuma heir \u2013 will finally heed the urging of everyone in his life (even Yulong) to abandon his revenge mission against his father. And in the process, prove himself to be the better man.<\/p>\n
![an interest in cross-dressing<\/a>, who Hajime saw as a woman (which is why he likely showed up as one when Kowloon reappeared). I wouldn\u2019t swear it but I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen female Xiaohei since this one came to Kowloon \u2013 did she disappear, or does Hajime\u2019s mistake exempt her from that? In the end it seems that Xiaohei is going to be recruited-blackmailed by Yulong,](\"https:\/\/lostinanime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Kowloon-Generic-Romance-%E2%80%93-09-26.jpg\"){kind=link}