Jump to content

Kowloon Generic Romance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 byJun Mayuzuki
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintYoung Jump Comics
MagazineWeekly Young Jump
DemographicSeinen
Original runNovember 7, 2019 – present
Volumes10
Anime television series
Directed byYoshiaki Iwasaki [ja]
Written byJin Tanaka
Music byRyōhei Sataka [ja]
StudioArvo Animation
Licensed by
Original networkTXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run April 5, 2025 – present
Episodes2
Live-action film
Directed byChihiro Ikeda [ja]
StudioRobot
ReleasedAugust 2025 (2025-08)
icon Anime and manga portal

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 10 tankōbon volumes as of October 2024. 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.

Synopsis

[edit]

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. 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

[edit]
Reiko Kujirai (鯨井 令子, Kujirai Reiko)
Voiced by: Haruka Shiraishi[3]
Portrayed by: Riho Yoshioka[3]
Hajime Kudou (工藤 発, Kudō Hajime)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[3]
Portrayed by: Koshi Mizukami[3]
Miyuki Hebinuma (蛇沼 みゆき, Hebinuma Miyuki)
Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu[4]
Portrayed by: Ryo Ryusei[5]
Tao Gwen (タオ・グエン, Tao Guen)
Voiced by: Taito Ban[4]
Portrayed by: Shuntarō Yanagi [ja][5]
Yaomay (楊明, Yōmei)
Voiced by: Aoi Koga[4]
Portrayed by: Minami Umezawa[5]
Xiaohei (小黒, Shaohei)
Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro[4]
Portrayed by: Kotone Hanase [ja][5]
Yūlong (ユウロン, Yūron)
Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi[6]
Portrayed by: Figaro Tseng[5]

Production

[edit]

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.[7]

Media

[edit]

Manga

[edit]

Written and illustrated by Jun Mayuzuki, Kowloon Generic Romance started in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump on November 7, 2019.[8][9] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was published on February 19, 2020.[10] As of October 18, 2024, ten volumes have been published.[11]

In January 2022, Yen Press announced that it had licensed the manga for English release in North America.[12] The first volume was released on August 9, 2022.[13]

Volumes

[edit]
No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 February 19, 2020[10]978-4-08-891488-6August 9, 2022[13]978-1-97-534578-5
  • Chapters 1–8
2 July 17, 2020[14]978-4-08-891532-6December 13, 2022[15]978-1-97-534580-8
  • Chapters 9–17
3 November 19, 2020[16]978-4-08-891728-3April 18, 2023[17]978-1-97-534582-2
  • Chapters 18–26
4 February 19, 2021[18]978-4-08-891829-7July 18, 2023[19]978-1-97-534584-6
  • Chapters 27–35
5 June 18, 2021[20]978-4-08-892012-2October 17, 2023[21]978-1-97-536377-2
  • Chapters 36–44
6 November 19, 2021[22]978-4-08-892131-0February 20, 2024[23]978-1-97-537143-2
  • Chapters 45–53
7 May 18, 2022[24]978-4-08-892271-3June 18, 2024[25]978-1-97-537145-6
  • Chapters 54–62
8 December 19, 2022[26]978-4-08-892433-5September 17, 2024[27]978-1-97-537147-0
  • Chapters 63–70
9 October 19, 2023[28]978-4-08-892863-0January 21, 2025[29]979-8-85-540367-1
  • Chapters 71–78
10 October 18, 2024[11]978-4-08-893267-5——
  • Chapters 79–87
11 April 17, 2025[30]978-4-08-893715-1——

Anime

[edit]

In October 2024, it was announced that the series will receive an anime television series adaptation.[3][31] It is produced by Arvo Animation and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki [ja], with series composition by Jin Tanaka, character designs by Yuka Shibata [ja], art direction by Yūji Kaneko, and music composed by Ryōhei Sataka [ja]. The series premiered on April 5, 2025, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates.[4][32] 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 [ja].[6]

Crunchyroll is streaming the series.[33] Medialink licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia for streaming on Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel.[34]

Episodes

[edit]
No.Title [35][36]Directed by [a]Written by [a]Storyboarded by [a]Original release date [37]
1"Episode 1"TBATBATBAApril 5, 2025 (2025-04-05)
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"TBATBATBAApril 12, 2025 (2025-04-12)
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. Hebinuma 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.

Live-action film

[edit]

In October 2024, it was announced that the series will receive a live action film adaptation.[3][31] It will be produced by Robot and directed by Chihiro Ikeda [ja] and is set to open in Japanese theaters in August 2025.[38][5][39]

Reception

[edit]

The manga had over 1.2 million copies in circulation by December 2024.[40] In 2020, the manga was one of the 50 nominees for the sixth Next Manga Awards.[41] It ranked third on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2021 for male readers.[42][43] It was nominated for the 14th Manga Taishō in 2021 and placed ninth with 46 points.[44][45]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Production staff information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 「恋雨」の眉月じゅん新作は九龍城砦で暮らす男女描く日常ロマンス. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Kowloon Generic Romance" (in French). Kana. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f 「九龍ジェネリックロマンス」2025年TVアニメ＆実写映画化！キャストと特報を解禁. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e 「九龍ジェネリックロマンス」不穏な空気流れるPV、追加キャストに置鮎龍太郎ら決定. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. December 18, 2024. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 28, 2025). "Live-Action Kowloon Generic Romance Film Reveals More Cast, Summer Opening". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 29, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Loo, Egan (March 5, 2025). "Kowloon Generic Romance Anime's 2nd Video Unveils More Cast, Theme Songs, April 5 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  7. ^ Takahashi, Fumihiko (February 19, 2020). 編集者は漫画家を助ける“壁”――『恋は雨上がりのように』作者が最新作『九龍ジェネリックロマンス』を作るまで (1/3). Netorabo (in Japanese). ITmedia. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 17, 2019). "After the Rain's Jun Mayuzuki Launches New Manga on November 7 (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  9. ^ 「恋雨」の眉月じゅんが、九龍城砦を舞台に描く“日常大人ロマンス”がYJで. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. November 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  10. ^ a b 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  11. ^ a b 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 10 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Mateo, Alex (January 28, 2022). "Yen Press Licenses Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Kowloon Generic Romance, Tales of the Kingdom Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 1". Yen Press. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  14. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  15. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 2". Yen Press. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  16. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  17. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 3". Yen Press. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  18. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  19. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 4". Yen Press. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  20. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  21. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 5". Yen Press. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  22. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 6 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  23. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 6". Yen Press. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  24. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 7 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  25. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 7". Yen Press. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  26. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 8 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  27. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 8". Yen Press. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  28. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  29. ^ "Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 9". Yen Press. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  30. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス 11 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on March 14, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  31. ^ a b Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 10, 2024). "Kowloon Generic Romance Manga Gets TV Anime, Live-Action Film in 2025". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  32. ^ Mateo, Alex (December 18, 2024). "Kowloon Generic Romance Anime Unveils Trailer, Cast, Staff, April 2025 Premiere (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  33. ^ Mateo, Alex (April 2, 2025). "Crunchyroll to Stream Kowloon Generic Romance, Maebashi Witches, Apocalypse Hotel, More Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  34. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 1, 2025). "Ani-One Asia Licenses Takopi's Original Sin, Kowloon Generic Romance, Rock is a Lady's Modesty". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  35. ^ "Terebi Anime『Kūron Jenerikku Romansu』Ofisharu Saito" TVアニメ『九龍ジェネリックロマンス』オフィシャルサイト [TV Anime『Kowloon Generic Romance』Official Site]. kowloongr.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  36. ^ "Watch KOWLOON GENERIC ROMANCE - Crunchyroll". Crunchyroll. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  37. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  38. ^ 映画「九龍ジェネリックロマンス」追加キャストに竜星涼ら、池田千尋監督からコメント. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 29, 2025. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  39. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 3, 2025). "Live-Action Kowloon Generic Romance Film's Teaser Reveals August Opening". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  40. ^ 九龍ジェネリックロマンス：テレビアニメが2025年4月スタート　恋と謎に満ちたビジュアル＆PV公開　置鮎龍太郎、坂泰斗ら追加キャストも. Mantan Web (in Japanese). December 18, 2024. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  41. ^ コミックス部門 結果発表 - 次にくるマンガ大賞 2020. Tsugi Manga (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  42. ^ 【2020.12.10更新】『このマンガがすごい！2021』今年のランキングTOP10を大公開!!【公式発表】. Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (in Japanese). Takarajimasha. December 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  43. ^ Mateo, Alex (December 17, 2020). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil 2021 Rankings". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  44. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 24, 2021). "14th Manga Taisho Awards Nominate 10 Titles". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  45. ^ マンガ大賞2021、大賞は山田鐘人・アベツカサ「葬送のフリーレン」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 16, 2021. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kowloon_Generic_Romance&oldid=1285486049"