Kowloon Generic Romance

A 13-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Arvo Animation aired from April to June 2025, and a live-action film adaptation produced by Robot Communications premiered in theaters in August of the same year.

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 Wong Loi Realty Company, where an office romance develops between two coworkers: the easygoing yet brash Hajime Kudou and the reserved Reiko Kujirai, who has been in love with him since first meeting him. 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.

Reiko Kujirai (鯨井 令子, Kujirai Reiko) Voiced by: Haruka Shiraishi (Japanese); Lauren Landa (English) Portrayed by: Riho Yoshioka A 32-year-old real estate agent residing alone in Kowloon Walled City. She maintains a professional relationship with Hajime Kudo, unaware they were formerly engaged and that she once mentored him at their workplace. Despite her complete memory loss regarding their past, she is in love with him, though he does not reciprocate. She enjoys Kowloon's urban culture and has a peculiar habit of smoking while eating watermelon. Hajime Kudou (工藤 発, Kudō Hajime) Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese); Ben Balmaceda (English) Portrayed by: Koshi Mizukami A 34-year-old real estate agent who transferred from the Japanese branch to work at a small Kowloon office with Reiko. Like Reiko, he deeply appreciates Kowloon's urban culture and cuisine. Though formerly Kujirai's junior colleague and fiancé, he never mentions their past relationship due to her complete memory loss. He is aware of the current Kujirai being in love with him, but does not feel the same way for her at all, and is often seen taunting her for it. Xiaohei (小黒, Shaohei) Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro (Japanese); Risa Mei (English) Portrayed by: Kotone Hanase A young woman who works part-time at various establishments in Kowloon, including shoe stores and cinemas. Petite in stature, she typically wears her hair in a bun and dresses in charming Chinese-style outfits. She is acquainted with both Reiko and Hajime. Yaomay (楊明, Yōmei) Voiced by: Aoi Koga (Japanese); Anjali Kunapaneni (English) Portrayed by: Minami Umezawa A 27-year-old doll-making seamstress residing in Kowloon Walled City, she struggles with excessive unsold inventory until Reiko, Hajime, and Shaohei assist her. Following a chance meeting where she learns of Reiko's amnesia, they form a friendship. She maintains she underwent complete physical reconstruction to abandon her past, though provides no further details about her history. She was later revealed to be the daughter of a famous actress, and grew tired of being compared to her mother, leading to an identity crisis. Miyuki Hebinuma (蛇沼 みゆき, Hebinuma Miyuki) Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese); Kayleigh McKee (English) Portrayed by: Ryo Ryusei President of Hebinuma Pharmaceutical, a major conglomerate specializing in beauty and pharmaceutical products. With his slicked-back hair, sharp serpentine eyes, and distinctive forked tongue, he presents a striking appearance. After inheriting his father's pharmaceutical company, he rapidly expanded the business and now personally operates a popular beauty counseling service for women. Miyuki develops an unusual fascination with Reiko when she visits his clinic using a promotional coupon, eventually surprising her with an unsolicited kiss at her workplace. Tao Gwen (タオ・グエン, Tao Guen) Voiced by: Taito Ban (Japanese); Edward Mendoza (English) Portrayed by: Shuntarō Yanagi A former waiter at the Goldfish Tea House. He initially informs Reiko about her past engagement to Hajime (as "Kujirai B"). After mysteriously disappearing, he later recognizes that the current Reiko differs from the one he knew. Formerly the partner of Miyuki during their Kowloon investigations, he continues assisting Reiko and Yaomay in uncovering the city's mysteries after their abrupt breakup. Yūlong (ユウロン, Yūron) Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi Portrayed by: Figaro Tseng An associate of Miyuki who investigates the mysterious Second Kowloon phenomenon. Initially unable to perceive or enter Kowloon, he discovers that "regret" serves as the key requirement for access. Xiaohei (小黒, Shaohei) (male) Voiced by: Soma Saito A young man who works for Miyuki's father. He is the original version of the female Xiaohei. Through unknown methods, Xiaohei can enter Kowloon without his female copy disappearing. Kujirai B (鯨井B) Voiced by: Yuriko Yamaguchi (Japanese); Amber Lee Connors (English) Kujirai B is a deceased woman who bore a striking resemblance to Reiko. The alias was given by Yaomay. Two years older than Hajime, she served as his senior at Wong Loi Realty Company and was formerly engaged to him.

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.

Written and illustrated by Jun Mayuzuki, Kowloon Generic Romance was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from November 7, 2019, to April 16, 2026. Shueisha collected its 108 individual chapters in 12 tankōbon volumes, published from February 19, 2020, to April 17, 2026. In January 2022, Yen Press announced that it had licensed the manga for English release in North America. The first volume was released on August 9, 2022.

In October 2024, it was announced that the series would receive an anime television series adaptation. It is produced by Arvo Animation and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki, with series composition and episode screenplays by Jin Tanaka, character designs by Yuka Shibata, art direction by Yūji Kaneko, and music composed by Ryōhei Sataka. The series aired from April 5 to June 28, 2025, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates. 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. Crunchyroll is streaming the series. Medialink licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia for streaming on Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel.