While one cour was never going to be ideal for Kowloon Generic Romance, at least it’s getting an “old-school” cour – 13 episodes. Zygotes of the CR generation won’t remember of course, but 13 was the default for anime cours (apart from NoitaminA) for most of its history. And most series ran 26 eps at that – one cour shows were fairly rare. I actually had to double-check that before I started watching this week, because it just struck me that there was an insane amount of stuff still to cover here.
The funny this is, the plot itself has more or less been sorted, at least in terms of the mystery (barring some major finale hairpin turns). As I noted last week there are basically two major unsettled issues here. First, why is Reiko-pon – the de facto reason this Kowloon exists at all – the only thing that’s different from Hajime’s memory? And, what the message is regarding Kudou-san himself. With everyone else, it’s been a process of finding their zettai no jibbun – which basically means accepting their regrets about the past and moving on. But if Kudou does that, it seems very likely that this Kowloon – and Reiko – disappear. Which, you know, would suck for her.
There are still other questions regarding the mechanics of all this, obviously. Like what’s so special about Hajime than a massive shared hallucination can spring from his memories, and how that ties in with Generic Terra. But you get the sense that in the final analysis Mayuzuki Jun is less interested in that than in the character arcs. The fact is, while Reiko-pon is clearly the protagonist, it’s actually Hajime that’s the main character in terms of driving the events of the story. I get the sense that’s crucial in existential ways that aren’t entirely crystalized in my understanding yet.
One major thread that seems to have resolved with a whimper rather than a bang is Miyuki’s revenge arc. That was clearly a dead-end for him, as those who loved him have been trying to convince him. But the news that his stepfather is suffering from dementia has effectively robbed him of his motivation. What would be the point now? That doesn’t entirely resolve things for Yuulong, who still wants to see this Kowloon gone because even if Miyuki has abandoned the revenge idea, he’s still obsessed with this simulation or hallucination of whatever you wish to call it. It holds more appeal for him than the real Hong Kong and an empire and dying father he cares nothing for.
There is Gwen, of course, if Miyuki will let him in. And Gwen is nothing if not loyal – and persistent. Yuulong tries to abort the Kowloon program, seemingly (which it’s implied he created) bit Generic Terra refuses to cooperate. I wonder if the failed Terra experiment as a means of eternal life was somehow “hijacked” by Hajime, either consciously or subconsciously. Yuulong expresses to Yaomay (who herself hijacks Xiaohei’s phone to give Yuulong a piece of her mind) that he no longer needs to kill Kujirai Reiko. But when he tracks her down in Kowloon, it’s clear he hasn’t abandoned the idea by any means.
Reiko does manage to talk her way out of that peril for now, and Yuulong reveals that the drug that Kujirai-B was taking was a cold medicine that acted as a hallucinogenic in large doses. And Kowloon was destroyed as part of the coverup of that fiasco. In fact that suggests Kujirai-B’s death could have been an accidental overdose rather than a suicide, though that’s still speculation. Yuulong is visibly impressed by the nuance in Reiko’s personality – she shouldn’t exist, yet she does in a fashion that’s indistinguishable from humanity. That as much as her arguments are likely the reason he chose to let her try and resolve things herself.
In the end, though, this really comes down to Kudou Hajime. What’s so special about him that he could make all this happen? The degree to which his consciousness controls Kowloon’s fate is exemplified by the impact his troubling conversation with Reiko-pon (where she admits she knows everything) has on the city. The fate of this Kowloon is the fate of that goldfish bowl, precariously teetering on Reiko’s shelf. In theory Hajime needs to d0 what Yaomay and Xiaohei and now even Miyuki are doing – accept their past, confront their regrets, and move on. The fact that an entire world and a woman who loves him (who he may love back) will likely disappear if he does makes all this very complicated, however.
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