Kowloon Generic Romance Volume 10 Review

Warning: Spoilers!

“The Kowloon demolition will probably begin this fall. That means my summer’s coming to an end.” Reiko Kujirai ‘B’.

Reiko Kujirai now knows that the reason she has no memories of a life before Kowloon Walled City (or G for Generic Kowloon) is because she doesn’t exist outside the city. She’s been created as a replica/Generic of Reiko Kujirai who died three summers ago but even though she resembles her physically in every way, she is – very much so – her own person. But, having found Kujirai B’s glasses in her apartment, she’s been seeing glimpses of past events, people, and places that B witnessed. Yet, as part of the Generic Terra experiment put in place by Hebinuma Senior, her life is in danger as Yulong, who works for Hebinuma, has told Xiaohei to kill her. She’s also obsessively checking out the talisman stickers plastering the walls because some of them have mysterious messages (such as ‘403 Forbidden’) on the reverse side.

Meanwhile, Reiko’s best friend, Yaomay, has come to a decision about her own future. On a trip to Hong Kong, she has met Yulong and learned (not just from him) some bitter truths about G-Kowloon (Yulong is unable to see the bustling Kowloon that Reiko and the others inhabit). Inspired by Reiko’s determination to be her ‘absolute self’, Yaomay realizes she has to stop running away from her past. She decides to pack her bags, say farewell to Reiko, not knowing if they’ll meet again or not, and goes back to Hong Kong, accompanied by Xiaohei.

Miyuki Hebinuma has gone back to G-Kowloon, perhaps in the vain hope of finding some trace of his dead mother. It’s there that he encounters a very desultory Kudou, Kujirai B’s fiancé, whom he goads into punching him – and then delivers quite a few home truths, as well as another interpretation of the events of three years ago which stops Kudou in his tracks.

Running through the whole volume is the theme of summer coming to an end (the fateful August 30-31^st) and the little red pills, created by Hebinuma Pharmaceuticals as a cold remedy but which turned out to be lethal to some people, ending in a complete ban. Used as a recreational drug by others, taking them turns the tongue red. It seems the talismans can lead those in the know to a source of this banned and potentially lethal drug. So why does Yulong hand over a packet to Reiko when he spots her investigating the talismans, saying with a casual grin, “I reckon you might need these too?”

Since I reviewed Volume 9 of Jun Mayuzuki’s compelling manga back in April, we’ve had the anime adaptation and the live-action film (not yet available in the West) which have brought the title to a much wider audience.

It’s difficult to do justice in a short review to the richness of invention that Jun Mayuzuki has packed into this volume – or the intricately detailed illustrations. There’s a flashback to when Miyuki and Yulong were children and first learned the truth about the mysterious red pills from Dr. Wong, who sternly warns them that they mean death. There’s a lovely little scene with the two maids at the Hebinuma Residence in Hong Kong. There’s even a recap (‘Yaomay version’) of past events given by Gene Terra, the mascot, at the beginning of Chapter 80. There are explanations – but these often lead to more questions. When Reiko goes to Kudou’s apartment (he’s failed to show up at work again) she begins to witness scenes from Kudou and B’s life together, leading up to that fateful end of August day. He’s just lying on the bed, unmoving, maybe asleep? Whose memories is she reliving? His? Or Kujirai B’s? Is Gene Terra, high above in the sky, causing her to experience these vivid scenes?

In some ways, Reiko’s quiet self-determination to be herself, even though Kudou (whom she’s fallen for) is maybe beyond her reach, locked as he is, in the past – is mirrored by Gwen’s stuborn determination to somehow win back Miyuki.

The latest volume (#10) in Yen Press’s excellent translation (Amanda Haley) is again very well lettered by Abigail Blackman and comes with a colour page at the front and a page of translation notes at the back. Extras include two 4-panel manga and the author’s excitement at the making of the anime series and the live action film gets (understandably) a whole page! Volume 11 came out in April in Japan and it’s currently scheduled by Yen Press for May 2026.

This volume begins – unusually – with a quotation from Happiness by Carl Hilty (1833-1909): ‘The person who goes to bed eager to rise the next morning is happy’. The splash page shows an inverted image of Kujirai B sitting on the chair on her balcony. The image reappears at the end of the volume but by then we know too well what it means. The significance…? “You want it to always be the same summer?” Kudou asks Kujirai B before he proposes and she answers with a grin, “Yup.” Is everyone in Generic Kowloon still living Kujirai B’s endless summer?

Even if you enjoyed (as I did) the anime TV series, you won’t want to miss this latest volume in English – and if you’ve just been following the manga, this one’s an absolute must-have! It’s still one of the best mystery/psychological manga (alongside The Summer Hikaru Died) out there.

Our review copy was supplied by Yen Press.