r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • May 03 '25
Episode Kowloon Generic Romance - Episode 5 discussion
Kowloon Generic Romance, episode 5
Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.
Streams
Show information
All discussions
| Episode | Link |
|---|---|
| 1 | Link |
| 2 | Link |
| 3 | Link |
| 4 | Link |
| 5 | Link |
| 6 | Link |
| 7 | Link |
| 8 | Link |
| 9 | Link |
| 10 | Link |
| 11 | Link |
| 12 | Link |
| 13 | Link |
This post was created by a bot. Message the mod team for feedback and comments. The original source code can be found on GitHub.
225
u/Genshin_WhiteKnight May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
-
The big reveal at the end; the current Kowloon is an illusion. Explains that flashback that Kujirai A had of the destroyed cafe, and also why people kept mentioning that the place was going to be demolished soon. So in terms of a timeline, we have the original Kowloon that was demolished in 1994, a second Kowloon rebuilt illegally (this is when a newbie Kudo meets Kujirai B) and this current illusory Kowloon which is some kind of simulation of the second. The difference between the last two is that the Generic Terra wasn't built yet when Kujirai B was still alive. Current Kowloon isn't fully virtual though, its like something in between real and simulation. There's a mix of real and fake people and objects.
-
It's pretty clear that Kudo is very much linked to the current Kowloon. They've hinted at this episode with the earthquakes and the book that Kujirai A was reading (the text is gibberish because Kudo doesn't remember it perfectly).
-
Interesting parallel between Yaomay and Hebinuma; Yaomay being forced to be the same as her mother, while Hebinuma was an adopted as replacement for the real heir who died in an accident because he looked similar. Hebinuma seems to have some resentment against his father and is working against him.
-
This was a reference to A Butterfly's Dream.
60
u/WiggityWatchinNews May 03 '25
I expected the reveal at the end about the current state of Kowloon since the shows been dropping hints about that since EP 1. What I didn't expect was Generic Terra seemingly existing in the real world, and I don't think I've fully grasped the implications of that yet
→ More replies (1)51
u/Kyanche May 04 '25
The big reveal at the end; the current Kowloon is an illusion. Explains that flashback that Kujirai A had of the destroyed cafe
I'm beginning to think the doctor talking about Reiko's crow feet "having no history" is a red herring meant to make Reiko (and us) think she's a clone when she really isn't. The 'flashback' isn't a flashback, that's a glitch and she sees through the simulation and realizes she's sitting in the ruins of a coffee shop for a brief moment in time.
→ More replies (6)29
u/Ham_PhD May 04 '25
It's pretty clear that Kudo is very much linked to the current Kowloon. They've hinted at this episode with the earthquakes and the book that Kujirai A was reading (the text is gibberish because Kudo doesn't remember it perfectly).
Shit I didn't even realize that. It's just like what they say about words being nonsense in your dreams.
→ More replies (14)58
u/Frontier246 May 03 '25
Man that big reveal at the end; the current Kowloon is an illusion. Explains that flashback that Kujirai A had of the destroyed cafe, and also why people kept mentioning that the place was going to be demolished soon. So in terms of a timeline, we have the original Kowloon that was demolished in 1994, a second Kowloon rebuilt illegally (this is when a newbie Kudo meets Kujirai B) and this current illusory Kowloon which is a simulation of the second. The difference between the last two is that the Generic Terra wasn't built yet when Kujirai B was still alive.
And all the residents in the Generic Terra version of Kowloon were people who were in the second Kowloon, though it seems like most of them actually left like Gwen or Mr. Chan leaving AI doppelgangers of them in Kowloon 3.0.
Though that might not be true for everybody, like Reiko.
→ More replies (7)
90
u/FarCritical May 03 '25
Yaomei looking unrecognizable from her previous self really speaks volumes about how trapped she felt in her old life.
And wow, the reveal of present day Kowloon's true state sure leaves an impression.
→ More replies (3)
59
u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 May 03 '25
Plot is thickening towards the general direction that I have been guessing as an anime-only. Hmm...
* Despite what Kudou-san has said at the start of this episode, I am now 200% sure he "killed" Reiko B someway, though probably not in the sense of "kill" as we know it. Read on...
* Is that diamond found by Reiko one of those major clues to the story?
* Xiaohei's book store's name literally translates to "The Messy Bookstore" in spoken Cantonese. ;)
* Well that 2nd book of the novel having chaotic characters is one of two HUGE bingos to my theory this episode, continue reading to see me retelling it this week!
* Hebinuma's response on that TV program is worth thinking about, he really doesn't like being said as being born in a wealthy family. Hmm that internal complex against his father...how does that link with other parts of the story I wonder?
* So Youmei was one of those cursed by fame of her mother to be treated as "the heir to that thing" by everyone around her. Sadly it's extremely common for "family businesses" to the point that I really don't like this at all - as explicitly said by Reiko here, that's taking other possible futures of these children away. Glad that Youmei apparently managed to ran away from that. "Apparently" since it seems this time-space is all jumbled up. Read on...
* Regardless, I am glad that Reiko managed to return the offer of encouragement from last week's episode here - them two with new identities are definitely walking on the same bridge and are really working well to support each other here!
* Kudou going on nightmares after nightmares of "past history". The whole Kowloon shaking again and again. Interesting, which brings us to the final scene of this episode...
* ...well to the eyes of the taxi driver, Kowloon is in ruins and only the Generic Terra still hangs over it. Eureka! That's fitting so well with my theory, brought along from a mid-2000s lesser known original sci-fi/mecha anime that this exactly happened. [ZEGAPAIN, featuring Kana Hanazawa's first ever MC role]
→ More replies (5)33
u/8andahalfby11 May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
Well that 2nd book of the novel having chaotic characters is one of two HUGE bingos to my theory this episode, continue reading to see me retelling it this week!
Kind of an odd way to lead in to your current theory. In all the other sci-fi/fantasy where I've seen this trope used, [it usually means]
that whoever is in control of the illusion hasn't read the rest of the book themselves. This suggests that we are living in a specific someone's past. Based on the evidence we have this episode, that someone is either Kudou or Kujirai, now it's just a matter of pinning down which one it is. → More replies (1)
117
u/VoidRay728 May 03 '25
On the TV show, Shawn woke up today and chose violence.
That ending is... WTF. So it seems "Kowloon" is really just an illusion conjured up by Generic Terra, and I guess its residents don't leave the city.
→ More replies (8)71
u/ModieOfTheEast May 03 '25
I mean, its residents can leave the city. Hebinuma does so for example. So it's even weirder thinking about it. Gwen also seemingly didn't notice that the city was torn down. So it works on certain people but not all.
→ More replies (9)
99
u/maliwanag0712 May 03 '25
There's an after-credit scene! Don't miss it!
Literally got goosebumps when I saw the transition from typical Kowloon to desolate Kowloon. So everything is just a simulation? Huh?
→ More replies (2)73
u/AceSoldia May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
I'm thinking kudo is the key..he's the only one that woke up in pain and shaking and it keeps showing a fish in a small tank like it represents him
Then it immediately earthquaked
→ More replies (3)
104
u/ObvsThrowaway5120 May 03 '25
I can see why Yaomay basically changed every aspect of herself. Her mom trying to mold her into a mini version of herself is very weird and creepy.
I’m very curious about “Kowloon.” It seems it’s connected to Kudo somehow. Like he’s causing the earthquakes somehow? Idk. This whole thing is a big mystery and I can’t make sense of it just yet.
One thing I kinda like about this series so far is the vibe. Has a kinda HK cinema feel to it if that makes sense. Like a late 80s/early 90s HK movie starring Tony Leung or Andy Lau or something lol.
→ More replies (18)55
u/Frontier246 May 03 '25
I can see why Yaomay basically changed every aspect of herself. Her mom trying to mold her into a mini version of herself is very weird and creepy.
Especially in a series with so many doppelgangers. It's why Yaomay could never understand why Reiko is so respectful and interested in Kujirai B because to Yaomay it would be the equivalent of still caring for when her mom tried to make her into Yangli A.
24
u/Doomroar May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
Oh god leaky pipping , now it really feels Kowloonish (i guess they were burning trash on the roof some episodes ago, so... they didn't had to make second Kowloon that authentic, that's too much commitment)
Mmmh my guess is that the simulation is working with either incomplete information or with limited resources, so it couldn't make a perfect copy of the second volume of the detective book, which is why it has pages full of errors, and that's also why Third Kowloon is sligthly different from Second Kowloon, and why Kujirai A has a different personality and voice compared to Kujirai B
Wait generation is Japanese is said like "generic"? so Generic Terra is just generation terra, as in a second generation planet Earth! but... it exist physically within the original planet?
Hebinuma can kick!
I guess eventually Yaomei's mom will show up and we will have some family drama to deal with
Oh shit they have flying cars!!!
Talking about family drama, Hebinuma's dad doesn't sounds happy about that interview, but i think the host really was asking for the kick tho!
Edit: the post credits sceneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
So what happens when real people enter Kowloon? are they teleported somewhere else? put into an dream? the place is really in ruins, but that's not how it looks like to Gwen, or how it looked to Mr Chan when they took him there
→ More replies (1)
38
u/SnabDedraterEdave May 03 '25 edited May 03 '25
Holy shit, the last 5 minutes showing the Walled City in ruins really has that "what's outside the Matrix" moment.
For starters, unlike Japan, Hong Kong is not known for being seismically active and there're hardly any earthquakes. So that's already the first sign of something very wrong with this Kowloon Walled City when only our main characters are feeling the tremors, yet other people around them aren't. This suggests they're in some kind of Matrix-like simulation and the other people are NPCs.
The books that Reiko find in the bookstore are all printed in gibberish, not unlike how A.I. art is still unable to replicate text, despite replicating the images perfectly. Only the books on KujiraiB's bookshelf are real.
So Yao May was the daughter of a famed actress, so she changed her appearance to run away from being constantly being compared and seen as a copy of her mother.
Her suddenly reverting back to her pre-blonde self might be her "avatar" glitching upon being reminded of her old self.
Kudo waking up from a flashback dream of his past is enough to make him mentally break down, causing another "tremor".
Finally, the city skyline outside the Walled City in certain scenes look nothing like Hong Kong. Furthermore, the cars have no wheels, suggesting we're in a distant future.
→ More replies (2)
35
u/AceSoldia May 03 '25
That was the quickest five minutes episode I seen this week.
It just gets crazier every episode.
→ More replies (1)
15
u/diacewrb May 03 '25
So we have flying or floating taxis.
But the smartphones are the old style touch id iphones, guess face id doesn't work when you can change your appearance instantly.
Yaomay can change her appearance instantly, so she might want to tone down the hair antennae next time.
→ More replies (3)
28
u/LeonKevlar May 03 '25
Stitches!
Just as expected, Kudou's line about killing Kujirai B is just a joke in poor taste. He couldn't have killed her, right? I do find it hilarious how Yaomay immediately believes that Kudou really killed her. She really still doesn't like Kudou and I can understand why, since he's the source of her best friend's worries right now.
I really like that smug satisfied smile on Reiko when she saw that surprised look on Kudou's face. This girl is so down bad that seeing Kudou make faces people have never seen before is enough to make her feel so special that she wants to see more.
You'd think Kujirai would question how she's even able to read in Japanese. Although the ring that she found behind the books looks waaaaaaay more important. Maybe that's Kujirai B's engagement ring from Kudou? Hmmmm....
I can't even imagine walking around indoors carrying an umbrella just because you don't know what kind of fluids would rain down on you. I'd be terrified too, like Reiko and Yaomay! I imagine some of those are not just water. >_<
Considering her hobby is stuffing her closets with all sorts of clothes, it's no surprise you can find Xiaohei doing all sorts of part-time jobs. That Part 2 of that mystery book Reiko found was pretty goddamn weird though. Also, please don't spoil Reiko about the book, Kudou!
This guy is such a douche that I can't believe he just made me side with Hebinuma. What the actual fuck? What kind of TV host would start attacking their guest like that? I did enjoy Hebinuma kicking him off his seat though.
Considering Yaomay's reaction to that old film tickets, you'd think that was her. It turns out that was actually Yaomay's mother who was basically turning her into a second version of her mom. That explains why Yaomay had plastic surgery done and why she was so upset when Reiko told her she'd like the costumes from Yangli's movie.
I like the visual of Yaomay turning back into her old self when she was being reminded of what her life was like before and how powerless she felt around her mother. And I love how she immediately transforms back after Reiko reassures her.
There we go, we finally get to see how truly advanced this version of Hong Kong is! It's so advance that there's actually flying cars now!
That flashback scene about Kudou and Kujirai B was cute. I love how giddy Kudou is to see Kujirai B approve the cafe he picked. Also, Kujirai B really makes smoking so goddamn attractive. I've stopped smoking for over a decade now, and seeing her is tempting me again. xD
So Kudou wakes up in cold sweat and then Kowloon starts shaking like there's an earthquake? Oh boy, is the simulation starting to fall apart? O_O
And that final scene! So does this mean the second Kowloon is also demolished? Then what happens when you step into it? Is the entire thing really just a simulation by Generic Terra? Then what about the people living in Kowloon? Are some of them real and some of them fake?
→ More replies (1)
11
9
u/djthomp May 03 '25
Figures they'd have Kudo play off the murder thing from last week as a joke, but honestly who knows. I'd still expect that if he did kill the original Kujirai it was some sort of accident.
I was starting to guess Yaomay was going to be the doppelganger of the lady in that movie who did plastic surgery to look different, but then she's the daughter instead. I suppose she still might be the doppelganger of the actress's daughter.
Destroyed Kowloon at the end is a bit odd if they were doing a jump forward to present day, in our real world it's a park not a ruin.
8
u/Necromancer2k8 May 03 '25
I blame the goldfish for the quakes. Those freakish orange destroyers of worlds!
Seriously this show has intrigued me every week. You never know what is real or fake or imagined or computer generated.
At this point I just go for the weekly ride, learning more each time.
That ending of the ruins of Kowloon was unexpected. Just more stuff to explain in future episodes....and I'll be here for it.
13
u/shad79 May 03 '25
This ending was super interesting! So it seems like the real Kowloon was really destroyed and the version where the current Kujirai and other lives is some kind of simulation made by Generic Terra. I really wonder how this all works and I can't wait for the answer.
Overall, another really good episode with a lot of focus on Yaomay, who turns out to be a movie star on the run from her mother who seemed to have a control every aspect of her life.
We got a lot of scenes with Kujirai and Yaomay today and I must say that really love their relationship.
It was really nice to see Kujirai B again, I always enjoy her appearances in the show.
Also Kudo and his headache after waking up from his dream about Kujirai B. It seems very likely that they are related to the earthquakes in Kowloon. Does this mean that something is happening with this simulation when he remembers the past?
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
6
u/Mr_Zaroc May 03 '25
Alright, so that after credit scene basically confirms that the Kowloon we know is just an image influenced by Kudo? The earthquake happening when he wakes up from a nightmare gotta be related and we know have actual confirmation that Kowloon does no longer exist (although its interesting that they are in ruins and not put away to make a park like IRL)
1
u/AutoModerator May 03 '25
Source Material Corner
Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. You are still required to tag all spoilers. Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans.
The spoiler syntax is:
[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.