As I’ve noted, Kowloon Generic Romance presents itself as a triptych for me. That is the mystery, the romance and character drama, and the world-building of Kowloon itself. What I suspect is happening here is that the pacing of the anime forces the first of those to dominate more than in the original, because that’s generally what happens when manga (or any other source material) get compressed for scheduling purposes. In order to make the plot function you have to lose some of the color, the texture, the narrative background detail.  It’s not really a choice, it’s unavoidable.

But here’s the caveat to that. With apologies to disappointed manga readers (of whose number I have often been one), this is still great.  Kowloon still comes alive spectacularly – the flaking point, the antiquated Coke machine, the food. The characters are still fascinating individuals, brilliantly written. I have a vague awareness of an occasional “whoosh” as we blow past something we should linger on. And that perhaps constitutes the difference between a great show (which this is, so far) and what could theoretically be a generational masterpiece. That’s all speculation – I haven’t read the manga. But it feels like it might be pretty on-point.

It’s possible that the riddle of this Kowloon and this Kujirai Reiko might be less opaque if we’d arrived at this point more deliberately. It’s also possible that we’re not supposed to be able to connect more of the dots yet (and either way, I’m fine with where we are). Kujirai-B seems like a pretty reliable witness based on her role in the story, and when she says this is the “second Kowloon” I see no reason to disbelieve her. Nor when she says “Kowloon was recreated illegally after it was removed” – though the meaning of that is itself pretty opaque.

What else do we have here? Gwen (Hebinuma lover version) refers to Reiko as a “fake” Kujirai. Hebinuma is struck when told she has the same mole as Kujirai-B, and explicitly says moles aren’t recreated on “clones”. Indeed Reiko being a clone is an Occam’s Razor answer in some ways, but there’s so much it doesn’t explain. Indeed every indication here is that this is all some sort of simulation put together by or through Generic Terra, but if that’s the case, none of these people are “real” in the conventional sense. So what meaning does being a clone have in that context?

Yaomay is a key figure this week. Her interest in helping Reiko find herself seems genuine, rather that a role she’s playing in a staged farce. Yaomay encourages Reiko to move out of Kujirai’s apartment and get a fresh start. She shows Reiko her cubic zirconia “diamond” earrings, and notes that’s seen a (since deleted) online post about experimentation on special clones called “Zirconians”. Yaomay also makes it clear that whatever Reiko is, she doesn’t give a fig. She’s a “fake” herself, the product of plastic surgery. Zirconias still shine beautifully. And Reiko is as real to her as anyone could possibly be.

Hajime is, in many ways, as essential a character as Reiko. It’s his agony over what’s happened – whatever that is – that emotionally underpins the story. What a torture for him, to see a woman every day who looks and smells (though not sounds) and feels exactly like the one he loved, but isn’t. Add to that his apparent guilt over her death – he tells Reiko that he “killed” Kujirai, though I’m certain there’s far more to it than that. Kudou-san is a wiseass by nature, but it’s a front. He’s clearly a romantic of the first order and a sentimental fool, and his irreverence with Reiko (like that blowing smoke thing) is the only way he can cope.

The final puzzle piece entering the picture this week is Mr. Chen (Yamamoto Kanehira), from the Mahjong circle. Hebinuma-sensei brings him into the office, and one of his people brings someone else into Kowloon – someone we can assume is “another” Chen-san. And, seemingly, this causes the first Chen to disappear. Just as the “fake Gwen” disappears according to Hebinuma, much to the “real” Gwen’s delight. Well, clones don’t just disappear because the original (or another clone) shows up. So something technology-based – or metaphysically-based – is clearly going on here. But I’m fine with Kowloon Generic Romance taking its time in clarifying just what. In fact I wish it had even more time to take doing it.