Special Program Report: Climax Approaching for the Anime “Kowloon Generic Romance”! Haruka Shiraishi Gets Jealous of “Kujirai-B”!? “Kudō-san! Look This Way!”

Haruka Shiraishi Promises All Foreshadowing Will Be Paid Off—Excitement Builds for the Final Episode! Haruka Shiraishi & Tomokazu Sugita Discuss How They Approached Their Roles in the TV Anime “Kowloon Generic Romance”

The anime “Kowloon Generic Romance” is set in the nostalgically enchanting city of Kowloon Walled City. The story centers on Reiko Kujirai, who harbors a faint romantic feeling for her senior at work, Hajime Kudō. The story kicks off when Kujirai stumbles upon a single photograph and discovers that Kudō once had a fiancée who was a spitting image of herself. What follows is a mystery romance where the past, present, and future intertwine.

With deep themes, including the existence of “Kujirai-B,” who is identical to Reiko, and the mysteriously beautiful setting of Kowloon Walled City, the series is filled with many mysteries and foreshadowing elements that have attracted attention. The program first dove into an in-depth discussion of these fascinating characters.

Haruka Shiraishi explained that the protagonist, Reiko Kujirai, is a character who knows nothing about the mysteries of the city and approaches them alongside the viewers. She stated that in playing the role, she paid close attention to maintaining “the same perspective as the viewers.” Shiraishi shared, “At first, I was reading the manga, but I realized that if I went any further ahead, I’d know too much as Reiko and wouldn’t be able to perform genuinely. So I stopped reading the source material at that point and allowed myself to be swept up in the story together with Reiko, starting from zero.”

Next, Tomokazu Sugita introduced his character, Hajime Kudō, the other protagonist. Kudō interacts with both Reiko Kujirai, his junior, and Kujirai-B, his senior and former fiancée. NON STYLE’s Inoue, a fan of the original manga, praised the subtle distinction Sugita brings to Kudō's interactions with the two versions of Kujirai. Sugita responded with an embarrassed laugh at the compliment.

Meanwhile, Haruka Shiraishi admitted that she felt a bit envious of the mature allure exuded by Kujirai-B, played by Yuriko Yamaguchi. She enthusiastically praised Sugita’s performance, exclaiming, “That’s right! It’s amazing!” She then added, “But you know, it makes me jealous! You’re so kind to Kujirai-B. You’re really showing your masculine side! Look this way instead! (laughs) Watching the voice recording sessions sometimes made me feel a twinge of jealousy,” creating laughter in the studio.