Minato Shouji Coin Laundry: A Summer Love Sprouting in a Laundromat

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry is a 2022, 12-episode Japanese BL series. With its episodes averaging 26 minutes, it is the kind of production to be finished in one sitting. Being a BL manga adaptation, the series should also be on the radar of manga lovers. As I will write below, do not avoid watching it just because it was made in 2022 and is an old series. Series do not have an expiration date. It definitely needs to be on the list of BL series enthusiasts in particular.

There are themes of loneliness, friendship, slowly developing emotions, and settling accounts with the past in the series. There are more or less school, high school themes too. Now, the details.

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Minato Shouji Coin Laundry (2022) Plot and Summary

30-year-old Minato Akira is an introverted, quiet man in his own world who runs a laundromat in a quiet, calm neighborhood. His life is monotonous and his social circle is quite narrow. Until one day, he encounters high school student Katsuki Shintaro. Shintaro is an energetic, outspoken, and extroverted youth. He starts stopping by the laundromat frequently; ostensibly to study, but actually his purpose is different: to be close to Akira.

Over time, a warm friendship begins between the duo. Minato confesses after a while that he is gay. However, for Shintaro, this is not a problem – on the contrary, the young student realizes over time that he has fallen in love with Akira and courageously reveals his feelings as well. But Akira approaches this love with distance due to both the age gap and his own suppressed past. On one hand, the courage to love again; on the other hand, the society’s perspective and the age gap dilemma…

As relationships progress, someone from Akira’s past enters the scene: The teacher he was in love with in high school is now appointed to Shintaro’s school. While this development triggers Shintaro’s feelings of jealousy, it is also understood that the young student’s paths somehow crossed with Akira in the past. It turns out Akira was an important figure who influenced Shintaro’s life in his childhood.

Series Review and Commentary

Minato, as a quiet laundromat owner trying to cope with his traumas, learns both to accept his sexual orientation and to be happy. He learns to be himself, to make sense of his emotions, and most importantly, courage. The arrival of young Shin, adding new energy to Minato’s life, is very sincere. And despite the age gap between them, they establish a deep bond. We should also read the theme that love, communication, and attraction have no age and gender. The series explains very sincerely that love knows no boundaries by overcoming the internal conflicts of the characters. I found the series very sincere. The inner world and psychological depth of the characters are very realistic.

If you ask is the series worth watching? Yes, it is worth watching. Series do not have an expiration date. The series also surpasses classic BL cinematography with its scenes taking place in the laundromat from which it takes its name. In this sense, the series also brought to my mind thematic associations with the movie My Beautiful Laundrette.

The “luxury life fetishism” into which BL productions frequently fall is practically non-existent in this series, and I liked this very much. In this BL series, having an ordinary, more modest environment is another aspect that I liked.

I gave a link for the Manga Adaptation. For details, Details: mydramalist might be useful. Another name of the series is Wash My Heart! I liked this name much more. It didn’t feel not too wild 🙂

Cast and Characters

Takuya Kusakawa (Minato Akira) → Quiet, emotionally cautious but sincere; trying to get rid of the burdens of the past. Sho Nishigaki (Shin Sakuma) → Young, cheerful, and brave; brings fresh hope to Minato’s world. Tomoya Oku (Asuka) → Minato’s close friend; both a supportive and realistic observer.