The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

Minato's Laundromat

What's It About? 

Akira Minato inherits an old, rundown laundromat from his grandfather, and takes the opportunity to quit his corporate job. Instead of the laidback life he was expecting, his days are spent in a flustered panic when high school hottie, Shintaro Katsuki, ambles into his life...

Minato's Laundromat has a story by Yuzu Tsubaki and art by Sawa Kanzume. The English translation is by Lisa Coffin, with lettering and touch-up by Carolina Hernandez. Published by Yen Press (October 17, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

How much you enjoy Minato's Laundromat may depend on your tolerance for age gap stories: the eponymous Minato is in his early thirties while his love interest, Shin, is seventeen. That's big enough to be a deal breaker for some readers, and the fact that Shin is the aggressor to Minato's horror may not take the sting out. It's worth noting that Minato is resisting falling in love (or into bed) with Shin with everything he's got – he won't invite Shin up to his apartment, he draws as many physical lines as he needs to, and so on, so things may not heat up at all until Shin's legal. There's not even any kissing in this volume, although it's not for lack of Shin trying.

All of that aside, the story is adorable. Minato was burning himself out at a corporate job when his grandfather, who owned a laundromat for decades, mentioned that he wanted to retire. Although he doesn't say it, it seems clear that he offered the business to Minato because he saw what being a salaryman was doing to his grandson's health. It's just as evident that Minato appreciated the opportunity. Now, while Grandpa enjoys his retirement (there's a mention of luxury cruises with his wife), Minato spends his days running the admittedly slow business. The customer base skews elderly, and once he's made little improvements like installing AC, he doesn't have a tough time of it…at least until seventeen-year-old Shin walks in.

Their relationship at this point is really that of friends, with Shin aspiring to more. The story does a very nice job of implying things without spelling them out (like with how Minato came to run the laundromat), and it seems very likely that Minato is the first openly gay adult Shin has ever met. At first Minato's afraid that he's been too open, but Shin's issue isn't discomfort with his new pal; it takes him barely a chapter to start acting on his feelings. It doesn't appear that either of them has a vast romantic legacy, but even setting that aspect of the story aside, their friendship comes across as being very solid. They enjoy each other's company, they have similar interests, and quite frankly age doesn't need to factor into friendship at all. Watching them grow closer and Minato wrestle with the appropriateness of his feelings provides most of the tension in the book, and again, if you can get past that age gap, it's really very cute. The art is pleasant, the characters engaging, and if it isn't the fastest moving BL romance out there, it's definitely in the running for one that I'm curious to see where it goes.