Based off the Japanese manga series, "Minato Trading Coin Laundry." It was written by Yuzu Tsubaki and illustrated by Sawa Kanzume. It became live-action in July 7, 2022 to September 22, 2022 with the second season released in July 2023.
The story is about Akira Minato, who quits his stressful job in the city for a simple life; one that's peaceful and located in his hometown, where he used to grow up in. However, he knows that deep down inside he’s always been different from the others.
As a gay man, who grew up in the early 80s, he keeps this secret to himself and from his parents. Until, one day a high school student suddenly appears to his laundromat, named Katsuki Shintaro. Now, little does Minato know that Shintaro has been overly obsessed with Akira for awhile now, and he happens to be 18 years old. This is where the trouble begins...
Akira is 30 years old and throughout the series, Minato avoids Shintaro for a number of reasons, but the age gap is one of them. Shintaro is madly in love with Minato to the point of literally stalking him everywhere. This series is hilarious, because of the awkward situations that they always find themselves in. Not only is Minato very uncomfortable with the idea that someone might actually like him, but he tries to be a good friend or father figure to Shintaro.
Minato doesn't stay too long with Shintaro nor does he overstep his boundaries, despite the fact that his heart is pounding so loudly in his chest. Minato is also a swimming coach, who helps during the Summer or Spring holidays when students are out of school. He trains the swimming team, so they can get better next year and win at the competition.
The main reason why he does this is because his former high school teacher and mentor, who he once had a crush on, asks him for assistance. Another reason is that Minato used to be on the same swimming team and was a very athletic student. However, an accident occurred which left Minato unable to continue his swimming lessons or to ever compete in the competitions again.
Coincidentally, the student Shintaro also happens to be a swimmer too... but due to a recent shoulder injury, he decides to become a doctor instead. Shintaro is the total opposite of Minato and many times he's very determined, possessive, and willing to pounce on Minato at any minute. If the age difference is a problem to you, just know that Akira waits for Shintaro to turn 20 before they actually start dating.
The show is sweet and charming. It’s not graphic besides a few kisses, mostly from Shintaro sneaking up on Akira and not the other way around. Also, Minato is very shy, nervous, and extremely stubborn. His stubbornness can be really bad and since he’s the oldest, he doesn’t like being told what to do and many times he pushes Shintaro away.
I found their relationship to be more of a slow burn and none of the events are glossed over or rushed through. Minato has a lot of past trauma, because of the crush he had on his teacher/mentor. It takes him a long time to come to the realization that he needs to overcome it and move on.
It's a good show with plenty of humor and interesting characters. I found that most of the characters are well developed and likable. They weren’t annoying, rude, and what not. If you're looking for a good show about friendship and love, this series would be just right for you. It’s wholesome and cute.
In the second season though, there's a bit of an error in the timeline and Akira is 29, not 30. That was the only thing that threw me off a bit. Why does a one-year age difference matter? Maybe what they should've done is just make Shintaro a little older, but he's going to college at this point so technically he's already an adult, according to the laws they have in Japan. I don’t see what the big deal is...
Is a 10-year age gap really that bad? I mean, I've seen worse with straight couples, but Shintaro is clearly not a child and quite tall, even taller than Minato by a few inches. So I don't see what the problem is with their ages, since they're both consenting adults.
At the very least it's not some creepy serial killer series, which it could've been with Shintaro's aggressive personality, but thankfully it's not. I don't know if there's going to be a third season, so I think for now it's just two seasons with each episode being about 45 minutes or less. Each season is about 10-12 episodes. There's also another set of characters that are somewhat in a relationship, but its difficult to explain.
There's not an age gap problem, like our two leads... they both are the same age range, it's just that one of them seems to have Autism, but he's super smart and a mentor at a school. He has a hard time showing emotions or connecting with people in general, since he's always been distant and somewhat of a loner. I like the second couple's unique traits and personalities. It wasn't overly done and I thought it was a good side story from the main characters.
If you're looking for an easy-going and not complicated show, this would be right in your lane. The score I would give for this series is an A-.
If you're wondering why the minus it's because of the minor continuity error in season two. Maybe they were in such a hurry to get season two out as quickly as possible, but that should've been caught early on, since its basically part of the plot. Anyway, great story overall and I would definitely recommend a watch.