La lavandería de Minato nº 01

みなと商事コインランドリー [Minato Shōji Coin Laundry] #1

by Sawa Kanzume (Artist), Yuzu Tsubaki (Story)

Akira Minato ha aceptado hacerse cargo de la lavandería de autoservicio de su abuelo, un local antiguo sin aire acondicionado. Akira es un muchacho relajado que dejó su antiguo empleo en una gran compañía para disfrutar de una vida más tranquila. Un día, su camino se cruza con el de Shintaro Katsuki, un estudiante de secundaria que pronto se convierte en cliente asiduo de la lavandería. A pesar de la diferencia de edad, se hacen amigos enseguida, pero cuando Shintaro descubre que Akira es gay.

Genres: Manga, Romance, LGBT, Boys Love, Yaoi, Fiction, Queer

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2020

Reviews

[L Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's too bad that so many people are put off by the age gap in this manga. Personally, I thought it was very cute, and I love that Shin, the 17 year old, is the one pursuing Minato. Minato - who is in his early(?) 30s - is desperately trying to be the "responsible adult," but it's hard when Shin aggressively refuses to give up. 🤭😆

For those wondering, nothing sexual occurs between the characters since Minato truly does not allow anything to happen. It's true that he's attracted to Shin, but he's also aware of how that attraction and their relationship would look to others. Because of some of the language, this probably should have been rated Older Teen instead of just Teen, but honestly, it's nothing anyone living in this day and age hasn't heard before.

The art style is attractive, the atmosphere is laid back. I like how open and honest the characters are with each other, and I lived for Shin's moments of unexpected intensity. 😅 I am very much looking forward to the next volume. 5 stars 🖤

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, that was a kind of uncomfortable read.

I don't think I'd have bought this if I'd read any reviews first. The thing you need to know is it's an age gap story, and while I'm baffled by the number of young people online who seem to think it should be a crime to date anyone who doesn't share your exact birthday, in this case one of them is 17, and the other's over 30. So yeah, not super comfortable with that.

At least as far as this volume goes (there seem to be 3 volumes out so far in english) there's no sex or anything. Basically, thirty-something year old Minato accidentally outs himself to Shin while they're chatting one day in the laundromat Mintao runs, and next thing he knows Shin is in hot pursuit. Minato has to keep his guard up fending off Shin's advances, and is constantly reminding himself? the reader? Shin? that Shin is off-limits. The way it's handled is actually pretty funny. It's more the inherent implication that this situation will eventually change that makes it uncomfortable.

I do like the art and character designs. It does have that ageless thing where everybody but the very old and very young are indistinguishable in age. Looking at the cover again after reading it, maybe the fact one of them's in casual clothes while the other's in clothes that look very high school uniform might imply an age difference to a Japanese person, but idk.

Don't think I'll continue with this one.

[Imanewreader ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

cw- age gap (high schooler x adult )

minato-san owns a laundromat. one day he meets a young man he finds very attractive, turns out he is a high schooler. feeling develop, but katsuki is still too young.
what will happen.

the chara design is gorgeous. really loved it!
bring up to my man, minato, for not being a groomer. story is cute but katsuki, as all teenager, is a bit too pushy for my liking..

[Cugs · Rating 1 out of 5]

the plot was cute in theory but like why make Minato a 30 something year old but Shin 17

[grayi ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artstyle is cute, they look squishy.

I'm not a fan of the dynamic and I don't feel that much chemistry between them but hey, they have a BIG age gap and, for once, the older dude sets boundaries and does worries about the fact that Shin is a minor. Which is the bare minimum tbh but still hard to see on any bl.

[airany · Rating 3 out of 5]

amo consumir obras donde pueda añadir más pokemones a mi kageyamaverse 💙

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot. I know a lot of people won't be able to see past the age gap and that's completely valid, but this worked so well for me. They are both such lovable idiots, and the combination of Akira's well intentioned reluctance and Shin's undying devotion, leads to so many sweet and funny moments.

[Katarzyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

hmmm YEah umm i dunno it was good i'm curious how this will play out (I'm VERY fine with them not being together pls)

[frau.meln · Rating 3 out of 5]

Der Auftakt von Minato‘s coin laundry war sehr durchwachsen für mich. Zugutehalten kann ich diesem Auftakt definitiv die offene, manchmal sehr direkte Umgangssprache. Vielleicht musste ich auch zwei Mal sehr laut auflachen. 🤪 Einige Szenen fand ich durchaus witzig, andere hingegen waren ein bisschen cringe.

Meine erste Hürde war jedoch, dass der deutliche Altersunterschied den Charakteren einfach nicht anzusehen ist. Außerdem deren Verhaltensweisen nicht dazu passen bzw. eher verdreht sind. Dann aber irgendwie auch nicht, weil Shin seinem Alter entsprechende Trotzmomente hat.

Das alles führt irgendwie zu sehr viel unnötigem hin und her. Manchmal hat mein Kopf davon schon gequalmt.

Auch, wenn das vielleicht arg negativ klingen mag, so hab ich mich schon unterhalten gefühlt. Überlege dennoch, ob ich weiterlesen will ~ oder eben nicht 🙈.

[Devon Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could read this, but I couldn’t make it more than like ten pages into it. This is just too close to grooming for me. Is there a reason one of them has to be a grown ass man while the other is a second year in high school?

And on top of that, the older one keeps referring to how naughty it is for him to have so many lascivious thoughts about the younger one. Like…if I don’t think it was wrong at first I definitely think it’s wrong as the main character basically screams it from the page.

I’m mad because it didn’t mention the age gap, and it’s rated teen…I didn’t notice the quote on the back “Minato-San, I have a sex drive” or I might have done some further investigations…ugh. I feel like I am gonna accidentally get put on a watch list the way some of these manga will dupe you into buying creeper stories. 😡

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another birthday gift to myself! Haha, I just couldn't resist this one and I am so happy I got it for myself! Because this was fun! And I am quite happy with how things went, I mean, I was worried. Because Minato (the dude from the coin laundry) is 27 and Shin (the highschool student) is 17. Yep. If he was 18 I wouldn't have minded it that much, but 17 is just a bit. But I am happy that Minato let Shin be around everyday, tease him, but he tried to hold the rest away. Changing subjects, saying clearly no, pushing Shin away when Shin gets to close. I did like that they talked and that Shin was very honest about his feelings and that after this volume he asked Minato to really make a choice. Friendship just isn't an option for Shin.
And I love the art! It was pretty~

[Bine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh man, hiervon habe ich mir mehr versprochen. Diese ganze Story ist so weird, die Dialoge sind kaum nachzuvollziehen und ich checke auch einfach diese Charaktere nicht. Es ist sooo seltsam, dass dieser Schüler die ganze Zeit in dem Waschsalon abhängt und dann noch diese Gedanken von Akira... ganz unangenehm. Der Zeichenstil ist wirklich ziemlich schön und auch die Aufmachung traumhaft. Schade, dass die Story da so gar nicht mithalten kann.

[lostcupofstars · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly just not comfortable with this age gap. A 17 year old and 30 year old have no business flirting with each other.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

17 & 30 is a CRIMINAL age gap and I am annoyed by this. why couldn't it be like 20 and 30....that would make me feel less icky...

the older main character had a previous love interest with his older teacher.... so we're already setting a precedent for unhealthy relationships. not being able to date within your own age range is means for therapy. in my honest opinion. I was just so bothered by the fact that the younger main characters parents seemingly had no issue with this.

[psyche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Está muy cute aunque la diferencia de edad no me termina de cuadrar. Me alegra saber que Minato piensa lo mismo jsjsjsjs. Me gusta que al final haya un pedacito de novela para extender más su relación. Pinche Shin y su necedad JAJAJAJA.

[maria]

DNF

so...I bought this because I was a fan of season 1 of the live action (we don't talk about season 2). let's just say, I couldn't even get through this first volume. yes, the show also featured a grown man + a high school student, however the show found a way to make it less weird and without any grooming (that I can remember at least). Within the first chapter of this manga, there were things being said by a grown man to a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT (see spoiler) ---> "when I was in high school, dirty stuff was all I could think about...like fantasizing about having a monster cock stuffed in my ass." and it just made me feel so uncomfy, I had to stop reading. Sorry folks, this one just isn't for me unfortunately.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minato inherited his grandfather's laundromat, and it's a pretty perfect business venture for a 30-something slacker. Then Shin, a high school student, comes in, and the flirting gets pretty intense. Though Minato tries to maintain a respectful barrier, knowing that Shin is too young for him, he cannot deny the power of Shin's cooking, and almost immediately ends up having a sex dream about Shin and revealing that he's gay.

This was cute but also kinda disturbing, given that almost each chapter reminds us that Minato is in his 30s and Shin is in high school. Shin is the more aggressive party, however, which makes this dynamic almost okay. There's a backstory where Minato had a crush on a teacher when he was in high school that could be interesting. It sounds like this might be based on a novel (there's a short story / excerpt at the end). I would recommend this for older teens (the publisher rated it as T not T+) due to language and the morality of an adult/teen relationship - physically there's nothing more than a kiss.

[Marisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF I couldn’t finish this the high schooler and 30 year old romance was to creepy. People are justifying this by saying the high schooler was the aggressor but the moment the 30 year old noticed the kids feelings for him he should of put a stop to it immediately. He made the kid feel special, talked to him like a peer, went out of his way to be extra nice. This is not what a adult with good intentions does. This is what a groomer does to get a kid to like them with plausible deniability. This manga actually does harm to the lgbt community, it perpetuates harmful stereotypes of gay men as pedophiles who turn boys gay. With so much vitriol against lgbt books in recent years I’m actually surprised Yen Press chose to publish this especially. It’s like they’re throwing fuel on the fire, they’re giving the book banners excuses to ban lgbt books and justifying why they should ban lgbt people’s existence from the public by perpetuating myths like this.

[bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

『 ★★★,5 』

[ Tag(s): age-gap • ]

High-schooler seme (17y.o.) x middle-aged uke (end of 20-ish y.o), cmiiw~

—————————————————————— •○●

A pushy teenager, in his peak of developing hormones... [sigh] what will you get? Be careful Minato, good luck of not getting jumped, I guess?

The background art and settings choice was nice, but I don't really like the characters design. Have a light and shallow plot ((not in a bad way)), but paired with good storylines. Kinda overhyped, but I kinda can see "where" the charm is. Though I usually like older uke trope, this one is not really baiting me enough. Didn't give me the amount of butterflies I expect.

Well, nevertheless, still gonna follow the story though~💁🏻‍♀️

((p.s:
actually, i'm here bcs i get baited by the pretty cover art)) ✌🏻

[blumiere · Rating 1 out of 5]

having an unspecified age gap not included anywhere until the end of the second chapter is kinda weird? like the mc is thirty and the one who has a crush on him is a second year high schooler?! like why not mention this somewhere beforehand? i don’t mind age gap relationships but THIS?! i did NOT sign up for this and the art makes it misleading because they LOOK the same age until it’s specifically said they AREN’T. that’s, a big red flag.

The story is fine, but would have it been super hard to make the other NOT a minor? at least minato is… somewhat smart in establishing boundaries but… wow. this could’ve been so much better if shin was just yk, older. it’s not that hard to make a story without minors being a love interest. it’s weird, do better when making a story like that.

[小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

~*See below for review in English*~

Ich mochte den Auftakt zu dieser neuen Reihe im Großen und Ganzen, obwohl eigentlich noch nicht so viel passiert ist. Die Chemie zwischen den beiden stimmt in meinen Augen noch nicht ganz. Etwas misstrauisch war ich wegen des Altersunterschieds, bzw. der Tatsache, dass Shin momentan noch 17 ist und Minato 27 (?) und wie dies gehandhabt werden würde. Ich finde es gut, dass Minato sich dieser Sache bewusst ist und Shins Avancen zurückweist, obwohl er ihn ebenfalls attraktiv findet. Ein wenig sonderbar fand ich allerdings, dass seine Gründe zum Ende hin eher dahin gingen, dass Shin noch zu jung ist um Liebe zu verstehen und nicht, dass eine Beziehung zu einem Minderjährigen problematisch sein könnte, wie er es noch zu Anfang hat vermuten lassen.

Leider bedient sich die Geschichte einer Trope, die ich im BL-Genre (oder im Romance-Genre allgemein) noch nie besonders gerne mochte und inzwischen einfach nicht mehr lesen mag: Shin kennt Minato anscheinend von früher und ist vermutlich schon ewig in ihn verliebt.
Einige finden das sicher romantisch aber für mich wirkt das immer so wie ein... billiger und einfacher Weg eine tiefere Verbindung zwischen den Charakteren zu generieren, die eigentlich gar nicht da bzw. dem Leser nur abstrakt bekannt ist, weil man nicht dabei war. Manchmal, wenn es erst später ans Licht kommt, schmälert es in meinen Augen aber auch eine tiefere Bindung zwischen den Charakteren, die sich langsam aufgebaut hat und deren Entstehung die Leser*innen begleitet haben.

~**~**~**~

I liked the start of this new series on the whole, although not so much has actually happened yet. I personally don't feel the chemistry between them, yet. I was a little wary because of the age difference, or rather the fact that Shin is currently still 17 and Minato 27 (?), and how it would be handled. But I like that Minato is aware of this and rejects Shin's advances, even though he also finds him attractive. I found it a bit odd, though, that his reasons towards the end were more to the effect that Shin is still too young to understand love and not that a relationship with a minor could be problematic, as he had suggested at the beginning.

Unfortunately, the story uses a trope I've never liked much in the BL genre (or the romance genre in general) and just don't like to read anymore: Shin apparently knows Minato from the past and has probably been in love with him for ages.
Some might say it's romantic but for me, it always seems like a... cheap and easy way to create a deeper connection between the characters that isn't actually there or is only known to the reader in theory because we weren't there to experience it. But sometimes, when it's revealed much later in the story, it diminishes the deep bond and relationship development between the characters that has slowly built up and which the readers have witnessed firsthand, at least in my eyes.

[Naé · Rating 2 out of 5]

Une romance entre un trentenaire et un lycéen pour moi c'est juste NON. Minato a beau dire que c'est mal de fantasmer sur un lycéen cela n'empêche pas à leur histoire d'avancer, ni à la romance de se créer très rapidement et de jouer sur une tension sexuelle donc bon...
Sinon l'histoire n'est pas mauvaise, très feel good et la dynamique entre les deux est cute.

[Anne Fri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Nattapan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Ye Ol' Library Dwarf · Rating 5 out of 5]

So mit einer der wenigen Boys Love Manga, wo die Charaktere mal mehr Persönlichkeit haben als nur Kaninchen spielen. Sehr putzige Story und sehr liebenswürdige Charaktere.

[Serynitee Coots · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk would be better if it weren’t the weird age gap

[Cha El · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf 25%
Age gap 17 ans et + de 30 ans, c'est ciao

[Literatura sin límites · Rating 1 out of 5]

Se va de mi librero.

Tengo los primeros tres tomos, pero me basto leer el primer tomo para decidir que no la quiero continuar.

No es que sea mala la trama, es que no capturó atención y eso es peor.

[Tonje]

Noooot for me. I really must have mis-read the summary (ie missed the "hugh schooler" part) bc I realised very quickly that this is WAY too much of an age gap for me (16-17 and 30+). It doesn't cross the line from crush to anything else but it's way too close. Art is nice tho.

[Kayla Brunson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm curious to see where the next volume will lead. This had funny moments and I'm curious how the author will handle the age gap here.