The creator of Sankarea returns with Wash It All Away – a fun slice of life series set outside the chaos of city life. For two years, Wakana Kinme has run a laundry service in the seaside resort town of Atami. Kinme Cleaning is a well-loved business, and Atami residents admire Wakana’s devotion to her trade. She builds a fulfilling life making friends with the locals and visiting hot springs. Although Wakana has no knowledge of her own past, her cleaning services safeguard memories imbued in customers’ precious items.
For readers of Hattori’s work, Wash It All Away is quite the departure from his previous series. His preferred genre seemed to be zany romantic comedies (in Sankarea’s case with zombies). But he has also dabbled in more serious works (as seen his manga adaptation of NishiOisiN’s Imperfect Girl). Wash It All Away marks another shift in his work as he settles into a relaxing slice of life story.
As seen with last year’s hit manga Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You, there is still a strong audience for slice of life manga, especially when done right. The premise lends itself to the genre well, with Wakana’s laundry service job giving her a reason to interact with the various Atami residents whilst also showcasing her work ethic. This is someone who takes the art of laundry very seriously and will take customers and readers step-by-step through her process (including a rather revelatory method of cleaning a suit without dry-cleaning). The encounters she has with clients and neighbours are always fun, but there is a subtle sadness to the series as her missing memories have left her with laundry as her defining feature. Nevertheless, Hattori has created an engaging protagonist as it is hard not to admire Wakana’s spirit and commitment to her work.
The series also plays to Hattori’s strengths as an artist. He’s always had quite a clean style and a good grasp on expressive characters. This series gives him plenty to work with in that department. However, despite being well versed in comedy and horror, he knows when to dial things back and this is a story that benefits from his ability to showcase quiet moments. Incidental parts like Wakana trying to squeeze in some exercise before work go a long way in establishing her character. But it is best exemplified in her solitary moments as she contemplates her lost memories or finds joy in laundry with Hattori doing a terrific job of expressing her feeling with subtle body language and expressions.
This is an easy slice of life series to recommend. Manga fans looking for something on the more relaxing side will find Wash It All Away a very comforting read.
Wash It All Away 01 is out 22 April from Square Enix Manga (9781646093748, p/b, £14.99)
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