Wash It All Away

Episode 12

To be honest, I didn't have particularly high expectations going into this finale. I'm not sure if it's even possible to, given the nature of Wash It All Away. The show is so non-confrontational and low-key that it's foolhardy to ask for anything that rises even slightly above being just that. That being said, I am the exact kind of fool who did want a little bit more to happen, and sadly, I came out of it a little bit short. Leaving this finale, I felt I had not seen a bad one per se, but a lackluster one.

The elephant in the room: Does Kinme's amnesia plotline get resolved? I predicted no, since there's only so much of an eleven-volume manga that one cour of anime can cover. I still predicted that since previous episodes were willing to bring up Kinme's amnesia, this finale could shed the tiniest ray of light on the situation, or at least even mention it like before. None of that happens. Whatever last-second effort to add more to Kinme's past and character is ditched, rendering whatever arc she could have had here feel like a total waste. She's just doomed to remain a cute, naive anime waifu, and overall, a walking cliche.

Kinme's relationship with Kyusho doesn't reach any new highs, either. The relationship between Kinme and Kyusho has always felt like a tease to me. They always seem to run into each other at random, share an adorkable moment of friendly awkwardness together, and only a few other times do they do anything more than that. From falling atop a festival float to having a sleepover together during a rain storm, there have been situations in Wash It All Away that attempted to make Kyusho more of a character, only to have, well, washed those opportunities away.

Even now in the twelfth episode, Kyusho remains as barren and as blank a slate as ever. There's a moment early on when Kinme reminisces on bumping into Kyusho at the shrine from the previous episode, though nothing really lasting comes out of it, outside of making Kinme wonder if she had yet another awkward moment in front of Kyusho. Later on, Kyusho comes in with his friends to give Kinme a cake to celebrate her business's second anniversary, only to be left standing around in the back as the big bash is happening. In other words, Kyusho is forced into making his final bow before the audience without leaving behind much of an impression.

The main bit of the episode comes in the form of Kinme's landlord, Aji-san, an elderly lady with a caustic streak to her. I haven't really focused too much on her in my reviews, because like other characters in Wash It All Away, she mostly just lurks in the foreground, no differently than Kyusho, offering nothing more than to drop off Kinme's bills while being a sarcastic old crank. This time around, Aji drops off her laundry at Kinme's shop, and as she does, Kinme asks her something that causes Aji to decide to do her laundry herself. The conversation is put on mute, meaning that the audience doesn't hear what causes Aji to possibly get offended by Kinme's question. It's a way for the episode to add some layer of mystery and suspense, although what Kinme asks Aji is revealed barely two minutes later. It begs the question of why the anime felt the need to leave that part out the first time around, to begin with. Kinme asks if Aji has been feeling okay lately, to which Aji replies that she's as healthy as she can be. Which, of course, means she's not. Kinme follows Aji home, finds that Aji has passed out on the floor, and calls an ambulance to her aid. It's Kinme overdosing on the tumeric pills all over again—a dramatic turn coming out of left field that feels overdone and completely unnecessary.

The rest of the episode feels like a long rush to the finish line. We see Kinme play sports, share a bathhouse trip with her friend Asagi for one last moment of fan service, and best girl Uka even comes back with her two dogs. Cut to Kyusho coming in with a cake to celebrate Kinme's shop's second anniversary, then cue a quick montage of Kinme, Kyusho, Nairo, and a few others huddling around the cake, throwing confetti, and have the ED plays as it's all happening. And just for good measure, have Kinme then deliver laundry around town just so she can say “You can count on Kinme” one last time. And scene. The environments look pristine as ever, the music is still gentle and wonderful, and I do kind of like the way the episode ends, even if it's redundant. It's not enough to make me that excited for a possible second season, though.

Rating:

---

Wash It All Away is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.