Sara Talks Anime

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“Could you hold on a minute before you continue?”

SPOILER WARNING: This post contains details from Episodes 1 through 3 of Wash It All Away, due to a thread that I want to talk about that could TECHNICALLY constitute as a spoiler. Please watch episodes 1 through 3 of Wash It All Away before proceeding to read this post.

If one day you woke up with no memories except something you could do for a living and you enjoy, and potentially also your name, what would you do? Would you take that skill and make a living off of it, or would you just sit there and be like “who the fuck are you???” to whoever woke you up? …actually, knowing Gen Z, it might be a bit of both.

While I hope that I never have to live through something like that, I’m happy that I’m able to explore a concept like that within Wash It All Away, even if the first three episodes currently don’t put every single piece of what happened for the main character, Kinme, to lose her memories together. Then again, the series isn’t done yet, though at the time I’m writing this post, the number of episodes that are in Wash It All Away hasn’t been announced yet.

While it may end up being a one cour series with only 12 or 13 episodes, I’m going to be sticking around regardless of how long it ends up being. This is my comfy show for the Winter 2026 anime season, and I am not giving it up that easily.

Wash It All Away follows Kinme Wakana as she works at her dry cleaning business and connects with the people around her to help form a sense of community. While that’s the vibe you get from reading the synopsis of the series, I believe it’s also going to discuss how memories make someone who they are because of one little detail in this entire series. Kinme doesn’t remember anything that happened more than two years ago.

As of Episode 3, the series has yet to reveal what happened to cause Kinme to develop amnesia, though after seeing another Kinme sit next to our Kinme that looked rather beat up, I think it may be better if Kinme doesn’t regain her memories. After all, it seemed like if her brain forgot a lot, there was stuff in there that was genuinely worth forgetting. I’m not going to be mad if the series makes Kinme remember anyway, as they’d likely be unable to explore the theme if they don’t, but I may end up feeling emotional if they cause her to remember a painful memory.

Speaking of amnesia, so far each episode has included something that touches upon it, or at least seems to touch upon it. In Episode 1, Kinme states that cleaning is the one thing she didn’t forget, which makes me think that her name of Kinme Wakana isn’t actually her real name and was an identity created for her by someone else. In Episode 2, we learn that her memory only goes back to two years prior. And then…well, I already pointed out what there was in Episode 3.

While Wash It All Away has the aesthetic and base vibe of the typical cozy show, I believe that the underlying plot of Kinme’s amnesia beneath it will keep people coming back. Hell, her amnesia gives a somewhat darker meaning to the English title of the show. While you can wash away stains, Kinme discusses her own memories as having been washed away as well.

Kind of makes her career choice and what her brain remembers ironic as well, since she’s doing the exact thing that her brain did to her memories. Washing.

I really like the animation that there has been in this series so far. It fits the vibe that it’s giving off, and it really feels like I’m in a cozy place. The music for both the original soundtrack and the opening and ending themes also make me feel like I’m at ease. I’d honestly like to applaud everyone who worked on the music for this series.

I also really enjoy the characters, with Kinme being my favorite as I find her to be the most interesting, though that’s likely because the series has had the most focus on her out of all of the other characters. For me, at least, it’s hard to get invested in a character if they don’t get a lot of focus. Maybe that’s why a lot of the time my favorite character is the literal main character of whatever series I’m interacting with.

But regardless of all of that, I’m going to keep following Wash It All Away as it simulcasts. It’s a nice, cozy series, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.