The Wonder of Anime Presents: For the Lovers is a love themed collection on The Wonder of Anime, including guest essays. This essay is by Ellie Howie.
Love is something I haven’t had the luxury of experiencing firsthand. But some stories show the real and raw experience from the awkward beginnings to their beautiful end. During this season of love, I remember all of my favorite fictional couples, but none of them carry the torch quite like Asako and Kotaro of Sweat & Soap.
In 2021, I picked up the manga completely blind. At first, I was completely confused as to why Asako kept talking to Kotaro, but as the story progressed, it made sense. Not just in the obvious sense – it gave a beautiful story of what genuine love is. Time and time again, we read and watch love stories. We know their plot, the drama, the ups and downs, but we love the journey. I love love, but Sweat & Soap made it tangible in a different way to me.
Asako and Kotaro’s relationship starts uncomfortably, then blooms into an awkward love story. Where insecurities are known, doubts are had, and the love persists anyway. Seeing Asako’s wall crumble brick by brick and allowing the love in made me realize how quickly it happens when you find your person. Kotaro had his share of insecurities and growth, too, but one instance really stood out to me: when Kotaro told Asako about his mother. I lost my mom in 2020, and seeing him be apprehensive about telling Asako about her condition and carrying the weight of caring about both of them. For a long time, I carried the burden of the fear of losing a potential relationship because of my mom’s condition. Needless to say, I cried a lot during that volume and well into the end of the series.
Sweat & Soap does start a bit quirky, but it doesn’t stop at romance – it fully shows what love is. Love amongst friends, partners, and family. While my life doesn’t touch love in all these places right now, it’s stories like this that help me remember I’m human and love shows up in funny ways. Love isn’t always a fairytale. It can find you clumsily. They grow together in every part of their lives. If we can keep writing about love like this, then it doesn’t feel so far-fetched.
Elizabeth (Elle) Howie (she/her/hers) is the creator of Religiously Nerdy, where she and her friends are determined to identify the intersection of spirituality in anime, manga, and pop culture. What initially started as doing reviews has grown into deeper introspection on the arts and the Muslim community within fandom.
When she isn’t in a brainstorming mode, she’s at home reading manga or danmei, playing Love and Deepspace, or whatever piques her interest at the time. You can find her being delusional on Instagram @themuslimblerd
