Akemitsu Akagami thinks becoming a monk will rid him of impure thoughts, but his chosen temple is now a convent!
Episode 1 – “You’ll Repay Us with Your Body!”
First Thoughts.
All I wanted to see from TenPuru was an extreme reaction face from the main character in the style of Grand Blue Dreaming. Kimitake Yoshioka’s illustrations for the other manga and anime are full of shapely women’s body parts, muscular men, and insane amounts of drinking. But Yoshioka’s gag reaction faces sell the jokes and make me laugh. Would we see the same style from Akemitsu Akagami? Yes! On the drinking and the darkened masculine shocked faces.
The first few seconds of sleeping beauties in various states of undress also confirmed the sexy fanservice we expected from the preview trailers. TenPuru will be my relaxing lucky lecher ecchi comedy for the summer.
Ecchi Weekly Wisdom.
TenPuru presents a cliched aphorism next to a memorable fanservice scene from that episode each week. Here, we see Yuzuki’s heaving bosoms almost flying free from her traditional robes, and “Life has its ups and downs” written next to them. What lesson can we learn from such a juxtaposition? When I look at Yuzuki’s deep cleavage, I think of the peaks and valleys of her mammary mountains. Of course, Akemitsu had wanted to avoid those thoughts but learned a hard lesson when he arrived at the Mikazuki Temple. Life is easier when temptation doesn’t find you at a vulnerable time. Akemitsu shows us what can happen when his ecchi switch flips if he has no defense against his impulses. But he wouldn’t learn how to resist temptation if he avoided ecchiness. Finding Yuzuki’s peaks and valleys could become one of life’s “up” moments.
Heh.
Akemitsu’s dad is a philanderer. Having many lovers is just like having many friends. Uh, maybe? Five-year-old Akemitsu didn’t know better at the time. There’s your prologue. The opening credits start with colorful brush strokes of 煩悩 (ぼんのう, bonnou — appetites of the flesh). Guess what TenPuru is about! The byline on the title says, “No one can live on loneliness.” Meditate on that while looking at cute girls. And underwear explosions. So nostalgic. I haven’t seen a show featuring panty shots since… five minutes ago? Goddess Café Terrace and Yuusha ga Shinda! recently ended in the spring anime season. Still, it feels like the second coming of Heaven’s Lost Property.
Straight out of the gate, TenPuru shows you what to expect from the Mikazuki Temple residents. I wish I were a bottle of sake right now. Akemitsu plans on being a civil servant after college. No time for earthly distractions! Mr. Akagami ruined his son’s life and reputation after he left the five-year-old. That’s a nice subtext to hang humor and character development on. Uh oh. Guys, never let a rolling rice bale hit you in the face and open your eyes to a strong, beautiful woman’s face. Instant love shot to the heart! Then you’ll start skipping classes, skipping work, then get fired and almost flunk out of college. Your mileage may vary.
Temple Time.
Yes. TenPuru is simply the romaji spelling (テンプル, てんぷる, tenpuru) of “temple.” I’m curious about Akemitsu’s uncle. Why is he a “former” Buddhist priest? The Mikazuki Temple has a calming atmosphere. 三日月 (みかづき, mikazuki) means “crescent moon,” so we’ll see tons of imagery and references to crescents and moons during the season. What a coincidence! The girl Akemitsu fell in love with lives at the temple! It must be fate. Or it’s just a comedic device that layers errors and unrelated events into a spiraling confluence of chaotic energy. Bring on the slapsticks! And the accidental fanservice! Is Akemitsu cursed or blessed as a lucky lecher? To be decided! But first, a marriage proposal. That’s not funny!
Is Yuzuki attending an arranged marriage meeting or a vocation assessment? Why not both? Uh oh. Here’s when events start spiraling out of control. Did Akemitsu not make an appointment, or did his uncle do that? Aw. Look at the cute kitty. Its neckerchief spells out てら (tera), the hiragana for 寺 (Buddhist temple). Ack. Yuzuki just learned she let in a strange man on temple grounds. Slapsticks, at the ready! Ecchi accidents are a go! Let’s meet the girls of TenPuru as others shout their names! Kagura watches Mia write words with the wrong kanji and the wrong ideas about pop culture. Nozawa Masako (野沢雅子is not how you spell Yamato Nadeshiko) is the voice of almost every character related to Goku in Dragon Ball. Mia wears red. Booby monster Akemitsu lies defeated.
Whose Body is a Temple?
Everyone had made mistakes. Kiki, the substitute priest, forgot to tell Yuzuki about Akemitsu’s visit. Yuzuki didn’t bother looking at the picture of her prospective partner. And Akemitsu’s uncle didn’t know that the Mikazuki Temple had become a convent! That “No Men Allowed” sign was not at the front gate. Hey! A man can do free labor if you take down that pesky sign. Problems solved! We need to hear more about this labor issue. But can Akemitsu handle his earthly desires surrounded by young women? And one flirty adult? Try again, TenPuru. Akemitsu declines the temple girls’ offer.
Hold on. If this temple is out in the country, how did Yuzuki run into Akemitsu in the university town? Was she selling bales of rice over there? Answers to come later, I presume. Aw. A love connection between Yuzuki Aoba and Akemitsu Akagami. Wait. That name! Akemitsu’s dad swindled the temple out of two hundred thousand dollars! Usually, the Mafia makes children pay their runaway parents’ debt. But a group of holy women will extract value from Akemitsu’s body! They mean labor. Such dirty minds over here on J-List.
Enter When Wet.
The end credits take us through the seasons of daily life at the Mikazuki Temple.
Next time, we’ll read things out of context and misconstrue them as pervy things. Again!
TenPuru streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and multiple language subtitles.
What is the difference between a convent and a nunnery? A convent is a community, and a nunnery is a building, but do you know who would know for sure? Some nuns. J-List has a doujin for this confusing topic. Pick up Naughty Little Nuns 1&2 in the store today!
How much sex did Akemitsu get while ogling women run track and drowning in beer at mixers and karaoke? It looked like he was as celibate as before he fell in love and skipped work and classes but didn’t bed any women. What do you think? And did you enjoy the first episode? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
