The last place you would expect harem hijinks or lucky lecher accidents is a Buddhist temple. But that’s not true in anime! In 2005 and 2006, Ah My Buddha (あまえないでよっ!!, Amaenaide yo!!, Don’t Act Spoiled!!) used the power of ecchi to perform extreme exorcisms. Starting this summer, TenPuru makes a monk’s meditations extra hard to purify his body and mind of earthly distractions. Emphasis on “hard.” Check out the final trailer before the July premiere.
J-List covered the second preview trailer’s release a few months ago. The English translation of the TenPuru (てんぷる, Temple) manga summarizes the premise:
Akemitsu Akagami was always told by his father that “no one can live alone”…but he’s sure determined. After all, his father sure wasn’t saying it with the best intentions, and Akemitsu has no desire to become like that creep. But when a chance encounter with a young woman leaves him with thoughts that are all too impure, he decides to do what he must — become a Buddhist monk and renounce worldly ways. But the temple he decides to devote himself to…is full of women? And that same young woman is there, too?? What’s a guy to do? A new harem rom-com from Kimitake Yoshioka, illustrator of the hit college-comedy Grand Blue Dreaming!
Ecchi Pedigree
Did you catch that last part at the end? The longtime illustrator of drunk college guys scuba diving with bodacious babes wrote his own manga! Grand Blue Dreaming also had an anime adaptation and a live-action movie called Grand Blue. We have two encouraging pieces of information pointing to a satisfying ecchi harem anime. Buddhist monks in anime hide sexy bodies under their robes, and an illustrator renowned for drawing beautiful beach bodies will reveal them! Let’s hope the anime’s staff and cast can successfully translate Yoshioka-sensei’s work into the anime format.
Holy Ecchi Harem, Monk Man!
The new animation studio Gekkou oversees bringing the world of TenPuru into bright colors and bouncing body parts. It most recently produced My One-Hit Kill Sister for the spring anime season, so you can be confident it will lovingly animate the lovely ladies of the Crescent Moon Temple. Veteran director Kazuomi Koga helms the production team. Relevant series in his résumé include Ganbare Doukichan, Kubo-san Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, and the first two seasons of Rent-A-Girlfriend. He won’t direct the third season of that lying liar Kazuya making Chizuru lie during the summer, so TenPuru should have his undivided attention. Character Designer Masato Katsumata recently drew Anna Yamada in The Dangers in My Heart for the spring anime season and The Quintessential Quintuplets for their second season and movie. That’s more good news for the bountiful cast of TenPuru. Let’s meet them!
The Sutra Chanting Cast of TenPuru
Gekkou Studio might be brand new, but like its production staff, the voice cast is full of industry veterans, except for the harem master. The leading man’s voice actor has never carried a show before.
- Akemitsu Akagami: Masayuki Akasaka (Yoshiaki Kibe from Rent-A-Girlfriend). The college student thought he could avoid inheriting his father’s philandering ways in a Buddhist temple. Whoops!
- Yuzuki Aoba: Aimi (Kasumi Toyama from BanG Dream!). Akemitsu’s love interest and why he ran away to the temple. She’s the oldest of the Aoba daughters at the Crescent Moon Temple. Fancy meeting her again!
- Kiki: Chiaki Takahashi (The voice actor known for her busty cosplay and as Dark Elf in Bikini Warriors). The temporary priestess of the Crescent Moon Temple gets handsy when she drinks too much.
- Tsukuyo Aoba: Yuu Serizawa (Shera L. Greenwood from How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord). The middle daughter of the three Aoba girls in the temple. She has the best “nice body” of the three!
- Kurage Aoba: Nanami Yamashita (Miku from Darling in the Franxx). The calm third Aoba sister is happy Akemitsu’s arrival made her older sisters act like idiots again.
- Mia Christoph: Madoka Asahina (Nene Sakura from New Game!). The foreign exchange student is an extreme man-hater but shares an obsession with cleanliness with Akemitsu.
- Kagura Baldwin: Sumire Uesaka (Nagatoro from Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro). She is Mia’s homestay chaperone and loves teasing her for her honest reactions.
- Nyagosuke: Chika Anzai (Chisato Nishikigi from Lycoris Recoil). The temple mascot cat is often near his favorite Aoba sister, Kurage.
Shrine Maidens Need Love Too
Does that look like a fun ecchi summer anime to you? Buddhist robes don’t have the same cachet as Shinto shrine maidens, but TenPuru might move the needle. J-List has a fun book to remind you what those miko hide underneath their outfits. Artist 40hara’s series Iyanakao Sarenagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai (I Want You To Show Me Your Panties With a Disgusted Face) has a displeased shrine maiden for you!
Will you be watching TenPuru after its premiere on Crunchyroll on July 8th? Are you curious about the other Buddhist “meditation” practices inside the temple? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
