お参りですよ

お参りですよ #1

by Kotetsuko Yamamoto, 山本小鉄子

商店街の端にあるお寺のお坊さん、優慈。
可愛くてきれいな顔立ちだけど、ちょっと天然ボケな商店街のアイドルです♥
そんな優慈は豆腐屋の三男坊でぶっきらぼうな三郎くんにずっと片想い中！
でもある夜、酔っぱらってうっかり告白してしまい!?
美形だけど守銭奴キチクな兄・賢慈に片想いの男も現れ、お坊さん兄弟の恋は大波乱!?

今回の小鉄子は、お寺で豆腐屋で商店街!?
美形お坊さんと豆腐屋の純情ラブ。

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Romance, Boys Love, LGBT, Comics, Slice Of Life

Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2012

About the author

Japanese mangaka.


Associated names :
破壊ダー (嬉乃みどり)
Hakaider (URESHINO Midori)

Name (in native language) : 山本小鉄子

Zodiac : Capricorn

Blood type : A

Location: Osaka, but in a rural area
Likes: Professional baseball, Salmon
Dislikes: My stomach, sea urchin, salmon roe
Recent News: I’m gargling diligently

Circle: Hakaider
Doujinshi under pen-name: Ureshino Midori

Reviews

[Ｆｒａｎｋｈ · Rating 4 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW IS FINALLY AVAILABLE



Listen: two men going at it is HOT, okay? It sizzles. It pops. It makes me salivate and get a lady boner. DEAL. WITH. IT. Now I've only been a 'fujoshi' for a short while (since 2014, if you can believe it), and my sudden emotional investment on queer relationships or slash pairings in fandoms (anime, manga or otherwise) is all thanks to Charles and Erik of X-Men: First Class. Since I started rabidly shipping those gorgeous idiots both in film and in real life as the actors themselves, I also did a critical examination of other male friendships that I admired in the past in fiction and a few of them did stand out as ship-worthy. I'm not going to tell you specifically which are these but rest assured that I have been more or less converted to the fujoshi lifestyle. I'm not exactly ashamed of it but I won't advertise it in public during a random conversation with a new acquaintance.

OR MAYBE I WILL. Actually, I ALREADY DID. I was hanging out with some guys from an indie band and we got to talking about superheroes, particularly Marvel. So the Avengers. And then the X-Men. And, naturally, Professor X and Magneto. And, yes, because it came or organically NOT I essentially proclaimed "Guys, I totes ship Cherik and want to see them be lovey-dovey and fuck!" which is me just volunteering that preference without asking, much to the abject horror and amusement of the other parties.

I got a kick out of proudly embracing that I just get so goddamn wet for two guys doing it that I decided hey, why should I be selfish and keep this all to myself like a weird person with a guilty fetish? Only serial killers would do that and in spite of any online tests that categorize me as a sociopath, I'm pretty normal and nothing is more normal than posting my thoughts about sexy stuff concerning pretty boys in the cyberspace. I had a lot of great boy-love and girl-love mangas down the pipeline to read and review this year and December 2016 (please note your calendars) is when I plan to bombard everyone with Bl/GL reads and reviews. For now, I have the next two months to read four BL/GL stories and I start with Omairi desu yo (A Blessing on the House).

For the sake of jargon formality, let me define terms:

SHOUNEN AI or "boy-love" features stories about boys in tame and fluffy romantic situations that may or may not get increasingly erotic as chapters progress. Most BL are mild and generally consist of character-centered school-romance or plot-centered ones that have two male characters bonding in a non-platonic manner whilst subjected to the genre the plot is written in (say, fantasy or action-adventure). You may have to squint hard to really see the gay. Often, it even slaps you in the face because it's that obviously gay. Nevertheless, a lot of shounen ai don't necessarily have to depict the gay couple doing raunchy things. They can be cheesy all throughout as they hold hands, kiss and proclaim unending confessions of love and devotion. You know, like any teen-rated het out there.

YAOI is the more explicit one. Mostly oneshot stories without any overreaching arc--OR A PLOT AT ALL--yaoi stories always play on coupling archetypes (bad boy + nerd; dom (seme) + sub (uke); boy-next-door + clumsy guy; macho guy + pretty boy, etc.) and the progression (which is often convoluted or rushed) always leads to the endgame of sexy anal times. Most real-life gay sex between men don't always involve anal sex but somehow for yaoi, if the male characters simply frot or blow each other, it's not considered as 'going all the way'. Penile penetration is necessary so if that's your deal (as it is mine) then yaoi will deliver. Oh, it delivers--sometimes to an uncomfortable and hilarious degree. Anal sex is a process but most yaoi stories seem to have these lead men (90% of whom had never had that type of sex before, maybe half of that percentage even identify as straight before having same-sex dalliance) easily handle getting into it. That's not realistic but YOU'RE A DIPSHIT IF YOU TRY TO APPLY REALISM IN FICTION SEXY-TIMES. Just enjoy the sexy times, grandma and grandpa!

Shoujo Ai (girl-love) is the lesbian/sapphic counterpart for the mild stuff and YURI is the counterpart for the explicit one. If yaoi has penetrative sex, yuri's signature I guess has plenty of weird 'scissoring' sex act. It's basically distressing me. There are a handful of accurately portrayed lesbian sex in yuri manga, sure (uh, maybe?) but the ones that really turn me off are the ones with 'scissoring'. I have--I had sex with women on a fairly regular basis way, waaaay back and I have never scissored the fuck out of another female. But who knows, maybe I have been sexing up other women wrong all this time. Oh my god, how can I live with that kind of grief now?!

Anyway, enough of this introduction. Let's talk about Omairi desu yo.

~+~******~+~******~+~

A Blessing on Your House has the distinction of rendering its readers with a bad case of getting sensory overload with the adorbs. Written and illustrated by Kotetsuko Yamamoto whose visual art is very much eye-candy, this manga is the brilliant cross between the mild and the wild stuff. It stars a twenty-two-year-old Buddhist monk named Yuuji who is admired by all because of his kind demeanor and beautiful features. He swore celibacy and a life of religious devotion (at freaking 22) but harbors an intense crush on a childhood friend, Saburou, since their middle school days. The first chapter doesn't agonize over this and immediately has our sensitive young monk drunk on his ass and has to be carried by said love interest back to his place.

Drunk-on-his-ass Yuuji in slur speech confesses his feelings to Saburou whilst on piggyback. The next chapter immediately has Saburou confront Yuuji about that confession and, because he is such a swell fellow, was not only NOT disgusted that his childhood friend came on to him but he was also VERY OPEN to the idea of them getting it on. He kisses him without preamble and Yuuji gets all his theoretical fragile man-tubes on a twist. It got awkward on the next few days with Sabu seemingly avoiding him WHEN HE INITIATED THE KISS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Brokenhearted and puffy-eyed, Yuuji decided he should give up on Sabu but then Sabu practically drags him to a corner and admit that right after their first kiss, he jerked off to the thought of being with Yuuji WHICH IS AWESOME, OF COURSE. For a guy who has never been with another guy and who doesn't seem like he ever wanted to be until his friend expressed interest, Sabu is...AGGRESSIVE. The next few chapters display his abrasive and straightforward attitude and pursuit to screw the living lights out of Yuuji, much to the latter's demure and embarrassed delight. The almost-sex scenes themselves (a.k.a uninterrupted foreplays, a.k.a un-happy endings, a.k.a Sabu's-mother-is-a-vicious-cockblocker) are intense. I mean, INTENSSSSSSSSe with an elongated emphasis on the 'S' like the sound of a sizzling butter on the pan.


Their sexual chemistry is this level of disturbing cuteness

With the promise of sex between Yuuji and Saburou being dangled repeatedly in the chapters, readers will never be able to keep themselves from growling in frustration when the two never get to consummate their love through a much-awaited fuck session. BUT THE BABIES DO TRY and it's almost sad. And sweet and fluffy and oh-so unintelligibly cutesy. And then sad again because both do eventually admit that they are so fixed on the physicality of their relationship that they never actually go on real dates. Their first real date was pretty dorky because Yuuji insisted on visiting some shrine or some shit, and then he fell into a pond because he's a klutz but hey, they actually rented a room in a hotel AND ALMOST SEXY-TIMES IT UP but then Yuuji couldn't adjust to the penetration so they had to try again next time, preferably with Sabu's mom preoccupied in watching her soaps or some shit so she'd stop cock-blocking the kids all the time. Jesus, woman, just let them fuck! It's almost cosmically unfair that the farthest they have ever gone is some Oxford-style van sex in the middle of the night in some abandoned street somewhere. I'm a romantic so I want a proper mattress with fluffy pillows and some mood music in the background and some classy champagne as rose petals are strewn across the blankets. It's both extremes for me, yo. Either something traditionally sweet like that scenario I just vividly painted for you--or some back-alley doggy-style quickie under a full moon. Either way, the nation has spoken: Yuuji and Sabu just need to get their freak on.


It's all I ever wanted for Christmas, mommy! GIVE IT!

But this wouldn't be a great rom-com raunchy fest without the beta couple stealing the spotlight every now and then. Yuuji has an older, more experienced tsundere of a brother who is also a monk named Kenji. The guy has a temper and whose emotions are pretty much haywire and hard to read. He's also an irrresitible bishounen with a spiciness to him so only admirers of the creepiest kind are drawn to him, much to his anger and exasperation. Good thing he knows self-defense because oh boy, he's gonna need it. Much to his justified chagrin, he's being linked with the guy who does their family's laundry named Yochan whom he vehemently (and fondly) calls Mr. Clean.

Love-sick creepster Yochan doesn't even bother with false pretenses. He is in love and hot for Kenji and it's a sadomasochistic dance of will between the two. Ultimately, tsundere-Kenji gives in anyway and makes out with Yochan whenever the mood suits him, much to his own personal contempt. He can't understand why he's letting someone he adamantly despises service him with sexual favors. It's a rather unhealthy combination but Kenji and Yochan are HOT together so shut up. While Yuuji and Sabu worry about getting it on (REALLY JUST GO GET IT ON DAMN YOU), Kenji and Yochan would probably go farther than they ever would have in the next chapter. If stupid assholes like Christian Grey and Ana are allowed to have poorly written sex scenes then hot bishie men like Yuuji, Sabu, Kenji and Yochan should have fun too. What kind of world do we live in if we deprive them that?

Yuuji, especially, is such a doll. Poor dude would get a cardiovascular heart arrest every time he's getting sexy with Sabu. What appeases him is by chanting his prayers after which is really funny. A high point for me in the manga was him shouting "I WANNA PUT YOU IN MY MOUTH" while they are naked in the hot springs. And when he did put Sabu in his mouth, he used teeth so Sabu had to put a stop to it. HE USED TEETH DURING ORAL SEX, GUYS. Gosh, what a noob! In any case, he is as cute as a bunny and he deserves to get some with Sabu! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH---



DID I FAIL TO MENTION THIS IS AN ONGOING SERIES? Oh yes, it is. So what are you waiting for? You know you want to search this title online and read it by yourself in the most secret place of your house like the closeted-fujoshi bitch that you are. If you're going to waste your time, blow your load all over this manga because it's a guaranteed high. Keep your cigarettes or chewing gums (or whatever afterglow ritual you may have) close to your person because you're gonna need some when you're done. Never get cerebral or critical about yaoi because we're all here for the fluff and sex and you're a dipshit if you deny it otherwise or kill everyone's buzz with whatever gripe you may have about manga dudes fucking. Srsly, what is wrong with you? Get off this bandwagon if you're not going to swoon with us!

That being said, this is a fairly tame manga compared to the more engrossing and often distressing ones I would be reviewing by December. Up next in my reads is some sentimental girl-on-girl action.


Just a couple of blue balls who should stop posing for pictures and instead get it on!

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

DO READ MY REVIEWS AT

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Yaoi manga that I actually liked. Really cute.

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall series ranking

first couple is pretty stereotypical and the second one has a rough and somewhat problematic start (not dubcon level at least) that really reminds you that this was first written in the early 2010s, but their interactions are so enjoyable that it didn't really bother me. in typical yamamoto kotetsuko fashion there is a lot of focus on the comedic sitcom parts of the story and no matter how dumb the dramatic parts can get it never felt overbearing or that it took itself seriously

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusta mucho esta historia, es de mi favoritas de Yamamoto Kotetsuko, pero sí me da penita ajena que Yocchan le aguante tanto a Kenji, quiérete vato, un wey guapo pero ojete no lo vale tanto.

Por otro lado, Yuuji y Saborou me parecen muy tiernos hahaha, siempre los interrumpen.

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

comme d'habitude avec Kotetsuko Yamamoto, c'est très chou

[Daesy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The seme is just perfect!!!! And the uke so damn cute! Love them! Also the secondary chars!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are atm 9 volumes and is still ongoing

[Arch Bala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuuji's brother is too funny! ^_^

Yoshito: We met before when I made a delivery to the temple!

Kenji: I don't remember broke loser's faces.



Yuuji and Saburou are just so cute together! And Yoshito’s a riot as well!

I hope I can get the next volume soon. <3

[R E · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s something about Kotetsuko Yamamoto’s work that I adore. There’s a consistency across her various series in terms of her figures, with her ukes drawn in a way where they are both solid and waif-like, and also her panel designs. She rarely engages in melodramatic scenes, and eschews exorbitant graphic effects and extreme viewpoints. Rather, each page delivers a “slice-of-life” normalcy, whether her story is comedic, dramatic, or magic realist (as in her excellent Toritan books). Her stories offer a mix of the reassuringly familiar spiced up by unexpected, if totally plausible, twists. But I think her magic lies largely in her pacing: whether it’s comedy or coming of age, her pacing is always right on target.

All of the above applies to her multi-volume series, A Blessing on Your House! It follows 2 brothers, 23 year old Yuuji and 26 year old Kenji, who serve their small town as Buddhist priests. Yuuji is sweet, good and natured, but when it comes to intimate matters he’s tentative and lacks confidence. He’s still in love with his middle school crush, Saburou. Unexpectedly, Saburou, recently returned from the city to work in the family business, finds himself attracted to Yuuji. The problem? It’s a community where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and getting any privacy is nearly impossible when each lives with their families.

Kenji is the opposite from Yuuji. If Yuuji is angelic but demur, Kenji is all demon. Seriously, he’s a major D-I-C-K. Yocchan, a big sweetheart of a man, has the misfortune of falling in love with Kenji, who wants nothing to do with Yocchan. Kenji’s life goal is to marry a rich girl, hoping that this will secure their temple’s future.

Kotetsuko’s manga show that you don’t have to go to a “galaxy far, far away” and engage in swashbuckling adventure to make a story riveting. I eagerly turn each page, and have ordered the next several volumes.

As a note, I purchased these in Japanese (from CDJapan) and read an online English translation. However, if you don’t want the paperback book, you can read this manga online at Futekiya.com.

[ℂ ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Em fa moltíssima ràbia quan la trama d'una sèrie tan llarga com aquesta no va enlloc, et deixa un sentiment d'obra inconclusa, que no aporta gaire, fútil, sense un recorregut clar. Això és justament el que passa en aquest còmic amb dues històries BL de dos germans monjos budistes amb dos nois del poble on viuen, excompanys de classe. Els 4 protagonistes són molt carismàtics i atractius, així com també ho són les il·lustracions, però el context es menciona de puntetes i la trama no avança, és un xiclet interminable. Des del desconeixement més absolut i la influència sufocant de la moral cristiana no em deixa de sorprendre la naturalitat amb què dos monjos s'emparellen amb homes i hi mantenen relacions sexuals (que si bé són explícites, m'esperava molt més). És una llicència de l'autora o té certa versemblança? Sèrie amena, però que deixa un regust agredolç molt frustrant :(

[Yue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read till chapter 8.1

I realize I am not a fan of several love stories narrated in one manga. And unfortunately, this one has two: Yuuji and his childhood friend, and Yuuji's brother, Kenji, and a cleaner guy. I found Yuuji and his boyfriend cute, while the other, MEH. It is tiresome, since Kenji loves to be a bitch, and his admirer loves to be a masochist. Besides, there is a love triangle. A love triangle + both brother are gays. And worst of all, they both are so pretty everyone want to bang them: girls, women, boys and old men. In this kind of yaoi it makes you feel sad for the girls/women, they never stand a chance against a pretty, cute, innocent uke.

[Ray Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yuuji likes his childhood friend and though all the town sees him as this “cute/handsome priest”, he only has eyes for Saburou, just another regular guy.

He’s been in love with him since forever and one night, he decides to join the guys for drinks and in his drunken state, he confesses his love for Saburou. Later on they try “this dating thing” and make it official.

So, to be honest, there’s nothing new about this but if you’ve read any of Yamamoto Kotetsuko’s work, you already know you’ll find a sweet romance + comedy + cute side characters + nice art style.

Hope this story gets better ‘cause the first volume to me was average.

[Lara Combina · Rating 3 out of 5]

No tiene mucho que me haya llada la atención; la relación entre los personajes se parece mucho a la establecida en los tomos de Konya Mo Nemurenai, así como el diseño de los personajes, pero sin la parte sobrenatural del mismo. Si la lees preparate para un protagonista muy pasivo que no puede decir una frase entera sin roburizarse o soltar un "eh?? Que es esto??" cuando la situación es bastante clara.
Creo que podría ser mejor, se queda en el promedio.

[Iyas Utomo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hilarious, haha. My favorite part is definitely when the MC starts chanting the sutras after getting drunk.

I thought this was going to be a serious manga, but it turned out to be a comedy that had me in stitches.

But, hmm, even though the main couple in this manga is super cute, I think I'm more interested in the dynamic of the second couple, who have completely opposite personalities.

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite mangas so far, they’re so adorable and in love! I def had fun reading this.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sympa mais pas suffisant pour se faire un avis pour l’instant.

[Angel (akoyfish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but the gag got old real quick. Can't believe this ran for ten years.

[Clau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall series score: 3 stars,
it’s kind of silly and cute, and I used to love it so much a few years ago (I’ve been reading this since high school!!!) so nostalgia has a little bit to do with it, but I like the characters and I finally got around to read the ending (which I felt was a bit hurried but cute), so I’m glad.

[Taro · Rating 5 out of 5]

すごく可愛い本だった。日本語は読みやすいだけど、絵はめちゃかっこいい。でも、どちらの方がかわいいですか、和服で優慈くんと洋服で優慈くん？いつも優慈くんは美しすぎ。三郎くん夢から出たイケメンだ。よっちゃん面白い！賢慈さん冷たい気が持っているが、よっちゃんにあたたかくさせるだろう。
読むの間、いい気持ちになるでしょね。五分の五。
So glad I imported these. Five out of five, easily. I don't understand how these are marketed to young girls, I mean sure the story's a bit saccharine but it's still, well, the advantage women have when reading this stuff is they don't have to sit down. And it's not even that sordid. But we do have a handsome young monk waking up to a wet dream, so that's not so bad.
Luckily this time I had little trouble reading the Japanese.
Yuuji is great and funny, and Saburō is a smokin' match for him, especially when he is smoking. And then we have mature brother Kenji (using the same second kanji for name was a great touch) unfazed by his stalkeresque Yo-chan (hilarious guy), you know how that will soften up in later volumes.
I just still can't decide if I like Yuuji better in kimono or Western street clothes.... but for Saburō's sake let's see him more in the former.

[Rendi Febrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cerita yang simpel tentang satu pendeta muda dengan teman masa kecilnya. Dua karakter ini mempunyai perbedaan watak yang cukup jauh. Si Pendeta yang baik hati, disegani, sangat tampan dan ramah jatuh cinta pada Si Teman Masa Kecilnya yang nakal, urakkan, cuek dan tidak mau tahu. Mereka berdua mencoba saling menjauhkan diri dari perasaan yang mereka punya.
Namun takdir berkata lain, cinta mereka pun bersemi, menyatu lalu menjadi satu untuk selamanya.

Cerita yang cukup simpel, aku suka gaya penggambaran tempatnya dan gambar karakternya yang benar-benar menjiwai. This is such a nice manga. So i give 5 stars for this Manga. I love it so much.

Tetapi tentu saja ada kekurangannya, meskipun tidak terlalu kentara ya. Yah karena tidak terlalu kentara itu jadi tidak perlu dibahas. Nice story, nice ending, and nice plot.

[Melissa]

I have noticed that yaoi is so damn trope filled it can get old really quick because the characters get boring. This one, however, surprised me with how cute it was. It didn't box the characters into the seme-uke trope so strictly that it was refreshing. I actually liked all the characters especially Kenji (since tsundere is my favorite archetype). I will read more of this one!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so funny. It felt more like a comedy than a bl, but it still had bl content. Either way I like it. Also why am I more invested in the relationship between the brother and the kimono cleaner lol. Like the main couple is cute, but I love soft boy x tsundere more I guess.

[Kimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love them!!!!!!!!

[Francisca · Rating 5 out of 5]

ME ENCANTA :3
pero necesito hard xD

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating up to chapter 10.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ceritanya unik.

[Maiko-chan [|] · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5stars

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5