Manga: Saint☆Young Men
Saint☆Young Men (amazon) is a comedy manga by Nakamura Hikaru about Jesus and Buddha are on a long vacation and they have come to the mortal world to live in a cheap apartment in Tokyo.
Buddha takes an afternoon nap and gets surrounded by birds and cats from the neighbourhood that mistakenly thought he was transitioning to nirvana.
Jesus proudly telling Buddha how he went to the convenience store and some high school girls were looking at him and talking amongst themselves about how he looks a lot like Johnny Depp, and Buddha wants to be popular with the girls too and makes a trip to the convenience store himself.
Jesus has a popular blog with 10,000 hits a day where he watches every TV drama and writes his impressions of every episode on his blog on the same day they air.
Stuff like that.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
This is so blasphemous on so many levels.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Sounds really awesome - I’ll check this out for sure!
Needs to guest Muhammad to be complete?
August 29th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
“To be complete” geez such a short view of humans deities.
Seems fun anyway.
August 30th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Saint Young Men is awesome. I really like Nakamura Hikaru’s other manga, Arakawa Under the Bridge as well. She has a knack for absurd comedies, and I like her art a lot.
August 30th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Holiday > Not if she wants to receive death threats from the fundamentalists.
August 30th, 2008 at 4:18 am
This is blasphemous on so many levels, yet it’s awesome.
August 30th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Really interesting. I’d like to read this one. ^_^
August 30th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Just as long as you keep an open mind and remember that this IS a comedy manga. Just as long as they don’t put Jesus, Buddah or any other god that they wish to add here in an OUTRIGHT blaspemous way (like seeing them drink alcohol or having sex or something), then I’m reading it all the way.
Although, I do expect sometime in the manga that they will prove which of their beliefs are better (or true), now that would be interesting… not that I expect people to like it.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:45 am
P.S. : I LOL’d at the Johnny Depp part.
August 30th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Usually, most people would find this a terrible idea, poor taste, etc.
I think, however, that it’s a great idea, and really really funny.
August 30th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Incredible. I am always amazed at how Jesus is represented in manga form.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:11 am
I lol’ed. Hard.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:07 am
Isch.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:57 am
It sounds awesome. Now, I really want to read this XD
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:16 am
I’d like to see a publisher translate this. There’s already plenty of equally offensive references to Jesus out there in American comics…
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:19 am
…and actually, I think in general, manga are much more cautious about these subjects than American comics. Despite all the pseudo-pseudo-Christian references in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Judas, Saint Tail, Bastard!!, etc., etc….
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:29 am
Maybe we can get the producers of Hamlet 2 to get it translated and published in the United States. I for one would love to have a copy of that. - ZM
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:09 am
I think I want to read it… XD
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Poor Buddha keeps getting his dot poked in.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Even though I’m not really religious or anything, I’m interested in reading this now, lol.
September 6th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I didn’t believe the idea when I read about it, but now I’m interested! I’d love to see someone pick this up. I would totally read it!
September 6th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
This…. is a fun idea.
Oh yeah, sure, the fundies are gonna have a field day with thsi oen (you know who I’m talking about)… but I think things like Hellsing and Evangelion are a lot worse. This seems harmless.
Japan always had a funny relationship with Christianity, so I’d like to see how she approaches the Christ. Also, the traditionala spect of religion we’ve ahd is usually the orthodox-restrictive, so a modern comedy twist isn’t too abd. Kinda like the Buddy Jesus from Dogma.
As long as the author doesn’t overstep some boundaries… I’m fine.
September 25th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
the funamentaists will nevr hear of this, i mean really. MAYBE if it was an anime on cartoon network theyd find out. maybe.
and ive been readingit the past couple days- its an adorable slice-of-life manga well worth the read
January 9th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Manga takes on religion are always good for a laugh
February 11th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Ive read the first 4 and loved it. not to far off of how they should act.
We do have to remember it IS fiction, and sticks to The respective religions well.
Im looking for the rest and look forward to reading it to the end.
July 10th, 2009 at 3:48 am
I actually think this is awesome.
Normally i see tv making insulting parody of them, but this manga makes them so much sympathetic!