Helen: Foreigners have been attracted to Japan for ages and some even dream of living there. That’s exactly what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Buddha, the Enlightened One, are doing for a year in Tokyo as they shirk their heavenly duties and let loose. Living in a foreign country is always an adjustment for newcomers but Jesus and Buddha haven’t lived on Earth in centuries, so how will life unfold for these two unlikely roommates?
Saint Young Men has achieved a good amount of success in Japan as the manga has inspired both live action and animated adaptations but it has been noticeably absent from bookshelves in the US. The rumor is that manga-ka Hikaru Nakamura specifically did not want the manga brought over since she was worried about the reactions from the deeply Christian population in the US, which has had overblown reactions to other manga, such as Death Note, in years past. Normally I would say that the manga-ka is overthinking things, as even though manga makes up a huge share of US comic book sales it rarely gets anywhere near the mainstream attention and coverage as “traditional” cape comics.
But upon reading Saint Young Men I think Nakamura actually had cause to worry with this one.
As someone who grew up Roman Catholic I have more to say about Jesus than Buddha but Jesus is obviously the funny man/boke of this manzai duo so there’s more to say about him in the first place. Jesus is, in a nutshell, an airhead — he comes off like a valley girl stereotype with his utter lack of knowledge about the mortal world, even going to comical extremes at times, and I realized partway through this manga that you could replace him with nearly any air-headed character, male or female, from any other manga and the story would play out nearly identically. There are enough little details to Jesus that makes me think Nakamura at least has a greater understanding of Christianity/the Bible than many anime/manga creators, but these details still felt like window dressing. Saint Young Men isn’t a “cute girls doing cute things” series but it’s a close relative to them.
While Jesus is an airhead Buddha is the more level-headed of the manzai duo, the straight man/tsukkomi, but Buddha lived even before Jesus so he’s just as clueless about modern life. My main complaint with Buddha is that the jokes about him get repeated a lot. There are two or three jokes about Jesus that come up multiple times in this first volume but it feels like half of the jokes about Buddha are about his hair or other visual features.
These got dull quickly and honestly, the entire volume was a bit boring to my disappointment. I’ve seen snippets of the manga and animated adaptation online for years and really enjoyed what I saw, but at least 70% of this volume fell flat for me. Perhaps Nakamura’s jokes get a bit snappier and absurd in later volumes, which would make the humor more to my taste, but with all of the other series available for me to read right now and this lackluster first volume I don’t see myself continuing this digital-only series at the moment.
Helen’s Rating: 2 out of 5
Rai: As a child, I was raised Catholic. I went to CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) every Sunday and was told Bible stories before bed. Now, as an adult, I no longer practice Christianity. However, I’m very interested in the philosophy and history of different religions, particularly Buddhism. So, when I heard about Saint Young Men, I had to check it out. And I’m so glad I did. I haven’t laughed so hard while reading a manga in a long time. Or, maybe not… ever.
If you aren’t familiar with this series, Saint Young Men is a slice of life manga – with a twist. The two main protagonists are none other than Jesus Christ and the Buddha himself. These two heavenly figures decide to take a vacation and rent an apartment in modern day Japan. The story follows their everyday lives, which consist of surprisingly normal activities, such as visiting tourist attractions or running to the convenience store.
But because they are divine beings, not everything turns out so normal. And it’s hilarious. For example, people like to poke the byakugou on Buddha’s forehead or make comments about his “man perm.” Additionally, the dialogue is filled with references to both Christianity and Buddhism, but it’s incorporated in the most hysterical ways. At one point, Jesus gets overly excited and starts yelling “Amen! Amen!” I died laughing at that part.
To be honest, you may miss some of the jokes if you aren’t familiar with either religion. Still, the comedy gags are all done in such a silly and funny manner that you’ll probably laugh anyway. There’s also a lot of references to Japanese and Western culture, which will definitely get at least a few chuckles.
If you are curious and want to learn more about the religious jokes, there is a glossary in the back of the manga that goes into detail about them all. Kudos to the English translation team for including all of that (it might be in the Japanese version too; I’m not sure). But mostly, kudos to Hikaru Nakamura for being so well-versed in both religions and being able to cleverly include so many allusions.
Even without all of the religious aspects, Saint Young Men is a great read. Jesus and Buddha make an interesting pair. Jesus is very carefree and even a little irresponsible at times, and Buddha is always reprimanding him. I personally liked to see a flawed Jesus. When I went to Sunday school and mass, he was always portrayed as practically perfect because he was the son of God. So, for me, seeing Jesus splurging on things he didn’t need was just too funny.
In the manga, Buddha was unexpectedly uptight for someone who’s obtained enlightenment. He would get nervous or angry a lot. However, since he is THE Buddha, he could also quickly go into meditation mode – yet another thing that was hilarious. In my opinion, pretty much anything he did was funny since I’ve always had this weird soft spot for Buddha.
The fact they are in a modern setting also adds to the story’s appeal. It’s much more relatable than if they were still living in the distant past. Plus, all of the references to modern pop culture wouldn’t make sense. And, since I’m an otaku, I love that they’re in Japan. Aside from that, I have always wondered how Jesus would react if he ever came back and saw modern day society. He apparently really likes it – at least according to this manga.
Will other readers enjoy this manga as much as me? It’s hard to say. A devout Christian or Buddhist may not like how Jesus and Buddha are portrayed. But even if someone is very pious, I think they could still enjoy this series – sometimes you need to laugh at the things you love most.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to say how people with no experience in either religion will react. In my opinion, it’s probably best if you know at least a little bit about both religions and figures. But at the same time, the manga could be a great starting point to learn more about famous Biblical stories or the elements of Buddhism.
If you can’t tell by now, I loved this manga. For someone like me – who grew up Catholic, has done a lot of research on religion, loves slice of life manga, and has a silly sense of humor – Volume 1 of Saint Young Men was near perfect.
Rai’s rating: 5 out of 5