Saint Young Men tells the story of the ordinary lives of Buddha and Jesus Christ as they struggle to live a normal life in 21st and experience the differences that have happened since their times.
They plan to pause their saint lives and live in modern-day Japan and start living together in an apartment. Every chapter focuses on a different challenge and issues that these two different men with the same nature face together.
It is a character-focused series with good humor which makes it worth reading as there re some hilarious scenarios. I did not know how I felt about this series when I came to know about this manga but it is the concept that made me read it.
The concept of portraying religious and spiritual personality in a modern world is not new particularly in animations. South Park is one example that had some religious people who were Super Best Friends. Family Guy and The Simpsons are some other examples with the same concept.
The theme is very different and interesting but can be taken as an offense to some people. This seems to be one reason why it took a little longer to get familiar with the West as it was originally released in the 2000s.
Saint Young Men, which is written by the writer of Arakawa: Under the Bridge, Hikaru Nakamura, is a fictional story that portrays an interesting concept sarcastically. It makes it a very unique story and that is not intended to hurt anyone’s feelings.
One reason other than humor that makes it less offensive is the references from both religions Christianity and Buddhism. Every chapter has the translation notes. You can learn a lot of things about these two religions while being entertained which adds to its excellence.
Some important moments that I would like to mention are their visit to an amusement park which seems like Disneyland, where the funny reaction of Buddha to the roller coaster was outstanding. The Birthday of Jesus during Christmas is what related to the ongoing holidays.
When it comes to a funny manga, how many comic moments can be there without being repeated? It’s hard to come up with different things to make it funny in every chapter but this manga is very good at it. It was an entertaining manga to read.
The official English translated version by Kodansha which contains 2 volumes and 15 chapters is combined into a hardback. The translation was done by Athena Nibley who didn’t change the essence of its humor and portrayed the translations notes in the same manner.
All in all Saint Young Men a unique story that brilliantly portrays two religious personalities trying to keep up with the modern-day lifestyle of Japan. The references of both religions make it even more interesting and informative. I want to see more amusing troubles and issues that these two men face.
