I read a lot of comics but not Manga so perhaps some of the humour is lost in translation. Found it to be an interesting concept but not particularly funny. Read more like a MAD magazine with short snippets instead of an overall story or plot.

Recommended for Manga fans.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed and ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I've been waiting to read this one since I heard there was an anime of it-- because of course I still haven't gotten around to watching the show.

Anyhow, it follows Jesus and Buddha as they vacation in Japan. Like... this is comedy gold. I want to mention how and give examples, but I'm worried I'd be ruining it. I will say there is some need to know background on the religious figures, but there are explanations to some of the words, situations, punchlines in the back of the book. For the most part, just basic knowledge is needed to understand the jokes and even then I don't think it is always truly needed-- just knowing these are religious figures getting into strange situations is great.

I don't think any of the jokes are mean-spirited or snubbing either or any religion, so no need to worry there.

I'm going to leave my review there before I start trying to repeat jokes. I recommend this to people wanting to laugh and not looking for a plot.

A slice-of-life manga with a unique premise, Saint Young Men delivers a laugh-out-loud comedy that is good-natured and secular, despite centering two major religious figures. Jesus and Buddha are both taking a well-deserved vacation in Tokyo, living as roommates, hiding their divine selves behind the personas of Hippie and Man Perm respectively. With a clean artwork, and numerous gags on each of their presences, this one had some excellent jokes on Buddha's ascetic lifestyle or Jesus's miracles, while placing them in the 21st century. With Jesus being a impulsive spendthrift and Buddha being a cautious spender, their duo makes for an interesting living situation. Then there are also gags on mythological canon, like why Jesus walked on water instead of swimming, or how Buddha feels about roller coasters, or a yakuza member confusing Jesus for the scion of some major crime family, or just simple jokes about them being more than two millenia old. Their duo even does a comedy act, takes part in a shrine festival and engages in some new hobbies. And the best part is, you don't even need to be fully familiar with the religious references as there is a glossary at the end. Readers might even spot pop culture references like the one to Death Note, or about Jesus looking similar Johnny Depp. Overall, it is entertaining, refreshing and just adorable.

I was overjoyed when Saint Young Men was available in Netgalley. I've heard of this comic ages ago and now after reading it (and since I couldn't add any gif on NG), here, have my reaction written in capitals:

VERY HILARIOUS AND RECOMMENDED.

I honestly made questionable noises because I read this during office hours.

This isn't the first time I've read this BUT it is the first time I've read it in English.

As someone who read it in its first language, I have to say a lot of the jokes were lost in translation which was unfortunate. But I tried to think about how I would translate it and I don't know that I could have done a better job other than better translation notes at the end. I thought they were confusing and didn't really explain anything very well.

I tried looking at this as a first-time reader and I think it's more than ok. I think it's a fun read. But maybe not for someone who was deeply connected to either religion. I think that's just an American thing. We're kind of uptight (at least in the midwest where I'm at)

Not looking at the translation, I think the little snippets of life for Jesus and Buddha are also. I think it's better since I know about all the topics involved (Buddhism, Christianity, Japanese life)

I've been waiting so long for an official translation of Saint Young Men, and I'm really excited to share it with the patrons of my library! (Print volume soon, please, Kodansha?) It's a very sweet, gentle (but maybe not quite all-ages) comedy about Buddha and Jesus Christ taking a gap year on earth together. If you're worried that the jokes will be meanspirited about religion, please don't! Both Jesus and Buddha are very human figures, but they're portrayed with love. A lot of the jokes do make references I didn't get immediately, but the translation notes at the end of the volume are extensive and I enjoyed learning from them. There's not much in the way of overarching plot, so if you're mainly into action/adventure or romance you might not find what you're looking for here, but if you like slice of life stories, give Saint Young Men a try! They're different genres but I think it would actually pair very well with What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

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Saint Young Men, by Hikaru Nakamura
★★☆☆☆
150 Pages

DNF

Really intriguing concept. Some mistakes in the dialogue (such as repeated words). Nice, simple illustrations/sketches.

While I found the idea really interesting and unique, there wasn't much purpose to the 'story'. It was all little short stories about what Jesus and Buddha got up to in the human world. Parts of it were kind of funny, other parts were more interesting than entertaining, and overall I just felt that it was lacking some kind of overall plot. Maybe if they had a 'mission' to go with their adventures, but it's basically a 'day in the life of' story and it didn't grab me.
Sadly, just not my cup of tea.

This was a highly entertaining manga and I really don't have high expectations for this at first. Saint Young Men chronicles the lives of Buddha and Jesus in the modern world and how they cope with the advent of technology and cultures present. It may be disturbing to some readers but I think once they get to delve in this manga they'll see how life is now reflected in the eyes of their icons. It's still highly entertaining though.

This is wacky: Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha are roomies and besties. They dress up and go to festivals together, ride the trains, etc. in modern day Japan. And silliness happens.

Reading the first chapter, I was thinking, "Well, at least this isn't very long. It's not bad, but I'm not into it." But by the end, I was in fact into it, which surprised me.

If you're religious, it might offend you. I don't know; a lot of things seem to offend religious and it's nearly impossible to forecast what those things might be.

If you're expecting Jesus to bleed while wearing the crown of thorns, you'll be disappointed. I thought that was a little weird, but maybe not as weird as the premise of the series. It's fine though. You'll probably like it, so you should read it.