Saint Young Men #10

I'm in the process of moving, so excuse the lack of updates recently. The latest volume of Saint Young Men (聖おにいさん) was released just over a month ago, and I just got around to reading it.

If you haven't read any of the earlier volumes, don't worry, there are some minor running gags, but each episode stands alone, and juxtaposes Japanese culture with Christian and Buddhist theology. The more you know about either of those subjects the more you will get out of it.

The lack of continuity does feel a little jarring, as the comic jumps from a summer barbecue, to Jesus' rivalry with Santa at Christmas, and back to hanami in spring. Although I guess if you are reading the series as it is originally released in Morning Moai, then it might make more sense.

Saint Young Men Official Site: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/25
Saint Young Men on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saint_oniisan
Hikaru Nakamura on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hikakom

Saint Young Men #9 + Bonus DVD

The latest volume of Saint Young Men (聖☆おにいさん) hit the shelves this week, and if you get in early there is a special edition that includes a short anime DVD produced by A-1 Pictures. The DVD includes two short animated sequences and promotional material for the DVD release of the Saint Young Men anime that will be released on October 23rd.

I'm actually a few volumes behind with this series, but I picked up volume 9 for the bonus DVD. It's nice to see that my Catholic primary school education came in handy for something, a few Japanese friends who aren't as familiar with christian theology have a bit of trouble picking up some of the Jesus references. But the world that Hikaru Nakamura (中村光) also draws on a wide range of Buddhist, Shinto and cultural references. We see Jesus and Buddha navigate an impromptu Momotaro play, enjoy their first setsubun, and hina matsuri. There are recurring themes and characters that appear, but each episode is a self contained story.

Related Links:
Saint Young Men Website: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/25
Hikaru Nakamura on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hikakom
Saint Young Men movie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saint023_movie
A-1 Pictures on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a1pictures

Saint Young Men Trailer

And here is the video for Saint Young Men (聖☆おにいさん) that I mentioned just before Christmas. It doesn't reveal too much of a story, but the animation style looks great. Looking forward to this.

Saint Young Men

Or 聖☆おにいさん as it's called in Japanese. Jesus and Buddha are two twenty (going on a few thousand) somethings living in modern Tokyo. Trips to Disneyland, rides on the subway, summer festivals. As a foreigner living in Japanese, it's hilarious to see some of the same reactions and situations that I face in my every day life reflected through the actions and opinions of two religious icons. One of my favourite scenes is Jesus being confused with Johnny Depp at the convenience store.

I'm a big fan of the web comic Jesus and Mo, which a satirical slap in the face of the archaic views prominent in some sections of the Christian and Islamic communities. Saint Young Men is more a light-hearted affectionate poke in the ribs.

This is definitely the most hilarious, refreshing manga that I've read in a long time. It's written by Hikaru Nakamura who also writes. Arakawa Under The Bridge, which has recently been turned into a movie. I'm yet to read the manga, or see the movie, but they are definitely on my to-read list.

You can catch Hikaru Nakamura on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/hikakom

And the Saint Young Men website here: http://morningmanga.com/lineup/25