Read it. Didn't find it very funny. While the premise does have some promise, they don't really seem to do anything with it. It's just two dudes living a life. If it wasn't about Jesus and Buddha, it simply wouldn't have any interesting point whatsoever.
just a medicine seller
The thing is, I was literally laughing out loud the entire way through. Maybe it's because I'm familiar with both religions. I dunno. For some reason the mangaka's sense of humor really works for me, personally.
To each their own, I guess. I haven't looked into Buddhism at all, and stop paying attention to Christianity when I was, like, twelve. Maybe there were a lot more funny in-jokes then could spot.
Still, if you need a degree in theology just to get the jokes, something went wrong.
just a medicine seller
Hahaha, no no no, I really don't have that much religious knowledge; it's just that I'm familiar with both religions on a cultural level, if you know what I mean. Popcultural Osmosis. I guess folklore would be a good way to put it.
edited 19th Oct '10 10:35:21 AM by Anarchy
Not really my thing, but i thought it was pretty funny. I loved how Jesus kept getting mistaken for Johnny Depp.
^^^I think you're missing the point, extraordinary people in ordinary situations is the gist of this sort of comedy.
Could it be dumbed down to make it accessible to more people? Probably. Would it defeat the funny? Yes. If you can't be bothered about Jesus or Buddha then this just isn't your comic. There are plenty of people with enough interest in religion who'll be able to enjoy it. I don't think that to have read the brief history of Christianty and Buddhism is too much to expect. And you really don't need more than just general familiarity.
Anyway...Don't think that there's much chance of an anime, the Japanese are just as cautious about controversy in mainstream media (an after midnight short, maybe).
I really do enjoy this manga, and I love how the two characters get on which each other in a way that should probably be a lesson to us all. Funny how you see a lot of worries whether a comic like this is "offensive", just because you're not supposed to touch these figures. But the end result is -really- nice in this case.
Never mind, stupid post.
edited 20th Oct '10 6:47:29 AM by Kayeka
just a medicine seller
"And you really don't need more than just general familiarity."
Yeah, this. I'm not really interested in religion at all.
Perhaps a manga focused on Jesus and Buddha isn't the manga for you, then.
It's been fun.
just a medicine seller
....oh no no no. I'm the OP btw, in case you hadn't noticed. I meant, I'm not really interested in religion, AND I found this manga totally hilarious.
Oh, I see! Sorry about that... I've developed the bad habit of going by people's avatars.
Are there any more chapters out nowadays? The last I saw scanlated was... maybe the Christmas chapter.
It's been fun.
idn't see an English translation since March, but the Christmas one was 9 and they have it up to 12, so maybe there are some new ones since you saw it.
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
Thread Necromancy ahoy!
Haven't realized that this actually had a thread.
I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
Finally bothered to read this after a friend recommended it to me...
I like it.
Now if only there were up to date translations.
Tumblr here.
Its great. How many chapter there is now? Still 12?
Wikipedia says there are 6 volumes out already. Not sure how many chapters that is, but definitely more than 12.
Tumblr here.
just a medicine seller
OH MY GOD. NEW SCANLATIONS ARE OUT. OH MY FUCKING GOD. I THINK MY BIRTHDAY JUST CAME EARLY (or late, but whatever).
Chapter 14 is out too.
Card Captor Jesus Christ? Fund it!
And am I the only one who found the UFO game being used as a metaphor for the old story about hell as more creepy than funny? <<;
edited 4th Sep '11 8:00:29 AM by Servbot
just a medicine seller
It's funny BECAUSE it's creepy....
And isn't it more Sailor Moon Jesus than Card Captor Sakura? I envy the person who eventually buys that robe.
Well, the chant and speech is Sailor Moon, but I think the prop is Card Captor Sakura.
Though after Googling, I see that Sakura's star wand is very different from the one used by Jesus, so I likely got that reference wrong. <<;
edited 4th Sep '11 3:54:27 PM by Servbot
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
Heh, friendship request from Judas.
Taoist flying powers
I'm still iffed by the fact that the OVA isn't subbed yet
I consider it my duty to ensure that, should you be surprised by a bear in your library, you will have ample ammunition to beat it to death.
So, they're turning this into an anime.
I'm excited, but at the same time, I am NOT looking forward to the reaction this is (probably) going to get.
To the waking world I say,"Aha!"
I'm not happy this is still NOT regularly scanlated. This and Kinou Nani Tabeta
-gloom-
Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.
Saint Young Men is a (popular in Japan) manga by Hikaru Nakamura, probably more well known as the mangaka for Arakawa Under The Bridge. Both works share a similar sense of quirky, off-beat, and just plain STRANGE humour. You can read it at MangaFox
.
So, who else is as impressed as I am by how surprisingly non-offensive and hilarious this is, for something that's based on the premise of Buddha and Jesus cohabiting in modern Japan, of all places? Also, who else thinks that this should totally be made into an anime? If so, who should play Jesus and Buddha (dub and sub)? And should they have accents (...though who knows what Japanese spoken with ancient Indian and Jewish accents would sound like), or should they magically speak perfect Tokyo-accent Japanese?
Incidentally, the mangaka said in an interview that (at least initially) she put little to no thought or research into this manga at all and just drew whatever she felt like drawing. Something along those lines. Now that is what I call genius.
edited 19th Oct '10 9:54:32 AM by Anarchy