A wacky, irreverent look on what happens when Jesus and Buddha go on an Earthly vacation. For the Japanese, probably a way to better familiarize themselves with the concepts of Christianity and Buddhism, for us foreigners, probably a look into how much better the world can be when we all realize we live under one roof.

Saint Young Men (Hikaru Nakamura) is a series about Jesus and Buddha relaxing from heavenly duties in Tokyo, Japan. This slice of life comedy follows both enjoying Japanese culture, tourist sites, festivals and the everyday happenings of their lives. The amount of jokes in the series don’t require knowledge about Christianity or Buddhism, but it helps if you have some. Jesus and Buddha get into tons of shenanigans, some of which aren’t related to religion, so the jokes stay balanced.

Jesus and Buddha don’t act as one would believe two religious figures would in the modern world. Despite being aware of the positions they hold, they avoid any exposure so they can enjoy their “vacation” in Japan. There are certain “holy” things they can’t completely avoid, such as Buddha’s glow when angry, but they play it off.

Jesus is more laidback than Buddha, who is characterized as more straight-laced, but depending on the situation that changes. The dynamic between the two men really showcases how close they are to one another, making the series all the more charming. If watching two religious figures wade their way through modern times wasn’t funny enough, watching them try to appear normal is.

All in all, I can’t wait for the next volume of the series.

Tried on multiple occasions to download this book but was unable to do so.

A big disappointment as I really wanted to read it.

First off, let me preface this review by saying that this manga was a bit dated by the time it came to the US, so some of the jokes and comedy might not be as relatable for people in the current day. Also, this is not a series that many will understand without a bit more knowledge of Judeo-Christian and Buddhist beliefs along with a relatively strong understanding of the Japanese culture.

The good news is, if you have ever asked yourself “What Would Jesus Do?” in Japan while living with Buddha, well this is the manga for you! This slice of life series follows the two aforementioned deities living a (somewhat) normal life in a small apartment in Japan. It goes through a whole range of scenarios that would occur if said people came down to earth and were unknown by the people around them. They interact with their neighbors, they have money issues, they get hobbies, and they have to figure out what groceries to buy so they can eat. This gets mixed in with an older style of comedy that references a lot of beliefs in both religions to often hilarious effect.

I enjoyed this manga series a lot, first when I read it many years ago in Japanese, and today translated into English. Unfortunately I don’t think this series will resonate well for a lot of younger readers for a number of reasons. Still, if you get a chance and you enjoy a more slowly paced manga about every day life with a few...holy bits mixed in, this series could be right down your alley. 5/5 for me, but ymmv.

This manga is about Jesus and Buddha living as roommates in Japan. It sounds a little strange but stick with me. This manga is pretty great. It's got a good amount of humor throughout from both Jesus and Buddha (mostly about them being bad at being human, which I mean, aren't we all?). And I really liked the friendship between them too. Honestly, this is a really great manga that I think anyone would be able to pick up and read even if you've never read any manga before. I would highly recommend this manga to just about anyone!

This manga explores the daily lives of Jesus and Buddha while they vacation in Japan. Even though they are gods they go through daily struggles like catching the bus and paying rent. Many of the jokes are easily understandable if you have a decent understanding Catholism and Buddhism and even if you are not really interested in religion this manga is worth a read.

If my mother knew I was reading this…😂 luckily I’m like half-sure she doesn’t read my posts. But, if you are reading this, mamma, uhm, I love you and be sure to give my cat a kiss from me.

This was my first manga, compared to just comics and graphic novels previously, so I did have to keep reminding myself of the rules of reading manga. But I would quickly remember the rules before I read much of the page. I enjoyed it being in black and white, though! I thought I wouldn’t as I’m so used to colour on the pages and thought: “Maybe the story wouldn’t be good in b&w as it would be in colour” – but that was not the case with Saint Young Men!

So, this doesn’t have much of a plot, okay? It’s mostly Buddha and Jesus walking around Japan and being friends and roommates – which I really liked, as you know what? It would be really cool for the deities/gods of different religions to be chilling with each other. The conversation and banter between the two main characters was great! I could tell they were friends and were comfortable with each other. It’s so humourous, all their experiences and adventures.

I can’t speak for how accurate Buddha was portrayed but Jesus was pretty accurately portrayed. Like He’s meant to be, not the person most ‘Christians’ make Him out to be. I didn’t want to read this in the first place, because I thought that He wouldn’t be shown correctly. But then He was! And I loved it! Aside from how accurate their portrayals were, I really enjoyed how their characters were written. And how they managed to fit in with the modern crowd and at the same time, struggled to not show their immortality and their giftings, or anything that’ll draw unneeded/unwanted attention to them. Which ended up in some hilarious experiences (I’m looking at you, Jesus).

All in all, great characters. Little actual plot but to be honest, I actually liked that. Do I recommend this: Yes! If you’re wanting a light-hearted chuckle of a manga.

My Rating : 2.5 🌟

First, the artwork is amazing and the concept of bringing two iconic figures into a modern world was quite different to read about. Other than that I found that this book made fun of certain culture points that might offend some people as well. I can understand the direction the humor was taken to, but I would have preferred for the characters to have much more depth and the plot to have some additional structure to hold the story. After a point of time, I just wanted to finish reading instead of enjoying a story which was not what I expected from this book.

I cannot finish it: I didn't like the style nor the "humor" behind. I'm not a religious person: I simply don't understand why this manga was written.

I ended up not finishing this book. I was so excited to read it, because I remembered when it was first published in Japan, but I don't read Japanese. There it was in English! Unfortunately, the "gag" got old fast and I got bored.

2.25 stars
Firstly, I am so glad that there is now an official English translation of this manga. I've been waiting for a long time for there to be one and I'm glad that there now is one because I have been intrigued by the premise ever since a friend of mine told me about this manga.
I thought that this was a very easy read and pretty fun but I did find that sometimes the jokes were a little to religious for my liking. Simply because I didn't always get them, or I didn't find them that funny, and I think that there is probably a number of people out there that will feel the same.
It was very light hearted and an easy read, but I don't think that I would be that interested in carrying on with this series. It's not the usual kind of manga that I tend to read but I did enjoy it but not enough to want to really carry on reading this series.

I've seen images of Jesus and Buddha as modern people all over Tumblr a few years back but didn't really think much about it. When I saw that they were available for review on NetGalley, however, I immediately took the opportunity to read it and I'm so glad I did. This was really funny and I really enjoyed the multi-cultural aspects put into this, without taking itself seriously.

The premise is that these two gods, founders of Christianity and Buddhism, take a break from godly duties and spends some time as somewhat regular people on Earth, in modern day Japan, no less. I'm thinking of saying it pokes fun at certain depictions of these gods in modern day religion, but really, it's light-heartedness adds to the charm of this manga. I admittedly don't know much about irl Buddha but I found the characterization here really endearing. And Jesus as this clueless, easily-confused guy was so funny to me! The dynamic of their friendship was so cool and genuine. There's a part where he splurges on an unnecessary hobby and Buddha lights up in passive-aggressive anger bec they should be saving up for rent. SO. RELATABLE!

My other favorite parts are when they took a commuter express train and Buddha wasn't able to get off so he spends the night at a manga bar and ends up collecting a manga series about himself; the part where Jesus tells the "real" story of his baptism (he's got aquaphobia! XD); Jesus' blog! and when he kept making miracles bec of a funny comic strip Buddha made; and well, whenever circumstances subtly reveal their godliness to the unsuspecting public and they do hilarious things to not be found out.

I did find some parts that are somewhat fatphobic and representative of fragile masculinity but I'm giving it a pass since those weren't really cruel and I have to consider that originally came out over a year ago. But I do think they're unnecessary so maybe just ignore.

Still, I liked this comics and highly recommend getting a copy of it for its light-humor and sarcasm.

I was drawn by the description - Jesus and Buddha returning to Earth to share a flat in Tokyo for a gap year.

What I didn't realise initially is that this is a manga and not something that I've read previously. I even had to look up how to read it. You read it from right to left in case you're wondering.

But that's exactly why it's good to step outside your comfort zone and read something totally different.

I really enjoyed Saint Young Men. The artwork is excellent, it's black and white with lots of detail and excellent facial expressions at times, conveying moods and feelings perfectly. There's often subtle background details like slogans on t-shirts.

The writing is excellent too. The characters of Buddha and Jesus have an endearing friendship and they find themselves in lots of unusual situations such as meeting a gangster in a sauna, doing a stand-up comedy routine, taking a commuter train and attending a theme park.

There's lots of humour in Saint Young Men, as you'd expect it pokes fun at both of the characters and their respective religions but in a quite a subtle way - for example they are called hippie and man perm.

It's more a case of taking a different perspective, which you may do after reading this too. Jesus is portrayed as a consumerist who's keen on spending money and likes blogging whilst Buddha is much more frugal and enjoys manga. Although they often disagree - for example whether to watch the parade or go to the theme park shop to buy a souvenir they always work it out amicably between themselves.

There's also some handy translation notes at the back, these explain some of the cultural and religious references and help put some of the situations and associated humour into context.

★★★,5⭐ | "Hey, it says anyone over 80 gets in at half price. Do we count as seniors?" "Well, we're probably the seniorest of seniors. But I don't think we can get a discount."

Saint Young Men follows the life of Buddha and Jesus on their trip to modern Japan. They try to blend in and experience the culture and life thus they are forced to deal with both human problems like rent and food as well as godly problems like spontaneous miracles and not being able to reveal their identity.

Buddha and Jesus begin the journey during which they learn more about modern Japan, deal with their spendings, and get more acquainted with each other. One of them is better with the social side and getting used to the modern way of thinking and the other puts focus on more responsible aspects of their trip like managing the resources and worrying about revealing their identity. This gives us two perspectives of a god experiencing the modern world and an opportunity to use the contrast for comic purposes.

And there's plenty of humour in the manga right with the uselessness and 'being bad at humaning' (either of them for different reasons) to the various godly references throughout the text.

All in all, it's a neat light read with some interesting cultural aspects to it good for some laughs providing that you can take it without offence.

I really enjoyed this hilarious take on Jesus and Buddha enjoying some well- earned time off down on Earth sharing an apartment in Tokyo Japan.
They really try to blend in to modern day life but Buddha's third eye and Jesus's crown of thorns just keep attracting attention!.
The artwork in this was perfect and really made the story come alive.
The translation notes at the end were a welcome addition and added background details to the religious aspects which were helpful and I found the afterword really interesting too. I like how Kodansha Comics do this as I found the same format in one of their other comics too.
A very enjoyable read.
My thanks go to the publisher, author, artist and net galley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

Cute and fun Manga about Jesus and Buddha living together and having fun in Japan. I loved every single page of this manga.

I honestly never expected Saint Young Men to be legally available in English at all, but now I'm despondent that it is currently digital only! It is such a shame because this was such a funny volume. Nakamura just has a way of poking fun at things without actually making fun of them and it's just an absolutely delight! If this comes out in print, I'll pre-order it as soon as I possibly can, but until then I can only hope that those in charge of my library's ebook selections add it to our offerings!

Once I saw the cover and read the summary I knew I had to have it and read it!
Hikaru Nakamura created a amazing and funny world where we have Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha living together in Tokyo! Where they blog, they go on adventures on the amusement parks. We even have Jesus confused by a Yakuza boss!
I couldn't stop laughing for a moment! Totally recommend it!

Saint Young Men is a hilarious manga about Buddha and Jesus sharing an apartment in Japan. I had some very good laughs, especially whenever Buddha got mad and started glowing because of Jesus’ impulsive purchases. I felt very called out, not going to lie. I think I would’ve enjoyed the manga more if I knew more about the relationship between Buddhism and Christianity in Japan. It’s not 100% necessary, but it would provide some cultural contexts. Also, Saint Young Men isn’t exactly my type of humor. It’s just me, though! If you’re looking for a quality comedy manga, this is an excellent choice!

I really admire the effort put into translating this manga. The translation notes are very detailed and informative, I learned a lot of new things through them. A lot of jokes are better explained in the notes, as well. If you’re confused—like I was—make sure to check them out!

I’ve seen snippets of this manga everywhere, but I’ve never been able to read the whole thing. So thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for a review.

This manga explores the daily lives of Jesus and Buddha while they vacation in Japan. While they maybe two of the most important figures in religioin, theses two roommates still have to deal with paying the rent and catching the next bus. Many of the jokes are easily understandable if you have a decent understanding Catholism and Buddhism. Even if you don’t know anything about religion this manga is worth a read. The jokes are light-hearted and easy understandable. However, some jokes may be lost in translation, but a glossary is provided in the back so it’s not a big worry.

Like any classic story of roommates, one is more relaxed, Jesus while the other is a bit more conservative, Buddha. I hope to see more adventures of these two exploring Japan.

Overall, this I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light-hearted slice-of-life manga.