by Rev. Rune Marie Nielsen
Sitting in his ramshackle Tokyo apartment, the inspired youthful-looking Jesus takes up pottery. He moves the clay around to make a shape he likes. Suddenly, a loaf of bread appears where the small clay sculpture once was. In his excitement, Jesus has accidentally manifested a miracle. Not wanting to waste the bread, Jesus puts slices in the toaster to share with his roommate, another young man known as the Buddha. The Buddha creates his own unintentional miracle out of anger when he realizes they’ve almost used up their monthly budget. The holy monk’s head shines so brightly that the Buddha says he wishes he could sell the excess energy to the electric company.
These lighthearted scenes are just another day in the fictional life of best friends Jesus and the Buddha, who are taking a year off from their heavenly duties to experience the current state of the human world. In this review, I cover the English translation of volumes one through three of Hikaru Nakamura’s slice of life manga comedy Saint Young Men. Since 2007, Nakamura’s graphic novels about Jesus and the Buddha living like twenty-somethings in modern Tokyo have sold over 15 million copies. Her award-winning manga has also been displayed in exhibits on Japanese culture at the British Museum in London.
The manga series gives amusing and relatable personalities to the ancient deity of Christianity and the divine herald of Buddhism. Each religion is regarded with equal respect, as the story carefully depicts the two sacred figures in a flawed but lovable light. The author also uses religious concepts to shape the narrative. For example, Jesus’ humorous pottery mishap alludes to events in the Bible. God is described like a potter forming clay in a variety of settings across the books of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Romans. Also, Jesus’ ability to turn stones into bread comes from Chapter 4 in the Gospels According to Matthew and Luke. In those verses, the Devil tempts Jesus while he is fasting, telling him he could turn stones into bread if he so desired.
Present-day entertainment is not completely foreign to Saint Young Men’s version of Jesus and the Buddha. The two friends reveal through their quirky conversations that they already are familiar with international pop culture. They chat about celebrities, Star Wars movies, and Japanese TV shows, their banter intertwined with witty commentary on religious stories and spiritual practices. Translation notes at the end of each chapter provide readers with information about religious references to both Buddhism and Christianity, including scripture and traditions. The English translation also includes explanations of Japanese pop culture references.
Saint Young Men brings up intriguing ideas about divine decisions, providing surprisingly human reasons for each main character’s actions. Perhaps Jesus chose to walk on water because he didn’t know how to swim. Maybe the Buddha bonded with his fellows in the divine realm by drawing comics with inside jokes about the Buddhist saints around him. While on earth, Jesus and the Buddha come face to face with the sinful temptations of over-hyped capitalism, as well as judgmental social attitudes about appearances and lifestyle. Is impulse spending 17,000 yen (109 US dollars) on an art set wasteful? Does Jesus look like Johnny Depp? And is it okay for the Buddha to have a beer every now and then? Though amusing, these questions also prompt readers to consider if our own habits and opinions reflect the values we believe in.
For Christians, this manga is an imaginative reminder of Jesus’ unique personhood, his miraculous human incarnation, and his knowledge of human struggles. Within this story, Jesus is brought from a distant figure in heaven down to earthly surroundings and situations that are familiar to us. His curiosity about modern human joys and struggles remind us that Jesus continues learning about us and wants to know us personally. Furthermore, reading this comic is educational for Buddhists and Christians to learn about each other’s religions. It also creates a bridge between followers of both faiths by bringing the holy figureheads together. I pray that like the divine entities in this fun and fictional story, Christians and Buddhists everywhere can become good friends.
Rune Marie Nielsen is a pastor, writer, and illustrator who seeks to show ‘a glimpse of divine eternity’ in her work. Educated in Hong Kong, Rune finds creativity in both the complex and simple aspects of life, from meditation and theology to the bowl of noodles she ate for lunch.
Visit runepainter.com to view more art by Pastor Rune.
