ManSen Raising Project #1: Saint Young Men Vol. 1 by Hikaru Nakamura

聖☆おにいさん (Saint Oniisan): Saint Young Men by Hikaru Nakamura

Serialized in Morning 2, Published by Kodansha

When you think of two men, sharing a studio apartment, spending holidays and baths together, and might I add creates “miracles” in their spare time, many of you would probably scream “BL!” Add the holy identities of Jesus and Buddha, I know for some, you’ll be screaming “BLASPHEMY!” However, Hikaru Nakamura’s Morning 2 title, Saint Oniisan, is beyond the worldly sin of BL and presents to us the comedy of divine powers at work. This is a story of Jesus and Buddha living and discovering our modern lives.

Saint Oniisan is slice-of-life, or shall I say divine-life, tale of Jesus and Buddha as they try to experience the modern world, in this case, Japan. The first volume gives us a great glimpse of their reintegration to society. You see Jesus and Buddha experiencing Asakusa, public baths, theme parks, and the internet. Throughout the volume, we get a little history of their divine greatness only to see their apparent insignificance in modern Japanese society. Suffice to say, before people can recognize that they’re actually Jesus and Buddha, people think of them as someone who looks like Johnny Depp or a guy with a button on his forehead. For real.

The manga places a funny twist on religion, attitudes, culture and customs in Japan through the eyes of Jesus and Buddha. Nakamura herself illustrates light hearted dieties who are eager to understand modern culture at the same time enjoy life the way that we do now. If you can’t imagine Jesus and Buddha engrossed in Mixi or having a 24 marathon on New Year’s Eve, then you can definitely see that in here. You can even see them riding the train, the roller coaster, and take a swim in the public pool. Nakamura really integrates the two gods into the fabric of society, trying to get their hands dirty, not with sins and material belongings, but with all the trends and culture of Japanese society.

In fact, Saint Oniisan is so light-hearted that Jesus and Buddha often appear like a manzai comedians wherein they often exchange banter using their religious tales and divine power as wagers for comic relief. Buddha plays the uptight tsukommi while Jesus, oh dear Jesus, plays the laidback boke. In our context, think Abbot and Costello, except in this round they’re Jesus and Buddha arguing whether Jesus can really make bread with clay. Can’t imagine it? I can’t either until this manga came along and broke my brain with just the first chapter. Some may think that this is religious overkill, I just think it’s hilarious.

This manga is pure genius. The art may not be that exceptional or groundbreaking but the story is. I can probably understand some apprehensions in reading Saint Oniisan due to its religious implications, but the genius of the manga lies in how Nakamura manages to depict the two dieties in a real context without insulting their divinities. It’s a refreshing perspective on Jesus and Buddha and the world we’re living in. You’ll definitely never see them in a boring situation in every page of this manga.

Sad to say though that the manga is currently in Japanese. But Robert Takar of Tokyopop is a fan of the series and hopefully he could probably pull strings to bring the title to US shores.