Saint Young Men vol 1 by Hikaru Nakamura

After successfully getting humanity passed the millennium, Buddha and Jesus decide that it's time for a vacation. They rent a flat in Tokyo and experience some of the local tourist attractions. Buddha is consistently worried about making rent while Jesus thinks spending money is the pinnacle of relaxation.  They go to theme parks and ride rides together.  They win a golden statue of Buddha in a local carnival game. They participate in local Shinto festivals and hope not to upset the sitting spirit by carrying its shrine. They sample lots of food at street vendors, festivals, and anywhere they can. In all of their adventures, they try to blend in with the locals, despite Buddha's elongated ear lobes and Jesus' crown of thorns.  

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This story came highly recommended, and I really wanted to like it.  I read volume one inside the omnibus of volumes 1 and 2, and couldn't bring myself to be interested in the second half of the omnibus.  This slice-of-life story has a lot of humor that is particular to those who know a lot about Christianity, Buddhism, AND Shintoism, and my knowledge is really limited to just the one that is ubiquitous in America. There are so many jokes that are lost in translation. Kodansha sometimes likes to do translation notes in their books, but this is the first time I’ve seen them include translation notes at the end of each chapter. Clearly, there are so many things that need explanation that having them all collected at the end would be too long.  However, if a joke requires a paragraph of explanation, how funny can it really be?  Unless you have a population of students who would be familiar with all three religions, this might be an easy one to skip purchasing.

If you do happen to have that student population who would find this enjoyable, there was nothing inappropriate or risqué about the first volume.  The two occasionally drink beer, but that is really the only inclusion of drugs or alcohol thus far.

Sara's Rating: 4/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: Kodansha
Publication Date: December 17, 2019​
ISBN: 9781632369369 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 4/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Humor, Slice Of Life, Kodansha