Saint Young Men to Be Adapted into Anime Film

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a little newsbreak.  Kodansha’s Morning magazine announced that the long-awaited anime adaptation of the manga, Saint Young Men, will be going into production.  Instead of a series, a film will be made.

Saint Young Men is the critically acclaimed manga by Hikaru Nakamura featuring Jesus and Buddha as roommates.  I’ve also been a little hesitant to pick up the manga, but I certainly intend to one day, and I’m definitely looking forward to the film.

For those who have read the manga, what are your thoughts on it?  And do you think it could make a good translation into an anime film?

Source: Anime News Network

Twwk
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17 thoughts on “Saint Young Men to Be Adapted into Anime Film”

  1. I found a few pages through a Google search and I have to admit… I laughed! It’s pretty funny! And it is a very unique idea too… The one thought that kept coming through my mind was “If they bring this movie to the US as a dub, who would they get to play the main characters?” And even funnier, how would the commentary track go? “Hi, I’m Vic Mignogna and I played Jesus…”

    1. LOL. And how could you not cast Vic in that role? Though I’d say, “fat chance” on this movie getting distributed in North America, where we only get a handful of anime films a year anyway.

      1. That and I have to wonder if any US Licensing company would even have the…shall we say…testicular fortitude to license a movie/anime about Jesus and Buddha as roommates in Japan. The potential for fallout is relatively high!

        1. I highly, highly doubt it. Despite the critical and commercial success of the manga in Japan, no one here has licensed that. How much more unlikely for the movie/OVAs, which are forms which are already limited in licensing in North America.

  2. This is a really funny series, I read it when I was in Japan. It does a very good job (in my opinion) of treating both characters fairly and pretty accurately. It is still fiction though.

    1. …. Just out of curiousity, is it really necessary to specify that a manga about Jesus and Buddha living in modern-day Japan is fiction? xD”

      Anycase, I have to agree. It’s a wonderfully funny manga that manages to be very even-handed on religion and it’s quirks, sometimes even managing to make a point about religion in modern life, and is very respectful to both faiths. It’s completely unique and definitely something to check out!

      1. I think he meant that we have to be careful not to get caught up in the depiction of Jesus as realistic…which, funny enough, might have to be said!

        I’m definitely looking forward to reading the manga!

    2. I think you’re more conservative than I am, so it’s surprising for me to hear you enjoyed it. And that encourages me further to go and check it out.

  3. Saint Young Men is in my opinion excellent. It’s from a fairly obviously non-Christian perspective, but it treats Jesus (and Buddha) with respect and affection and for once it’s a story about religious figures that seldom if ever feels as if it has any particular axe to grind.

    1. I wonder if there is an overriding, deeper theme to the manga, however. There almost has to be…perhaps religious pluralism? I wonder…

      1. To be honest, I don’t think that there’s a deeper meaning to most of it. You can tell that there’s some religious pluralism going on – both Buddha and Jesus get along (mostly), have their quirks, and get into adventures with each other. But it’s in no way preachy. I honestly think that ‘deeper meaning’ is like analyzing literature – you can read anything into it if you really want to.

    1. Any offense, I imagine, would be on the part of Christians. Frankly, as I mentioned, I’ve largely stayed away from the series because I’m not sure how I’ll take it. But I do know I wouldn’t go to the lengths many would, I’m sure, if the series was ever released here. I can unfortunately imagine it – boycotts, demonstrations, and book burnings (!). 🙁

  5. I’m really excited to see this! I’ve read some of the manga, and it’s pretty hilarious. I think you have to have a good sense of humor and laugh at your religion sometimes to really enjoy the series, though. Thanks for always keeping us updated!

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