Portrayals of Catholics in Manga

[Crescentinus]

Misunderstanding is most probably the case with most (though there are a few manga I can think of which seem to push the boundaries). There’s an anime called ‘Kids on the Slope’ (based on a manga) which actually gives a surprisingly accurate depiction of Catholics! It was quite a breath of fresh air to say the least!

That could troll Jack Chick to say the least.
After all, he hates Catholics to the point of sheer recklessness.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Your “unlesses” are out of context here - there would be no Christian intent to either add ornamentation or add symbols from the Bible that would be meaningful to Christians. It’s just a way to be artistic, for Japanese manga artists. Maybe somewhat edgy. And for us, blasphemous.

Seeing as how even my Jesuit education has taught me the arbitrary nature of symbolism, calling it blasphemy is uninformed. The piece is not even intended for religious purpose so what right do you have to decry it?

We use the symbols of pagan faiths just as frivolously and as a writer, I am glad for it. The cross isn’t so different. Heck, prior to Christ, people detested the symbol as it stood for Roman oppression. Religious imagery doesn’t possess any form of divine protection any more than Celtic runes or Egyptian god symbols.

I can’t even begin to describe how many of the posts I’m reading here are throwing common sense out the window. I’ve read plenty similar manga and I hardly find it blasphemous. The pieces aren’t historical. They’re used as aesthetic decor, not to design sacramentals.

 

[Ijiwaru_Sensei]

Do any manga readers here know of any manga that use Jesus as a character?

I know of three: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s Jesus, which retells part of the Christ story from a distant disciple’s perspective, Tezuka Osamu no Kyūyaku Seisho Monogatari, which concludes with the birth of Christ, and Nakamura Hikaru’s Seinto Oniisan, which presents a fictionalized Christ living with Buddha in modern day Tokyo.

 

[roseproject]

Do any manga readers here know of any manga that use Jesus as a character?

The only ones I can personally think of are Hidenori Kumai’s ‘Manga Messiah’, Siku’s ‘The Manga Bible’ (and what ever other “manga bibles” there are out there) and the American-made manga, Gabrielle Gniewek and Sean Lam’s “Many are called” (a kind of steam-punk styled manga based off Christ’s parables of the Kingdom being like a wedding banquet).
I looked up the titles you mentioned. The Jesus and Buddha one looks kind of…um… :ehh:

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I looked up the titles you mentioned. The Jesus and Buddha one looks kind of…um… :ehh:

I actually wanted to read that one. From what I’ve heard, it’s better than it sounds. Some of the skits described to me were actually hilarious!

 

[Ijiwaru_Sensei]

The only ones I can personally think of are Hidenori Kumai’s ‘Manga Messiah’, Siku’s ‘The Manga Bible’ (and what ever other “manga bibles” there are out there) and the American-made manga, Gabrielle Gniewek and Sean Lam’s “Many are called” (a kind of steam-punk styled manga based off Christ’s parables of the Kingdom being like a wedding banquet).
I looked up the titles you mentioned. The Jesus and Buddha one looks kind of…um… :ehh:

Thanks. I had overlooked Many Are Called. It is now on its way to my home.

I really liked Siku’s Manga Bible. Siku is a Nigerian living in England who has spent a fair amount of time in seminary, so his work displays a far better understanding of the source material than many other comic book adaptations. Siku situates his retelling firmly in its historical context and is a worthwhile read.

Yeah, the Saint Youngmen manga is a little odd. I read somewhere that there is one church group in Japan that actually hands the manga out to attempt to start a conversation about who Jesus is. I kind of see their rationale as the manga’s humor is incredibly gentle and doesn’t mock either character and the Japanese have made this manga quite popular, so popular that a film company in Japan is making a movie based on the manga.

It certainly has a kinder spirit to it than the (anonymous) guy in England who publishes Jesus and Mo, which has Jesus and Mohammed living together in an apartment in England. It’s nothing more than a bitter atheist taking continuous cheap shots at both Christianity and Islam.

Okay, I’m officially rambling. Thanks for pointing me to a new source.

 

[Ijiwaru_Sensei]

I actually wanted to read that one. From what I’ve heard, it’s better than it sounds. Some of the skits described to me were actually hilarious!

Yeah, I know what you mean. I’m quite uncomfortable with the concept, but the execution of it is quite gentle. It doesn’t mock; it doesn’t ridicule; it doesn’t have some not so hidden agenda.

I found most Japanese students quite curious about Jesus and Christianity, but only up to a point. It’s more of an exotic curiosity than something of eternal importance for many of the students I talked to.