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rainsometimesNow I realise that for both my V entries I again only have two titles where I've ordered and read the French translations as none exist in English and my attention span for scanlations suck. At least in this case I do know that scanlations exist for both of them. Though when it comes to Vinland Saga at least, I'm honestly baffled there's no English translation for it.
Still, now I kinda wish I'd read the oft-praised Vagabond so I could offer one rec that's actually out in English in a real print version.
As always, please share your V recs if you have any, and feel like it!
Vacances de Jésus et Bouddha by Hikaru Nakamura
A fun, unpretentious and frankly ridiculously feel-good manga that's more and more become my go-to for pick-me-ups alongside Yotsuba&. Originally called Saint Young Men (or Saint Oniisan - it seems to alternate between the two), the French have chosen a rather straight-forward name for their translation. The story is indeed about Buddha (the Buddha, Siddharta Gautama) and Jesus Christ taking a break from their lives in Heaven to live with mortals on Earth today, sharing a small flat together in Tokyo. They go about their daily lives discovering new facets of human society they've only observed from high above since their original lifetimes, becoming puzzled, dismayed or elated in various funny ways. The touch is always light and humorous: Nakamura takes care not to have them run into or confront anything truly upsetting. We also get plenty of funny reinterpretations of dogma and the mangaka's own interpretations of how life in heaven works, as well. (Among other things, we find that the arch-angels and Jesus' disciples are a lot more casual than Buddha's rather more worshipful posse, though they're all portrayed humorously and the latter cause trouble when they intercede to make Buddha put on weight, because they think he should be chubby.)
Of course the premise is pretty much inherently blasphemous. Not only due to the basic tenets of Christianity and Buddhism being shown to co-exist in a way their dogma don't really allow (Jesus' father really is the creator of all things, but on the other hand Brahma also exists and Nirvana is a worthy goal to strive for, etc); but also because sometimes famous incidents from the lives of these two are shown to have been misinterpreted and really be about something more mundane. And both Buddha and Jesus have more mortal flaws than their usual depiction. (Buddha is parsimonious to a fault and nags Jesus about his spending, while Jesus is a bit of a Cloud Cuckoolander who's very fond of the Internet and various computer gee-gaws.)
However, this is an extremely good-natured kind of blasphemy, and the main characters are never portrayed as anything less than very likable and frankly adorkable, IMO. They're easily moved to compassion, rather non-judgmental (except for Buddha's already-mentioned dislike of overspending and some other humorous moments); and the humour is often about them producing miracles spontanouesly, having to restrain themselves so as not to cause a scene. Also, it remains entirely gen: they may like the idea of getting chocolate from girls on St. Valentine's Day, but that's as far as any hint of romance ever goes. At least in what I've seen so far. [SPOILER](Buddha ended up getting homemade chocolate from his wife in Heaven, anyway.)[/spoiler] A lovely title, much recommended.
Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura
Switching gears entirely, Vinland Saga is an ongoing historical manga by Makoto Yukimura, creator of Planetes. It's set in the early 11th century and has so far (I'm 10 volumes in) taken place in Iceland, England and Denmark. Classic Viking age, in other words, although Christianity is making more and more inroads among the Norsemen and their society is changing. We first meet main character Thorfinn as a scruffy teenager who's already a pretty skilled warrior in a mercenary band of viking warriors led by the cunning Askeladd. It is soon revealed that Thorfinn actually really hates Askeladd and is only part of the band so as to be able to keep challenging its leader to duels of death. A long flashback follows where we find out the reasons for Thorfinn's hatred and thirst for revenge: then we're back to the current day with scenes of battles and atrocities, lots of intrigues for power-mongering and pure survival, philosophical but significant discussions of the Christian God, the Norse gods and the concept of love. So far, "Vinland", the Norse name for North America, remains a distant legend; a dream of a gentle green place beyond the harsh world the characters live in (it gets tied to the dream of Avalon from Arthurian legend). Askeladd is an intriguing and ambiguous character with many twists in him.
Without spoiling anything, there are some big upcoming Wham Episodes and sharp twists in where the story goes that I understand not all fans welcome, but which have worked splendidly for me personally. Unfortunately going on about where the story is in the last few volumes would be spoilery: just be assured that there's a change in mood and location from what we see above, if not entirely. Also a lot of character growth - and the addition of an important new character that's quite likable.
Vinland Saga has a lot of battle gore in it, and doesn't flinch away from showing Viking warriors as committing atrocities. Although the fight scenes are often exciting while they're going on, and a character like Thorkell who lives only for battle has a certain crazy larger-than-life appeal in him - think of an Obelix who actually kills people and enjoys it - in the end this macho, death-worshipping view of life comes across as horrifyingly hollow and destructive. Volume 10 in particular has a scene that convinced me this manga is shaping up to be one of the most powerfully pacifist stories I have read. (Though as always, caveats for a story in-progress that may not turn out as it looks now.)
One of the drawbacks of the manga is its dearth of female characters. It may criticise macho views but there are few women present in the story. Hopefully this will change more in future chapters/volumes.
All in all, a deeply thoughtful and rewarding story with amazing art, including beautiful landscapes. And while I'm no expert on the era (I've purposely avoided looking up the historical characters so as to be more surprised by events, though it's quite possible Yukimura will still change things substantially), it reads as very well-researched and believable to me.
Still, now I kinda wish I'd read the oft-praised Vagabond so I could offer one rec that's actually out in English in a real print version.
As always, please share your V recs if you have any, and feel like it!
Vacances de Jésus et Bouddha by Hikaru Nakamura
A fun, unpretentious and frankly ridiculously feel-good manga that's more and more become my go-to for pick-me-ups alongside Yotsuba&. Originally called Saint Young Men (or Saint Oniisan - it seems to alternate between the two), the French have chosen a rather straight-forward name for their translation. The story is indeed about Buddha (the Buddha, Siddharta Gautama) and Jesus Christ taking a break from their lives in Heaven to live with mortals on Earth today, sharing a small flat together in Tokyo. They go about their daily lives discovering new facets of human society they've only observed from high above since their original lifetimes, becoming puzzled, dismayed or elated in various funny ways. The touch is always light and humorous: Nakamura takes care not to have them run into or confront anything truly upsetting. We also get plenty of funny reinterpretations of dogma and the mangaka's own interpretations of how life in heaven works, as well. (Among other things, we find that the arch-angels and Jesus' disciples are a lot more casual than Buddha's rather more worshipful posse, though they're all portrayed humorously and the latter cause trouble when they intercede to make Buddha put on weight, because they think he should be chubby.)
Of course the premise is pretty much inherently blasphemous. Not only due to the basic tenets of Christianity and Buddhism being shown to co-exist in a way their dogma don't really allow (Jesus' father really is the creator of all things, but on the other hand Brahma also exists and Nirvana is a worthy goal to strive for, etc); but also because sometimes famous incidents from the lives of these two are shown to have been misinterpreted and really be about something more mundane. And both Buddha and Jesus have more mortal flaws than their usual depiction. (Buddha is parsimonious to a fault and nags Jesus about his spending, while Jesus is a bit of a Cloud Cuckoolander who's very fond of the Internet and various computer gee-gaws.)
However, this is an extremely good-natured kind of blasphemy, and the main characters are never portrayed as anything less than very likable and frankly adorkable, IMO. They're easily moved to compassion, rather non-judgmental (except for Buddha's already-mentioned dislike of overspending and some other humorous moments); and the humour is often about them producing miracles spontanouesly, having to restrain themselves so as not to cause a scene. Also, it remains entirely gen: they may like the idea of getting chocolate from girls on St. Valentine's Day, but that's as far as any hint of romance ever goes. At least in what I've seen so far. [SPOILER](Buddha ended up getting homemade chocolate from his wife in Heaven, anyway.)[/spoiler] A lovely title, much recommended.
Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura
Switching gears entirely, Vinland Saga is an ongoing historical manga by Makoto Yukimura, creator of Planetes. It's set in the early 11th century and has so far (I'm 10 volumes in) taken place in Iceland, England and Denmark. Classic Viking age, in other words, although Christianity is making more and more inroads among the Norsemen and their society is changing. We first meet main character Thorfinn as a scruffy teenager who's already a pretty skilled warrior in a mercenary band of viking warriors led by the cunning Askeladd. It is soon revealed that Thorfinn actually really hates Askeladd and is only part of the band so as to be able to keep challenging its leader to duels of death. A long flashback follows where we find out the reasons for Thorfinn's hatred and thirst for revenge: then we're back to the current day with scenes of battles and atrocities, lots of intrigues for power-mongering and pure survival, philosophical but significant discussions of the Christian God, the Norse gods and the concept of love. So far, "Vinland", the Norse name for North America, remains a distant legend; a dream of a gentle green place beyond the harsh world the characters live in (it gets tied to the dream of Avalon from Arthurian legend). Askeladd is an intriguing and ambiguous character with many twists in him.
Without spoiling anything, there are some big upcoming Wham Episodes and sharp twists in where the story goes that I understand not all fans welcome, but which have worked splendidly for me personally. Unfortunately going on about where the story is in the last few volumes would be spoilery: just be assured that there's a change in mood and location from what we see above, if not entirely. Also a lot of character growth - and the addition of an important new character that's quite likable.
Vinland Saga has a lot of battle gore in it, and doesn't flinch away from showing Viking warriors as committing atrocities. Although the fight scenes are often exciting while they're going on, and a character like Thorkell who lives only for battle has a certain crazy larger-than-life appeal in him - think of an Obelix who actually kills people and enjoys it - in the end this macho, death-worshipping view of life comes across as horrifyingly hollow and destructive. Volume 10 in particular has a scene that convinced me this manga is shaping up to be one of the most powerfully pacifist stories I have read. (Though as always, caveats for a story in-progress that may not turn out as it looks now.)
One of the drawbacks of the manga is its dearth of female characters. It may criticise macho views but there are few women present in the story. Hopefully this will change more in future chapters/volumes.
All in all, a deeply thoughtful and rewarding story with amazing art, including beautiful landscapes. And while I'm no expert on the era (I've purposely avoided looking up the historical characters so as to be more surprised by events, though it's quite possible Yukimura will still change things substantially), it reads as very well-researched and believable to me.