OK, this is not exactly brand-new, it's been out for over 4 months but I didn't know about this comic series until recently.
I was quite amazed by how creative the story's premise was when a friend introduced the series to me. The story is about Jesus and Budda taking vacation in Tokyo after completing their hectic end-of-millennium tasks. In some countries, I suspect this could possibly cause quite a controversy as Jesus and Buddha are portrayed to be equal (and they don't seem exactly sacred or holy) but the setup is highly unique to say the least. Only in Japan, they would even think of a plot like this where the worlds of after-life for Christians and Buddhists co-exist (from I have gathered from the story, it's one big world where all the all mighties and souls live together happily ever after).
The two saints are enjoying being away from their superior responsibilities and living an ordinary life for the first time in centuries on Earth. In the story, both Jesus and Buddha appear to be not only fluent in the Japanese language but also pretty knowledgeable about the current Japanese culture. They have no problem getting around Tokyo, however, their super-natural powers do cause problems from time to time such as Buddha not being able to conceal his halo whenever his feelings get heightened or Jesus turning hot water into wine at a public bath house.
In the 3rd volume of the series, Buddha wins a trip to Izu (伊豆), a city famous for having a numerous hot spring sites, in a raffle. They travel together and stay at a ryokan, traditional Japanese inn, where they are joined by the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel and enjoy the countryside. Other episodes include: Jesus and Buddha trying various methods to cool themselves down in one hot summer afternoon (telling each other scary stories, camping at a Denny's-like family restaurant, etc), two of them looking for a new place around Tokyo, two of them looking for a part-time job (Jesus considers selling the real "indulgences" signed by himself but forces himself to give up the idea), etc. The 3rd volume introduces many new characters such as the archangels and Bonten (梵天), one of the highest ranking gods in Buddhism. Jesus and Buddha, the saints they are, do not usually do anything that is overly outrageous or foolish and the introduction of characters with stronger personalities have made the story more exciting.
I wouldn't recommend this to someone who takes his/her religion seriously, however, having a bit of background knowledge would help you enjoy the manga better. It makes you realize how outrageous and sometimes cruel what these religions claim, especially when applied in the modern world settings. However, I don't think it's the intention of the author to ridicule these religions. Rather, she has made these seemingly serious and hard to approach subjects more accessible by converting them into a fun comic series. With that said, she is probably not trying to advocate any religion in particular either. It's just comics, not religious references or comparative analysis of Christianity and Buddhism. Take it easy and have a laugh, that's all there is to it.
You can check out the online English version of the manga here:
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