Hikaru Nakamura’s comedy slice-of-life manga series Saint Young Men has shipped over 16 million copies. The live-action adaptation stars Ken’ichi Matsuyama as Jesus and Shōta Sometani as Buddha, with writing and direction from Yuichi Fukuda, and Takayuki Yamada as the producer.

The release date for the highly-anticipated Saint Young Men III has finally been unveiled. It will be shown on NHK General TV on January 11 and 18 next year at 23:30 (JST).

The third season sees the antics between Jesus and Buddha continue, as the two of them enter a comedy act contest as a comedy duo where they must come up with their own routine. We also see them enter a family restaurant to escape the hot weather where they must wait forever in a long line to get to the drinks bar, show off their individual singing styles at karaoke, and more.

To promote Saint Young Men III, a video was posted featuring Ken’ichi Matsuyama (Jesus) as well as the original manga’s author Hikaru Nakamura.

We look forward to seeing what Buddha and Jesus get up to next in their everyday lives together.

Hikaru Nakamura’s comedy slice-of-life manga series Saint Young Men has shipped 16 million copies. The sequel to its live-action drama series, which first premiered on Piccoma TV back in June followed by cinema screenings, is finally set to hit NHK General TV on October 5 and 12 for a special two-week broadcast. The series stars Ken’ichi Matsuyama as Jesus and Shōta Sometani as Buddha, with writing and direction from Yuichi Fukuda.

The manga series follows Jesus and Buddha who share an apartment in Tachikawa, Tokyo. They attempt to conceal their identities are they enjoy their vacation on Earth, all while trying to understand Japanese society. In 2009, the manga was awarded the Short Story Award as part of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

The first live-action series hit NHK General TV back in June, and proved so popular with viewers that it trended on Twitter.

In the sequel, the two characters pay a visit to the otaku holy land that is Akihabara, a place Jesus has been wanting to visit, being a computer nerd. Akihabara is located in Tokyo and is every otaku’s dream location for its many shops shelving electronic goods such as games consoles, cosplay shops, anime and manga stores, game centres and more. During their trip, however, the two of them cause a miracle to happen of untold proportions. Yuki Yamada joins in this series as a guest cast member.

©️Hikaru Nakamura・Kodasha / Panchi to Ronge Production Committee

Manga artist Hikaru Nakamura has sold more than 1.6 million copies of her incredibly popular manga Saint Young Men (Seinto☆ Oniisan); a slice-of-life comedy series about Jesus Christ and the Buddha, who are roommates in an apartment in Tokyo. A group of supreme directors and actors have joined forces to make a live-action adaptation of this hilarious manga, with Yuichi Fukuda as the director and scriptwriter, Kenichi Matsuyama playing Jesus Christ, Shota Sometani playing the Buddha, and actor Takayuki as the overall director of the project. This is a miracle in the making!

The terrestrial broadcast of the first series has been decided! The series plans to launch on NHK General TV on Saturday 22nd June at 11:30 pm and run for three weeks .

From video streaming services to theatres, this drama will be made available on a variety of platforms. Along with the broadcast of the first season comes a special collaboration image between Jesus, the Buddha and NHK’s mascot Domo-kun.

The setting of the drama: The Son of God; Jesus Christ and the enlightened one; the Buddha ー two major religious ancestors head to Tachikawa in Tokyo to enjoy a fun vacation. What could possibly happen?! You just have to see this!

© Hikaru Nakamura/Kodansha/Punch to Ronge Production Committee

In the new teaser trailer we see Jesus (Ken’ichi Matsuyama) and Buddha (Shōta Sometani) arrive at the otaku holy land that is Akihabara. The series director Yuichi Fukuda announced on Twitter that the new season will surpass the the first season even further in terms of comedy and entertainment.

Akihabara is located in Tokyo and is every otaku’s dream location for its many shops shelving electronic goods such as games consoles, cosplay shops, anime and manga stores, game centres and more. Just what are Jesus and Buddha about to get up to?

It was also revealed that Japanese actor Yuki Yamada will join the film as guest cast. He will play the part of a police officer who tries to seize a loitering Jesus.

©Hikaru Nakamura・Kodansha / パンチとロン毛製作委員会