Manga Messiah [Paperback]

Tyndale (Producer), NEXT (Producer)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Manga (pronounced “mahn-ga”) is the Japanese word for comics. It has become a huge hit with American teens and tweens. Manga has emerged as the most popular comics category and is one of the fastest growing genres in American publishing. Appealing to kids and adults, readers will find this edgy rendition of the Gospel accounts both compelling and highly engaging. This authentic, cutting-edge art style is combined with fast-paced storytelling to deliver biblical truths to an ever-changing culture that is often a challenge to penetrate. This is genuine Japanese manga style, unlike other Christian “manga” books in the marketplace.
Features:

• Gives a unique presentation of the Gospel accounts
• Includes a map of Galilee, Samaria, and Judea
• Includes illustrated character profiles of key Bible people
• Features an illustrated page on the twelve apostles
• A great way to introduce anyone to the Bible

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (August 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414316801
• ISBN-13: 978-1414316802
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Good As It Gets, January 13, 2009

By 

Jacob Schurder (Lee's Summit, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manga Messiah (Paperback)

I must say, I was very impressed. Many are making an effort [which I appreciate] to be more culturally relevant by printing Christian Mangas, though I must say, most fail. This book more than succeeds. I work as an Assistant Youth Pastor with a bent towards the nerdier kids in our youth group [as I am a nerd myself] and this was great for it. Tells the story in a near flawless manner, appealing to the kids who like manga, while not really losing the heart of the narrative.

Minor Criticisms [none bad enough to lose any rating]:
- Names seemed unnecessarily swapped. More accurate to the names they would have had, but inevitably led to people asking me 'who' a character was if they didn't already know the story.
- Loses the emphasis that gospel writers put in their own gospels since it is a combination of them all, but worth the trade off to include the entire story IMO.
- Depicts all the characters as white... but can you really complain? So do almost all Japanese Mangas that take place in Japan.

Sorry for the long review, but hopefully it helps. Summary: if you have kids, students, or friends who are into manga, this is the best chance you will have to get them to read the story of Christ.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Bible for an 8 year old boy!, October 19, 2007

By 

S. Roumas "Luaith" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manga Messiah (Paperback)

If your kids read graphic novels (comic books) and you would like them to read the bible, then give them this one. I didn't tell my 8 year old what it was, just left it on his floor near his bookcase (like I do with his Calvin & Hobbes, Batman, Fantastic 4, etc.....). He started reading it when he came home from school and I actually had to tell him to put it away to come down to dinner.

Wow! What a great way to bring the bible to more people!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus and Art, November 16, 2009

By 

C. Sides "Jedi Master" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manga Messiah (Paperback)

I greatly enjoyed this presentation of the life of Jesus. Beautifully drawn this is a graphic representation of the life of Christ pulled from a combination of the accounts told by the four Gospels. As the story progresses scripture references from all four Gospels are given so that any interested readers can go right to the source.
This isn't a verse-by-verse retelling, it isn't intended to supplant reading the Bible, it's simply bringing the story to life through art.
For me, a Christian for 25 years, it served as a reminder that these were real events. Many movies covering these events try to do the same thing, but the flow of the story in this format works better. It helped me imagine what it would be like to be present as Jesus performed his miracles. I've enjoyed it as a lover of art, and it has blessed me as a Christian.
I don't follow manga specifically, but I've been a life-long fan of the art in comics and animation favoring the darker styles of Batman, Death Note, and Battle Angel (Gunnm Alita). I've often found myself stopping to just stare at the pictures in Manga Messiah for a while. The large image of Gabriel in particular blows me away. This is beautiful work!
If you've heard that this work promotes anti-Semitism, don't believe it. I respect Jewish culture to the point that I practice some of their traditions despite not being Jewish. Israel is my favorite place on Earth other than home, and I'd visit more often if I could. If I thought this work was in any way hateful to the Jews I would not support it.