Saint☆Oniisan (Movie)

I'm just going to start this review with: I legitimately feel that watching this film has expanded my understanding of my own faith and I encourage others to watch it if they are looking for the same sort of spiritual experience that I had.

This anime shows a very candid look at how people of different faiths can come together and treat each other well without conflict in these turbulent modern times, and will likewise instill good morals upon the viewer regardless of their own religion. By showing how the founders of these religions themselves might act in these situations this anime sets a very good ... example not only for Christians and Buddhists but also for people of other faiths who were simply interested in a funny anime.

The story is simple and fragmented but compelling and very charming- it shows the everyday life of two young men who happen to be revered religious figures as they explore Japanese culture on their vacation. The plot itself is very laid-back and will not get anybody thinking particularly hard, but it serves it's purpose of bringing up interesting ideas that will cause one to ponder their relationship with their own beliefs.

The animation is very pretty, despite the quality being no higher than any other movie. It is stylized just enough to give itself a unique look but not enough to seem complicated or alien to the viewer, invoking the welcoming yet imposing feel of a religious institution. In this way there has actually been a lot more thought and work put into the animation than one might first assume upon glancing at it.

The soundtrack I have to say, while not being disappointing in the least, was not a part I was particularly impressed with. It does well for a slice-of-life anime but fails to inspire as much interest as the rest of the film. I have to say it was really just "there" and was not really memorable, but it did very well match the mood of the scenes and I would not say it was bad at all.

The characters are ones just about everybody in the world are familiar with, and from my knowledge of religious doctrine they seem to be portrayed very well. It is a difficult task to imagine what these individuals from eras long past may have acted like in the modern age but it has been done very well here.

All in all I enjoyed this anime very much and I would highly recommend it to other people regardless of their religious and spiritual background. It teaches some important lessons about life, and even if one is not interested in such this is a very nice slice-of-life anime.

This show is very hard to watch. The main characters, Jesus and Buddha, simply act like 12-year old immature girls. Even worse than that. And I really mean it. You can see them making girly gestures, screaming in high-pitched voices, overreacting over nothing, getting excited and emotional like a girl. That's not what I expected from seeing the holy figures. They were transformed into beings with the mentality of a middle-school girl.

I actually felt like giving this movie a chance, thinking it would get better over time. But, after 40 minutes, I couldn't watch it anymore. There is almost none story progression. Just a cliched ... piece-of-life featuring immature characters. It actually made me feel irritated, seeing Jesus make body gestures and sounds that could be easily interpreted as being gay. I don't think there's anything else to say. Stay away or watch at your own risk.

A Brilliant concept with incredible potential. Which just made it that much more disappointing.
Poorly executed. Only a couple good moments in the whole show. A seemingly very limited understanding of both Jesus and Buddha; certainly not a deep enough understanding to actually provoke serious pathos or ethos. Plus.... They squandered almost every opportunity for humor.