Megchan's Scanlations
Chapter 1 Credits
Translated and edited by Megchan.
Thanks to mikotokun, skitty_kitty, and telophase for looking this over for me.
Introduction
First off, I'm going to assume you're at least somewhat familiar with both Jesus and Buddha, but if not, check out the Wikipedia links.
Secondly, I am assuming that most readers will have more familiarity with Jesus and Christianity than with Buddha and Buddhism, so my notes will be more focused on the latter (as well as on Japanese culture in general).
Throughout the story, Buddha and Jesus wear t-shirts with various phrases on them, usually having something to do with Christianity or Buddhism. On the cover, Buddha's shirt says "namusan", which means "glory to the three jewels", and Jesus' shirt just says "Jesus". On the first color page, Buddha's shirt says "hotokegao", literally "Buddha face" (though its common meaning is someone with a peaceful/calm face). Jesus' shirt says "Yeshua", his Hewbrew/Aramaic name. On the second color page, you can see the Yeshua shirt hanging on the clothesline. The shirt Jesus is wearing says "chichi to watashi", meaning "my father and me", and Buddha's says "Shaka-zoku", meaning "Shakya people". Shakya is the name of the kingdom Gautama Buddha was originally from.
Notes for "Buddha's Day Off"
- In this chapter, Buddha's t-shirt reads "Siddhartha" (Buddha's proper name) and Jesus' reads "amen".
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- The bump on Buddha's forehead is an urna, a whorl of hair which symbolizes his wisdom and represents the third eye. It's also where the light of wisdom emerges, which will be a running gag throughout the series.
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