What do you think?
Rate this book
Manga Bible #3
Manga Messengers
'Manga Messengers' is one of the five-volume comic series based on the Bible illustrated by Japanese manga artists. This is one of the most loved unique Japanese comic-book style in the world. Manga illustrators create a vibrant cinematic effect to the readers’ eyes, making Bible stories most interesting to kids and adults alike. Over 200,000 books sold in the series! It narrates Solomon who succeeds David, and continues through to the very beginning of the New Testament. Includes the break-up of Solomon’s kingdom, the histories of Judah and Israel, their ultimate captivity by other nations, and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. It gives a riveting glimpse of political and religious milieu of the era.
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2011
12 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 29, 2013
Other than Manga Messiah, this will probably be the volume of Tyndale's Bible Manga series that I will remember the most fondly. They've all been great, but this one deserves extra kudos because of the material adapted. Taking the accounts of the prophets of the Old Testament, which seem mostly to be just a lot of people talking, and turning them into a compelling graphic story is no easy task. But Ryo Azumi did just that. The ending was not only a well thought out mixture of real history with the Old Testament lesson, it was a good wrap-around, connecting with the first volume of the series, Manga Messiah.
April 3, 2018
Manga Messengers is the fifth and final book of The Manga Bible series and continues the journey of the divided Kingdom through the lens of the Prophets – or Messengers as the alliterative title suggests. All done in a graphic novel form – specifically the East Asian style of manga.
Manga Messengers is a wonderful continuation to the previous volume. Overall, Hidenori Kumai stayed true to the spirit of the source, if not the letter. Kumai should be commended for scripting such a wonderful series and while there were some interpretations, the accompanying text and some non-biblical sources fleshes out the whole series nicely. The chronology at the end as an appendix was rather helpful as well. However towards the end, the text seems rather rushed when it came to the Minor Prophets and it seemed a tad jumbled.
Ryō Azumi continues to do the illustrations and is done rather well. Again, I have the same complaint about the art as the rest of the series, that it was too cartoonish and gives a fictional vibe, which is not wanted in a religious text that is illustrated. Other than that, I really enjoyed the illustrations overall.
All in all, Manga Messengers is a wonderfully depicted version of the lives of the Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah. It ended with the Israelites enslaved, but hopeful for a Messiah to come. Manga Messengers and in turn The Manga Bible series served its purpose very well – to introduce the young to know Biblical teachings better.
Manga Messengers is a wonderful continuation to the previous volume. Overall, Hidenori Kumai stayed true to the spirit of the source, if not the letter. Kumai should be commended for scripting such a wonderful series and while there were some interpretations, the accompanying text and some non-biblical sources fleshes out the whole series nicely. The chronology at the end as an appendix was rather helpful as well. However towards the end, the text seems rather rushed when it came to the Minor Prophets and it seemed a tad jumbled.
Ryō Azumi continues to do the illustrations and is done rather well. Again, I have the same complaint about the art as the rest of the series, that it was too cartoonish and gives a fictional vibe, which is not wanted in a religious text that is illustrated. Other than that, I really enjoyed the illustrations overall.
All in all, Manga Messengers is a wonderfully depicted version of the lives of the Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah. It ended with the Israelites enslaved, but hopeful for a Messiah to come. Manga Messengers and in turn The Manga Bible series served its purpose very well – to introduce the young to know Biblical teachings better.
February 12, 2017
This whole series is by far the best comic adaptation of the Bible I've read; this one on the prophets is very good, both in terms of artwork and presentation of story.
Abby read this before I did - I'm kind of curious what she thought. It's not graphic at all, but it's Biblical, so lots of violence (of many kinds) and adultery/unfaithfulness/prostitution.
Abby read this before I did - I'm kind of curious what she thought. It's not graphic at all, but it's Biblical, so lots of violence (of many kinds) and adultery/unfaithfulness/prostitution.
March 4, 2022
I feel so disrespectful giving this two stars…
But every time I touched it it would put me in the BIGGEST slump
But every time I touched it it would put me in the BIGGEST slump
April 11, 2022
Message received.
Firstly I'd like to say this review holds no religious bias and based solely on the art and deliverance of the stories.
I found this book, Manga Messiah, Manga Metamorphosis at a thrift store, I'm not a very religious person so I almost did not pick them up but I'm glad I did. Between the three of them, Messengers was my favorite.
My preference is judged almost solely on the art. Messiah and metamorphosis are done in what I understand to be a shonen style, more action based, squared art designs and at times cartoonish character stylization for more light hearted moments,
while Messenger's style is more crisp, natural, and consistent, letting the characters and stories speak for themselves without the need of art based, semi-forced comic relief.
I found the stories quite compelling. Everything was even pace, easy to follow and to grasp the morals taught. While I purchased these with the intention of reading through them and giving them to a friend who would appreciate them more, I found myself wanting to read the other volumes of this series; Manga Mutiny: Angels and Mankind in Open Rebellion!, Manga Melech: The Rise and Fall of Kings and Nations!, and Manga Majesty: The Revelation of the End Times!.
When the other volumes are bought, we just have to see if it's me or my friend who has to borrow them out for the other read.
Firstly I'd like to say this review holds no religious bias and based solely on the art and deliverance of the stories.
I found this book, Manga Messiah, Manga Metamorphosis at a thrift store, I'm not a very religious person so I almost did not pick them up but I'm glad I did. Between the three of them, Messengers was my favorite.
My preference is judged almost solely on the art. Messiah and metamorphosis are done in what I understand to be a shonen style, more action based, squared art designs and at times cartoonish character stylization for more light hearted moments,
while Messenger's style is more crisp, natural, and consistent, letting the characters and stories speak for themselves without the need of art based, semi-forced comic relief.
I found the stories quite compelling. Everything was even pace, easy to follow and to grasp the morals taught. While I purchased these with the intention of reading through them and giving them to a friend who would appreciate them more, I found myself wanting to read the other volumes of this series; Manga Mutiny: Angels and Mankind in Open Rebellion!, Manga Melech: The Rise and Fall of Kings and Nations!, and Manga Majesty: The Revelation of the End Times!.
When the other volumes are bought, we just have to see if it's me or my friend who has to borrow them out for the other read.
January 26, 2017
In Summary
Azumi-sensei continues to offer engaging depictions of biblical events along with the historical commentary to comprehend them. However, so many individuals and stories get crammed into this volume that no one really stands out the way Moses or David do in the previous volumes. It’s a bit weak from a narrative standpoint, but the chapters still make good companion material for anyone studying the writings of the Old Testament prophets.
The Review
Manga Messengers is the third in NEXT’s Bible manga series. It picks up where Manga Melech left off, the naming of Solomon as David’s successor, and continues through to the very beginning of the New Testament. That is actually quite a bit of material, including the split of Solomon’s kingdom, the histories of Judah and Israel, their ultimate captivity by other nations, and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, it feels like Azumi-sensei bit off more than she could chew trying to cram everything into one volume.
The overarching narrative in the previous volumes was stronger because a particular family or individual provided a sense of continuity through events. The characters of Manga Messengers don’t offer that kind of continuity. It doesn’t help that the action constantly bounces between Israel and Judah in the middle third of the book. As such, the stories of the kings and prophets of the latter portion of the Old Testament come across as stand-alone anecdotes.
That’s not to say that the individual chapters aren’t well executed. Especially for the prophets, Azumi-sensei provides a sense of their backgrounds, the political climate, and the particular challenges they faced at the time of their ministries. I particularly like how she showed Hosea and Amos as contemporaries and the way she incorporated Jonah’s prayer into his chapter (the line about seaweed wrapped around his head never stood out to me before, but I won’t forget it now).
While the pacing might have been better had Manga Messengers been split into two volumes, it does wrap things up nicely in its closing chapter. It not only summarizes the Old Testament, it details major events that happened in the years between the Old and New Testament. Readers get a sense of the political and religious climate of Judea under Roman rule, which sets the stage well for the next volume of the series.
A map and simplified chronology of the age of the prophets are included in the back as extras.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
Azumi-sensei continues to offer engaging depictions of biblical events along with the historical commentary to comprehend them. However, so many individuals and stories get crammed into this volume that no one really stands out the way Moses or David do in the previous volumes. It’s a bit weak from a narrative standpoint, but the chapters still make good companion material for anyone studying the writings of the Old Testament prophets.
The Review
Manga Messengers is the third in NEXT’s Bible manga series. It picks up where Manga Melech left off, the naming of Solomon as David’s successor, and continues through to the very beginning of the New Testament. That is actually quite a bit of material, including the split of Solomon’s kingdom, the histories of Judah and Israel, their ultimate captivity by other nations, and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, it feels like Azumi-sensei bit off more than she could chew trying to cram everything into one volume.
The overarching narrative in the previous volumes was stronger because a particular family or individual provided a sense of continuity through events. The characters of Manga Messengers don’t offer that kind of continuity. It doesn’t help that the action constantly bounces between Israel and Judah in the middle third of the book. As such, the stories of the kings and prophets of the latter portion of the Old Testament come across as stand-alone anecdotes.
That’s not to say that the individual chapters aren’t well executed. Especially for the prophets, Azumi-sensei provides a sense of their backgrounds, the political climate, and the particular challenges they faced at the time of their ministries. I particularly like how she showed Hosea and Amos as contemporaries and the way she incorporated Jonah’s prayer into his chapter (the line about seaweed wrapped around his head never stood out to me before, but I won’t forget it now).
While the pacing might have been better had Manga Messengers been split into two volumes, it does wrap things up nicely in its closing chapter. It not only summarizes the Old Testament, it details major events that happened in the years between the Old and New Testament. Readers get a sense of the political and religious climate of Judea under Roman rule, which sets the stage well for the next volume of the series.
A map and simplified chronology of the age of the prophets are included in the back as extras.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2014
Stories from the Prophets Told With the Movement and Might Of Manga
The Next Manga (Japanese stylized comics) series is a vibrant, faithful look at Bible stories that provide a fresh and unique viewpoint in which to be immersed in and engaged by God's love and redemption for His people. It also does a beautiful job pointing to the source of those stories - God's word. I know for me, it's been a great way to reorient myself to well known stories in a fresh way.
Magna Messengers provides a fluid, clear and faithful rendering of stories from the Prophets.
For a full review, see: wp.me/p2XCwQ-Pf
The Next Manga (Japanese stylized comics) series is a vibrant, faithful look at Bible stories that provide a fresh and unique viewpoint in which to be immersed in and engaged by God's love and redemption for His people. It also does a beautiful job pointing to the source of those stories - God's word. I know for me, it's been a great way to reorient myself to well known stories in a fresh way.
Magna Messengers provides a fluid, clear and faithful rendering of stories from the Prophets.
For a full review, see: wp.me/p2XCwQ-Pf
Read
November 16, 2013good
July 23, 2014
Cute. Fun.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews