BEELZEBUB

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

SPECIAL ActionBeelzebub: Hirotta Akachan wa Daimaou!?
ANIME ActionBeelzebub
MANGA ActionBeelzebub Maou Gaiden
NOVEL ActionDaichouhen Beelzebub
NOVEL ActionDaitanpen Beelzebub: BeelBeel☆Kougai Rantou!! Ishiyama Yankee Retsuden
MANGA ComedyBeelzebub Bangai-hen

REVIEWS

• 

  YourAvgOtaku

  85/100
  Delinquents, Demon power struggles, great characterization with good'ol Highschool comedy and action. Do you need more?

  Name: Beelzebub – SPOILER FREE REVIEW
  Type: Manga
  Volumes: 28
  Chapters: 250
  Status: Finished
  Published: Feb 23, 2009 to Mar 13, 2015
  Genres: Action, Comedy, Demons, School, Shounen, Supernatural
  Authors: Tamura, Ryuuhei (Story & Art)
  Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

  “Hey Punk you wanna die?” basically your comedic High School story with a delinquent twist except it’s a High School for delinquents and they’re all delinquents and there are demons as well – stay with me now.
  The story starts up with our main protagonist Oga Tatsumi who is a delinquent among delinquents with an IQ of a potato (might be lower) with his solution to every problem being punching it in the face, kicking it and if that fails punching it even harder and a junior attending Ishiyama High School for delinquents and called a demon for his brutal personality, I found him to be a refreshing lead in this scenario, a change from some same-old types of characters. The scene starts with him finishing off a gang foolish enough to attack him and then coming across a baby boy who popped out of some old dude – because who needs biology, BTW the baby’s naked even through the entire course of reading it. Ok… where was I? Yeah, Oga having no clue on how to deal with the situation takes the baby to his best friend’s house; enter Creepichi- I mean Furuichi the only sane and non-delinquent character and highly relatable in the entire read IMO with some of the best comedic moments as he’s teased all through the story, sad actually and a favourite of mine. He stood out like a sore thumb because he was the only one out of the bunch to react accordingly to the outrageous situations and had expressions one would expect if it were a normal story but this story is anything but normal, far from it actually. Well turns out that the baby is the son of “THE” Demon King, named Beelzebub IV, Kaiser de Emperana, surprising cute with him only ever uttering “Dabuu” well he is a baby after all. And has chosen Oga to be his parent, to raise him into a demon lord fit to destroy all of humanity. This might sound all serious but trust me it isn’t in the slightest.

  Now comedy is one of my very very preferred genres and it’s liked in general because it’s just there for the sake of entertainment no extra added stuff like deep plot or thought provoking dialogues… just fun. And Beelzebub’s take on this genre impressed me a lot. Beelzebub takes full advantage of that “comedy” tag by taking each and every situation and adding as much exaggeration as possible but not in a bad way. I would like to call this genius actually. Much like how “Konosuba” plays around with the isekai genre or how “Daily Lives of High School Boys” plays with the comedy genre Beelzebub plays around with it as well, you’ll understand this once you read it or have watched/read the series I mentioned. That being said, this has got to be among the best comedy manga I have read in a while, it just doesn’t disappoint or tries too hard to be funny. I guess I could say the story’s flow is naturally comedic, props to the mangaka on that. Though at times the story revolving around demons DOES get very serious (major plot unfolds or boss fights) and emotional (character pasts/interactions) but it always adds a touch of humor afterwards to lighten up the mood. Though one thing I was very disappointed in was that the story feels rushed in the later part of the manga, short fights, shorter character introductions which is generally the only complain I have about this. Though if this had taken its sweet time to explain and plot out everything near the end like from the start this would’ve been a 9 or possibly even a 10.

  Onto the characters, this is where Beelzebub was great and somewhat bad at the same time. Great that it had some unique, interesting characters which had good character development, back stories and remained relevant to the plot till the end. I like it when a story keeps along all the characters it has managed to introduce in new ways but on the other hand, bad that it left some of the characters totally unexplained they just felt relevant for a relatively short time and introduced some characters out of the blue. And I guess I kinda explained the lead characters in the start, other characters you’ll have to see for yourselves such as the demon… wait for it MAID, yup demon maid Hildegard. Sounds cute doesn’t it? She’s more brutal than Oga and that’s saiyan something. Has sworn undying loyalty to Beelzebub and loves him like a mother, she’s here to act as a helper and to see whether all his needs are being fulfilled by the human host parent for little demon lord Beelzebub and for than often ends up beating the snot out of Oga for when he steps out of line, that’s comical in its own way.

  Now the art style, nothing I’d look at and say “Whoa, that’s detailed”. Just fine but not something that would get in the way of your reading. Character designs were OK but being an action comedy the things that were handled really well IMO were the expressions like Oga’s demon expressions stating I’m going to beat you into submission or Lolichi- I mean Furuichi’s expressions for when he sees women or gets into some weird escalated situations.

  Enjoyment factor was a max 10/10 for me in this read.
  I’ll grant it a RATING of 8.5/10
  Could’ve done better if it wasn’t rushed like I mentioned but hey all in all this was a good and very enjoyable read nonetheless. So if you’re looking for your next read with action or comedy this is a pretty good choice especially for comedy.

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• 

  AnotherBadger

  76/100
  Demons vs delinquents, where the fight is anything but fair.

  “You don’t need to do something this grand and ridiculous. Just come over to where I am and play. I’ll be your opponent in a game. Hell, I’ll take you on as much as you’d like.”

  • Oga, Chapter 138

  Episodic-style comedy can be a difficult thing to get right. Short plots focusing on a core concept are at risk of quickly becoming bland repetitive; especially when a series runs for a long time. This is especially true when the concept is as specific as it can get. Beelzebub manages to navigate its peculiar premise in which a delinquent becomes the unwilling parent of a future demon lord, evolving consistently to keep the series fun and engaging.

  Tamura creates a number of situations that bring the best out of Beelzebub’s premise while not relying on too many overused tropes, although a couple can become a little repetitive. This is especially true of the earlier chapters which focuses almost exclusively on comedy. The fights are also enjoyable, with the variety in characters fight styles really aiding to the action moments; especially fights that don’t involve the main character. For some readers, the chopping and changing of tone might be a little jarring, but most of the time the comedy and action mix well together.

  The more emotional moments also hold up well, working with the overall themes of Beelzebub, most notably surrounding the idea of family and the relationship between Beel and Oga. While definitely not the focal element of Beelzebub by a long shot, these moments offer a nice reflection on how far the characters have come.

  The biggest problem with Beelzebub’s story is that, towards the end, Tamura begins to lose grip on its pacing. This is a shame because there are some interesting ideas floating around, but they get steamrolled by the number of fights and new antagonists being introduced. Beelzebub slowly falls into the trap of constantly needing bigger antagonists to fight against and it means that they begin to lack any meaningful characterisation. Fortunately, most of Beelzebub doesn’t suffer from this problem and the later chapters are still enjoyable, but it is clear that there was a struggle to wrap up the narrative.

  Tamura’s art style is really strong; capturing the more emotional moments well and having a couple of really intense splash pages. It doesn’t become too focused on intricate detailing which works well for the action and comedy moments; making scenes easy to read and avoiding them becoming too cluttered. The changes in art between the comedy and action scenes are also handled well since it doesn’t become too distracting. Most of the action scenes are also well-paced on the page, with the stylistic choices often emphasising the more physical elements of Beelzebub.

  Where Beelzebub really shines is with its characters; especially those introduced during the first half of its run. As mentioned earlier, a couple of the later antagonists fall through the cracks but this definitely doesn’t reflect the rest of the series. Each character is unique and can carry their own weight. This is especially true of the main characters and the characters from Ishiyama High School. Their interactions with each other, as well as their reactions to strange events happening around them, is varied enough that there is always something new.

  Comedy series tend to live and die by their casts, and Beelzebub definitely has a group of characters that can carry it through all the crazy shenanigans. The delinquents manage to each feel like their own entities and while a couple fall into singular gags; they are used sparingly enough that it doesn’t become annoying. It is easy to become invested in these characters as they develop over the course of the series.

  Overall, Beelzebub starts off as a strong episodic-style comedy that develops into an interesting plot. While its final quarter begins to lose sight of its core, falling into the pitfall that many battle shōnen face, the rest of the series is definitely enjoyable for people who like comedy series. By the time you reach the weaker plot elements, the investment in the characters will keep you reading.

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• 

  Rakshanu

  100/100
  Ishiyama High's Comedic Psychos - The Story

  I honestly love this series for what it is and how it does it. While it might not feel all that much to many readers beyond a cheap action comedy, for me it has almost everything I look for in a manga all combined without any of the hated tropes.
  Beelzebub at core is a comedy series with utilising action to enhance the former by having plethora of comedic fights, but that doesn’t mean the series lacks depth or serious fights, when the situation calls for it – it delivers, but it never lets you forget its core aspect – to have fun.

  Lets start with the World. While it seems to have a linear expansion of the world, the focus always has been Ishiyama High at the core. We start from Ishiyama High – the home to biggest delinquents in Japan who do nothing but fight and destroy all day long, staying true to their very reputation. As story goes ahead and the school is turned to cinders, we move to Saint Ishiyama High, the complete opposite of Ishiyama – a school for elite athletes and students, farthest from delinquents like our cast, along with a short trip to demon world. Saint Ishiyama is succeeded by all out war against Behemoth Division from Hell, who now Occupy Ishiyama Academy as rebranded Akumano academy, which again is turned into cinders by the end of arc, forcing the cast to again move back to Saint Ishiyama where we are expanded by a school trip and furthermore to Saint Marx Academy, the school for the Richie Rich and top brass of Japan. All said and done, the story comes back to Ishiyama High yet again for its final stop (but not without a short trip to America in midst of it!). Thus unlike majority of shonen which either stay at same place or move ahead constantly in linear expansion, Beelzebub expands its verse but always comes back to its root at Ishiyama High for its biggest arcs and impact.

  Beyond that, the world is done in greatly, every academy and locations in various Trips had their distinct features to set them apart from each other and letting one see the difference in atmosphere and the aim. Such as Ishiyama being filled with broken windows, graffiti and marks of Violence, whereas Saint Ishiyama looked like a proper elite school with clean and disciplined students/buildings and club systems and furthermore in contrast the Saint Marx Academy – the school of top was furnished with exorbitant items such as gold pillars, diamond knobs, private chefs and military police – showcasing a stark difference in class/students attending from a mere sight.

  Art – Art is clean and crisp. The fights are drawn in detailed with clear showcasing of impact of various hits on person body. A big part of fights is depiction of various speed battles, which imo were done pretty well in the limitations of manga format. I talked about how the world had very clear depictions of the status of the place by various different conditions, which is all thanks to the stellar art. But as a long running shonen and comedy series, the most important part of art is – Character Design and it would be understatement to say it that Beelzebub does it in a stellar way. The entire main cast is drawn so diversly that you would be hard pressed to find similar looking characters in them and even for majority of recurring side cast (unlike a certain other popular shonen, cough cough), Demons add an extra dimension and breath to these designs as author went all out on them making them varied and wacky wherever possible. Last but not the least, comedy art is on point and makes the stuff much more enjoyable.

  Characters – The core of story, no matter how good are the other stuff, the power to ruin or make a series lies in hands of its characters and thankfully Beelzebub knows this and did it well. Our MC is Tatsumi Oga, a first year at Ishiyama High and a certified psycho who beats the ever-living shit out of anyone and everyone who picks up a demon baby from hell – Baby Beel in the first chap and starts living with his “demon wife” Hilda. Together these 3 form the main core of series along with Furuichi, Oga’s best friend and the butt of jokes throughout the series. In Ishiyama arc we are introduced with four kings of Ishiyama – Kanzaki, Himekawa, Kunieda Aoi and Toujo as Oga conquers the school, but unlike many series where the initial antagonists are just fodder to showcase MC strength and forgotten about as story goes, Beelzebub takes a different approach and ensures that these 4 stay relevant not only in next arcs but till the very end of story, elevating them to a status only below the main 4 characters (while Kunieda arguably on same as Oga/Furuichi/Hilda). Kanzaki is stereotype delinquent coming from a family of Yakuza, body piercing and an army of followers. Himekawa on the other hand is the rich guy with way too much time and money on his hands running a syndicate of his own. Kunieda leads an all-girl troupe - Red Tails, while Tojo is just like Oga, fighting for sake of enjoying it and beating the shit out of those who challenge him. This leads to a great dynamic in series when they work together as financial field stuff is dealt by Himekawa naturally, Manpower by Kanzaki, Specialized fighting by Kunieda and boss fighting by Toujo and Oga often together.

  As series goes we are introduced with more characters from Saint Ishiyama – Miki, Oga and Furuichi childhood friend, Shizuka, Toujo’s childhood friend (and in love with the dense baboon), Izumo, Mikis teacher and having one sided crush on Shizuka, and Saotome Sensei, Toujo/Shizukas childhood treacher and a demon contractor who teaches Oga and Kunieda a lot throughout the series, these 4 tend to play recurring roles in fights and plethora of comedic situations throughout the series. Red Tails is expanded by mainly Nene, Pakko and Chiaki – Nene being the Red Tails leader succeeding Aoi after her resignation to chase Oga. Chiaki as a capable fighter and pro-gamer and Pakko as the clutz with impeccable writing for being a comedic nutcase who pairs extremely well with Kanzaki giving lots of memorable one-liners. Beyond those, there is Oga’s family – a comedic Mother-Father and satanic sister – Misaki, who was the founder of Red Tails and large part of how Oga is today with her penchant to violence and our friendly demons – Alaindon (Furuichis eternal nightmare) and Lamia, a loli doctor in training who adores Hilda.

  On the enemy side we are introduced with Behemoth’s 34 Pillar Division leading demons from hell in a fight against Oga to destroy humanity. They had lot of memorable characters including the absolute dumbass Lord En (brother of Baby Beel), his goofy maid trio and their tanter tantrums. On more fighter side we had, Behemoth himself – the typical overpowered old man everyone fears, Jabberwock – his grandson and main enemy of arc, agiel – a play on lewd onee-san characters, Laymia- Lamias mother, Dr. Forcas and my personal comedic relief favorite – 5th pillar Elim xD. Beyond this arc, we get many more deliquents, some demons till the final arc where the series introduces its main antagonists – Taka, Fuji – both spell masters and contractors of demon lords such as Lucifer, Satan leading to some high stakes and epic fights throughout the final arc and a rare display of serious consquences.
  Bar that lot of characters that make short but impactful comedic appearances such as Kanzaki’s baby niece – Futaba, Aoi’s baby brother – Koutaro , Aiba and his baby sister Chi (which form the baby trio of Beel friends), Beels erratic father – Demon Lord, mother Iris. Kugayama from Saint Marx, the alter Hilda, Ikaruga etc.
  Extremely Diverse and Memorable cast!

  Conclusion – Honestly, I just love the series. MC has happy family with no sob story or lost loved ones to fuel his motivations unlike most of Shonen Series, he is just a happy psycho committing beatdowns out of free will, the side characters are developed greatly and never bore you. The comedy is on point, action is plenty and it even handles romance pretty decently – a very rare instance in action series. I couldn’t nitpick even if I tried here, Hence a rare 100/100 for me.

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