Shonen Beam

[scanlation by Keishou Scans]

Just because Lock On! has been canceled doesn’t mean Beelzebub needs to compensate for Jump’s sudden lack of speed lines.

More Furuichi is always a positive

A bit of an awkward conversation between Hilda and Kunieda. Kunieda’s feelings for Oga are still cute, but the real thing to take away from this exchange is how focused Hilda is on finding this demon.

Surprisingly touching thought from Kunieda. Beelzebub has yet to really attempt even slightly emotional scenes, likely with good reason, but this one isn’t bad.

Perfect amount of starkness in this panel

Kunieda’s return to the court sparks a comeback from the Ishiyama team. The team rallying together (“Hell yeah!”) and Oga’s spike are both cool moments, and seeing the crowd slowly change allegiance is nice, but all only within the context of this arc. This entire volleyball tangent is still taking entirely too long.

The mystery character knows Oga. Is he someone from Oga’s past, or is he the “demon” Hilda has been searching for? I’m hoping strongly for the latter.

Final Flash: Good volleyball arc chapter, which equates only to a decent Beelzebub chapter.

[scanlation by Keishou Scans]

Nice Jump cover, and good coloring of the chapter cover page.

More volleyball. Let’s hope for some outstanding comedy to make up for the disappointment of not being in a fighting arc.

Great facial expressions

This is a fantastic chapter for facial expressions, so far. Both the above picture and the group shot at the bottom of page 7 are very funny.

Baby Beel being used as a decoy is good stuff, but it’s his expression that makes the scene amazing.

Silent understanding between men

Some silly but amusing moments featuring Baby Beel, but this still doesn’t have the engaging quality of earlier, action-packed chapters.

Izuma starts to get serious just in time for the chapter to end.

Final Flash: More enjoyable than the last couple chapters, but still lacking.

[scanlation by Keishou Scans]

A cat. There’s a cat.

The sub-conversation between Izuma and Kunieda is very amusing.

Don't you dare take Beel out of the picture

A little spotlight for Kunieda! Good.

Oga going up for the overhead kick is pretty funny. While surely purely used for comedy, this move could also be referencing a real sport, sepak takraw, which is essentially volleyball played with the feet.

Final Flash: A couple good moments in this chapter, but this volleyball business is still in the way of interesting plot.

[scanlation by Keishou]

Shonen Jump references! Nice to see some appreciation for some other great series, especially Sket Dance, which (I am obligated to remind the internet) desperately needs translators to bring the series up to date. It is hilarious and well worth the time.

Kyle and Switch are too awesome for just one series each

Poor Alain Delon. Creepy mustached interdimensional vessels deserve maid cafe love, too.

Fun gag scenes involving Furuichi and the maids.

Eat up, Predator. It's getting cold.

The Horsemen are keeping things under control after all. They may be antagonists, but they still show loyalty towards their school. Good characterization.

Not at all on time, Oga is finally here. The “setup chapter” feel from all this is overwhelming.

Clearly, the long-haired character who was mixed in with all the thugs from Teimou has an upcoming important role to play. Could he even be the “demon lurking within the school” Hildegarde and Alain Delon spoke of chapters ago?

Not to be ignored

Final Flash: Some funny moments, but very much a preparatory chapter.

[chapter link]

Oga lost after all. Ultimately, hiding the ending of the fight until this chapter was just a plot device. Disappointing.

Furuichi watching the upcoming fight while eating serves no particular purpose other than being funny. Still, it accomplishes that well.

Inexplicable

Toujou is right. Oga has become weak. I like that the main character has to again claw his way to the top of a newly-established power hierarchy, but it’s a little confusing that there wasn’t a transition. Oga went from the top to mediocre without any real explanation.

Baby Beel steals the chapter. Fantastic scene with him awarding the victory to Oga.

Finally, time for the school festival.

Final Flash: Beelzebub seems to be in a confused state right now. Its pacing is awkward and its characters, while still funny, are stagnating without appropriate development. Hopefully the school festival either brings back some consistent quality or ends quickly to pave the way for a new story arc.

[chapter link]

Excellent cover page.

Poor Baby Beel! His unbelievably cool moment was overshadowed by Miki jumping the gun. Furuichi cowering makes up for it, though.

Poor son of the devil

Oga is taking an interesting approach to this fight. He’s active but somewhat non-committal.

We don’t get to see Miki’s big move? Disappointing.

Oga is beat up but still fairly nonchalant. Keeping the action hidden from the audience that seems the wrong approach here. It only serves to weaken the image of Miki, while doing nothing to reinforce Oga’s strength. Nobody wins.

Final Flash: A misstep for this series. Everything to do with Miki has resulted in mishandled potential.

[chapter link]

Young Oga is so far proving to be hilarious (bragging about the Buddha, explaining his logic behind claiming the big Katsu).

Oga was even kind enough to Miki back then to go help him out. There must be some major shock or huge misunderstanding coming, because at this point, present-day Miki seems unreasonable.

You might want to get that hand of yours checked out, flashback baddie. It doesn’t look normal.

Unhealthy

Those fingernails weren’t just for show, fortunately. Also, I know nails are sharp, but I question if they’re strong enough to be used in this manner without breaking… not that I’m attempting to question realism in a series about the son of the devil.

The most evil face in shonen?

There’s the misunderstanding. Oga is pretending he doesn’t know Miki, for Miki’s own sake. Meanwhile, Miki, who has been seeking acceptance from Oga, takes Oga’s act the wrong way. The scenario is straightforward but effective.

Well, straightforward with an Oga twist, which implies violence.

Final Flash: As long as this flashback doesn’t last much longer, it’s an acceptable explanation for Miki’s actions, which also provides him with the means to redeem himself in the near future.

[chapter link]

This is only day 2 of practice? I hope we don’t stay like this for too long. This is a comedy/fighting series, not a volleyball series.

The entirety of page 3 is fantastic.

P4 / cover page: … okay, actually, if this is the kind of volleyball we’ll be playing, we can stay in this story arc a little longer. I don’t mind.

A demon lurking in the school would be an excellent way to spice things up. As enjoyable as the school arcs are, the Demon World arc was cut far too short. The major hindrance Beelzebub has before it can be considered a major series alongside its shonen counterparts is that it’s yet to attempt a long, comparatively serious arc. The Demon World teased such an arc, but wasn’t nearly enough.

P7, center-left panel: Priceless reaction.

Thankfully, Oga shares my disinterest in volleyball, and still only cares about fighting. Also, tandem tantrums are cute, Baby Beel.

I have no idea which P13 panel I prefer. What a page.

P14, bottom-left panel: Interesting choice of humor. It’s a funny gag, but it does somewhat take away what menace Miki had left after being emasculated by Izuma.

P18, bottom-right panel: Damn right, Baby Beel! Get on with the action already.

No. Instead, continuation of the Oga/Miki flashback. Hopefully this time we’ll get the full story.

Final Flash: Fairly protracted setup chapter. Some good comedy, but it seems Tamura can’t quite decide where to focus.