Feb 16, 2020
Disclaimer: I have read the manga completely, but I have only seen 2/3 of the anime as of writing this review.
I will start my review by saying that Beelzebub is my favorite manga of all time. I have read through the manga at least 5 times, and it still makes me laugh every time. That's why the anime is so disappointing to me.
Story 8/10:
The story follows the same way as the manga. The biggest difference is the overuse of the same joke over and over again in a short time span. I understand that in the manga, it follows the same way, but when reading,
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it is much more spaced out. For example, in the first few episodes, the punchline of Oga getting shocked is repeated too much. It happens every 3 minutes, and that wears the joke out. It may be that after reading it so much and knowing what will happen, I personally was unimpressed, but I really think it would have been more beneficial to find a way to either change it up or space out the joke. Other than that in the first few episodes, it pretty much gets into the story well. I think the overall difference of anime vs. manga gets really apparent in how close together all the events are, and that isn't really something that can be fixed, but it does lower the quality of the anime.
Art 4/10:
This was the biggest issue I had. Oga's character makes him look like a normal highschooler with his hairstyle. He had a much more wild looking hairstyle in the manga, and I think that matched him better. Then we get to the actual problem which is the girls in the show. Aoi is draw really weirdly. She is supposed to look cute contrary to her personality which makes sense because she's so pure and oblivious about love, but instead she looks really old and mature which is weird for a highschooler. Hilda also looks way older than she is. The weirdest thing about the art is their necks which seem really long for some reason. Then there is the blatant fan service in the show. There were elements of it in the manga, but there are entire frames where Aoi was talking but the frame was on her chest and stomach. It also doesn't help when one of the jokes of the show is the Aoi is insecure about her bust vs. Hilda's and the animation team decided it was fine to make her bustier. I understand the need for fan service in today's anime, and I take it as a necessary evil to sell the product, but there is a difference between throwing it into an episode and completely changing the show. Somehow it seems less convincing when Aoi is insecure when the person poking fun at her has the same bust as her. It feels cheap and unnecessary to drive the plot forward, and it's also pretty creepy.
TLDR; Aoi's art actively detracts from the story, and the choice of design for Oga doesn't match his character (mainly his hair).
Sound 8/10:
I think the sound works fine. The voice acting is a little strange at times, like Aoi's inner monologues, but for the most part, it's well done. I didn't like how some episodes had some sound spikes where the volume jumped from one scene to another, but that's a really minor complaint. I didn't really like the openings or the endings, but I skip them anyway, so I don't really include those in my rating.
Character 6/10:
I think my favorite character is Furuichi, and it makes me really sad to see that they failed to include the episode where he and Oga fight. However, while the characters are amazing in the manga, many of them receive random filler episodes that actively take away from them. I love the dynamic of Beel and Oga, and the gap between a delinquent and a parent is one of the most entertaining parts of the show. I really like the way the characters fit together, but I really think that the show leaves out some important things from the source, and it leaves a lot to be desired.
Enjoyment 6/10:
A majority of my enjoyment of the show was being able to see my favorite manga animated. To me, it's a walk down memory lane as I began reading Beelzebub when it had just ended, and it filled me with great sadness to know that it wasn't going to continue when I reached the end. The anime leaves a lot of room for growth. There are many important pieces of the show taken out in favor of filler episodes that add absolutely no value to the show. At least some of the Naruto fillers gave more information or backstories that were not included in the manga, but the trick with shows with a main focus on comedy is that fillers have to not advance any existing plot while managing to keep the same tone of the rest of the show. The episode with the magical girls is the most uncomfortable of the fillers. It added absolutely nothing to the show other than the amusing joke of Furuichi's sister telling Furuichi to stay away from her friends because he's a creep. The show is really great at times, but it also feels a little rushed and unfinished. I know it seems like the classic "manga vs. anime" debate, but to me, it feels like one of my favorite mangas, and the one that got me into comedy shows and anime the most, is delivered in an unfinished manner. It would be like seeing a diamond bedazzled pencil case: the overwhelming potential has been squashed.
Overall 6/10:
I would say watch this show if you want something entertaining, but if you really like the premise of the story, I would strongly recommend the manga. I think I would have liked the show more if I had never read it beforehand, but if you're like me, you will probably be disappointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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