General Relationships Thread

[Teeba]

I confess: I am a huge shipper. Though not exclusive to Beelzebub, I'd say I ship a hell of a lot. I have "near canon" ships, I have crack ships, I have yaoi and yuri ships...I even have a Beelzebub OTP (one true pairing)!

But. But there's only so much pairings talk I can take. Beelzebub isn't really about romance. It's funny, it pokes fun at things we groan about in other manga, and it's well-written. The author loves to throw in romance, but its always for the delicious irony of it all (re: Oga, there should be a limit to how oblivious you can be ). Romance is a perfectly valid topic for discussion, and there's nothing wrong with talking about it the slightest. Its just that, I like to talk about the relationships that exist within Beelzebub in a non-romantic way too.

There are relationships I find pretty darn amusing in Beelzebub, some being:

Hilda and Baby Beel: Hilda's love for Beel has grown so strong she's showing more jealousy towards anyone else who could interfere. First it was Kunieda, and now its Oga! If Toujo ever comes back to school, I'm not entirely sure what she'd do...xD

Kunieda and Hilda's rivalry is so dynamic, I love it. They have a clash of personalities to begin with, and since then it's just become worse and worse. I am already chuckling over what would happen if they had to team-up over something.

Miki and Oga's relationship...it would be nice if Oga could cut him some slack, but considering how Miki's acted before, I don't know anymore. (I like Miki, I just think his failed attempts at trying to be friendly to Oga really funny.)

On a more serious note, I've always felt that Furuichi acts like Oga's PR. He's always talking to people and gathering information for Oga to use and assess later on. This is kind of apparent during the flashback in chapter 141, where we see Furuichi talking to En's wet nurses about Hilda.

The new arc (ch 143 onwards) seems to be all about expanding Beel's relationships with the Ishiyama Gang, and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of funny, ironic, stupid, and moving relationships the manga will bring from now on. What relationships, rivalries, and alliances are interesting to you guys?

[crimsonlink310]

I've always liked Oga's and Tojou's rivalry. It is one of my favorites because Oga actually lost the first time. Also Tojou is actually powerful enough to keep up with Oga. Wonder what kind of demon Tojou will get in the future lol. Maybe En as a contractor?

[Teeba]

Toujo and En would make the perfect foil to Oga and Beel. I approve!

Oga and Toujo's rivalry is very interesting indeed. When Toujo is around, Oga feels the need to try harder, so that he can prove he's better. Toujo a different kind of motivator than say, Baby Beel(love) or Hilda(responsibility) is.

Oga and Toujo's rivalry reminds me of cowboy movies. You have the sheriff, who's responsible for the town, and then you have the "lone ranger", who swoops in to help out before leaving again. They are perfect frenemies, the two of them!

[Black Hawk]

My personal favorit rivalry is Kanzaki and Himekawa. Its the same as Oga and Toujou rivalry.
Kanzaki the more normal Guy and Himekawa the richer then rich guy. But that comes from the early episodes, a good friend of my likes kanzaki and i like Himekawa. So we always joke which charachter don´t needed in Beelzebub. Who should get more screen Time or favorit role. Know it looks more that the rivalry is gone and its more like a good friendship or allies to beat Oga and get the Number One position.

[Teeba]

I like Kanzaki and Himekawa's buddyship too! I think they compliment each other well. Like you said, Kanzaki is more normal and reluctant to use his yakuza influence (probably because he's the "second son"), but Himekawa is the heir to a huge conglomerate so he always finds a way to flaunt the money.

Obviously, the TKKH are strong when they are apart, but they will become much stronger when they are together. Toujou being present in chapter 146 re-affirms the fact that he too, would benefit hanging out with everyone else.

Also, I quite like the Kanzaki-Furuichi-Himekawa dynamic as well! They have bonded a lot since they played video games together.

[Teeba]

I read Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga a while back, and it made me realize something about Beelzebub!

In Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, they break down shonen manga into its essential four characters: The Hero, the Sidekick, the Heroine, and the Rival. While the first three are quite obvious, I think the real rival of the story is Aoi. She and Hilda are complete opposites, they do try to outdo each other, and more importantly, they've had this kind of relationship from the beginning. Even if they ever stop fighting each other and become friends, there will always be a competition going on between them.

[Teeba]

Between the two of the, who do you think is stronger, Himekawa or Kugeyama?

I kind of wish we could see how Oga and Furuichi became friends, I think that would make a good flashback, maybe at the back of a volume or something.

[Doraku]

Between the two of the, who do you think is stronger, Himekawa or Kugeyama?

I kind of wish we could see how Oga and Furuichi became friends, I think that would make a good flashback, maybe at the back of a volume or something.

If Himekawa ran away from that elite school because of being bullied, I'd say that Kugeyama is stronger than Himekawa. Of course, things may change since Himekawa moved to Ishiyama and it is possible for Himekawa becomes stronger than Kugeyama at this moment. Though I believe if there will be any fight between them, Himekawa is on par with Kugeyama.

I have an inkling that Oga knows Furuichi since they were infants or elementary students. Furuichi is too normal to enroll at Ishiyama high if he doesn't have any special bond with Oga. (I mean, I wouldn't even thinking about entering into delinquent-filled high school If I'm able to enter elite school)

[Teeba]

Now that you mention it, I wonder how close Kugeyama and Himekawa were to begin with. If Himekawa had to change schools because of the bullying, then maybe Kugeyama was the reason why. I mean, we don't have much evidence to assume they were friends either. It could be like Peach Girl-only with super-rich bishounen instead. xD

In terms of strength, yeah, I'd assume they were around the same level as each other. My sister commented that Kugeyama definitely looks bulky enough to be a fighter.

In Furuichi's bio, its stated they've known each other since elementary school. It also says Furuichi got "involved" in one of Oga's fights before entering high school, hence why he was forced to go to Ishiyama High instead of his preferred choice. But this doesn't explain how they became friends, just how Furuichi ended up in such a thug school. xD It kind of makes you wonder how different Beelzebub would be had Oga been alone in Ishiyama High. Going to different schools can be quite a friendship killer.

[g0dzax]

It kind of makes you wonder how different Beelzebub would be had Oga been alone in Ishiyama High. Going to different schools can be quite a friendship killer.

I can't even imagine a Beelzebub manga with Oga alone,because the relationship I like the most is that between Oga and Furuichi.One strong as hell,one weak as hell.One without a brain,one with a brain.One who doesn't give shit about girls,one who is...well,too interested in girls.Kinda like they are the opposite of each other,but it's the small talk and pranks between them that makes them so hilarious.

Like,I don't remember in which chapter(the chapters with Kanzaki focus),that little niece of Kanzaki rided a man and Hilda told Oga to ride Beel and he says "Okay Furuchi let Beel ride you " or smth like that,and Furuichi's like "HELL NO!" and the next page shows Beel riding him and I laughed so hard at that scene .

[Teeba]

I can't even imagine a Beelzebub manga with Oga alone,because the relationship I like the most is that between Oga and Furuichi. One strong as hell,one weak as hell.One without a brain,one with a brain.One who doesn't give shit about girls,one who is...well,too interested in girls.Kinda like they are the opposite of each other,but it's the small talk and pranks between them that makes them so hilarious.

Nice post!

I think Oga and Furuichi's friendship is definitely one of the coolest, and its one of the reasons I love Beelzebub. They are hilarious together, and they never cross the boundary from being friendly to being cheesy. I like how they have the same reaction faces to things, like when the Demon Lord showed his crotch on the TV. Or when it was announced they had to play volleyball and the two of them thought "Halley's Comet?"

I also think their friendship makes the whole manga so much more interesting. In other shonen manga I read, the hero usually starts "alone" and gains friends as the story goes on. But in Beelzebub, Oga and Furuichi have been partners in crime since the beginning. I'm glad that even though Oga's become a dedicated dad to Baby Beel, his friendship with Furuichi hasn't become anything less than what it is.