Creative Staff:
Story/Art: matoba
Translation: Lisa Coffman
Lettering: Lorina Mapa
What They Say:
Mullin is an unwitting target of seduction, Beelzebub and Belphegor aren’t sure how much skin to show at the beach, and Sargatanas is worried about her own stony exterior. In other words, Pandemonium is brimming with passion like always—even if some residents don’t want to admit it! Could Sargatanas’s disgust with her good-for-nothing boss, Astaroth, be a sign of something else…?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
It’s very hard to give an opinion of a work that does not really have that much substance to it. It’s not that Beelmama (as it’s commonly short-referenced in Japan; I learned that from the very helpful translation notes printed on the inside of the back cover) is utterly lacking in substance, but its character is so much like cotton candy (Ms. Beelzebub herself might approve) that besides drawing attention to the cuteness, the fluffiness and the fan service, I’m not sure what I can really say.
It’s not that the series is unchanging, as we seem to get at least one or two new characters introduced each volume. This time, the next senior demon to appear is Morrigan, the head of the “Human World Administration Bureau.” That is just a long euphemism for being in charge of the one group who go out and actually engage with humans in the “normal” world, mainly to tempt them. Morrigan is the head succubus, in other words, with a character design built to match. Of course, she notes that their job is to tempt humans in order to allow them to prove their purity and ascend to heaven (these demons in this Pandemonium are way too nice). How does one become a succubus, one might ask?
That is answered in a parallel story introducing another new character, the demon Lilim, a cute young demon girl currently working at Hell’s Convenience Store (it would not be Japan…er…Pandemonium without a convenience store) who wants to become a succubus. Apparently, it’s one of the most popular demon positions and very competitive. The entrance exam requires seducing someone in Hell…and Lilim has the misfortune to pick a virginal-seeming man who walks in to the store one day…Mullin. She’s unfortunate since Mullin has the density of lead when it comes to matters romantic. Yeah, this will go nowhere fast.
Beyond the new characters, we do delve a bit further into the already established cast, the spotlight focusing most on Sargatanas, the aide of Astaroth. Sargatanas has up to this point been merely fitted with two fetishes (a lack of breast development and a propensity for violence towards her misbehaving boss), not a full personality. So, some attempt is now made to give her the rudiments of one: she likes cutes things and she could just be hiding a secret crush on that useless boss of hers. Liking cute things while looking scary, however, is a cast niche already held by someone else: Azazel. So, of course, why not have them come together at a cafe featuring Pandemonium’s current fad mascot, Hige-moko? They get to share that their scary exteriors are not matched inside (though there is no romantic tension as we already know that the author has determined Azazel’s future love interest). As for Sargatanas’s interest in the playboy Astaroth…well, I guess opposites attract. Maybe.
This story is largely built upon contrasts and continues to just pile up the contradictions. That’s okay because there isn’t any kind of serious point. Oh look, there are fluffy creatures floating around. Oh look, there are fluffy…other things floating about. If you want cuteness and fan service, this series provides a one-stop shopping place for it. If you like neither, you would do best to head elsewhere.
In Summary:
Beelzebub and Belphegor go swimsuit shopping but for archdemons, they seem rather fearful of showing off too much skin. Sargatanas shows off her inside—her inner love for all things cute and fluffy. Would we expect anything different from this series at this point? No.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: T (Teen) L N
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: September 18th, 2018
MSRP: $13.00
