Plot Summary
The episode opens with a distinct sci-fi feel, before moving into the game, where the Ishiyama group are in the middle of getting their asses handed to them. They are unable to do anything against the tank. Then Yuka shows up, driving a giant robot called the Crazy Frog. She crushes the tank, and proceeds to kick and tap dance all over the other vehicles. Up until she steps on a mine and loses the tank.
Oga's training goes more like an aerobic workout, complete with lame musical accompaniment. He complains about this, calling out for being an exercise, and not training.
Meanwhile the gamers run into more trouble when En's team start using an invisibility cheat. Himekawa realizes what they are doing, and goes to prepare some countermeasures.
While Oga does pushups, Saotome tells him that Tojo asked to be trained, and if he isn't careful Oga will be overtaken. Saotome uses a recording of Oga's voice to make a training partner who has all his hidden strength. Only the casette recorde Beel's voice, and they are faced with a Beel at full power. At first Oga takes this as a joke, only to realize that as a Demon Lord Beel has some crazy hidden potential. Problem is he's still Beel, and easily distracted as he takes off after a bunny rabbit.
En's maids fixed the Crazy Frog, and Lamia realizes that there is magic at work in the game. The rest of the Ishiyama team got killed, and without their medic they can't get back into the game. Himekawa comes back and reveals that he bought the company that makes the game for the sole purpose of getting them to put in a special cheat for him. He brings their characters back as zombies.
En, who had just been allowed to actually play, gets attacked by the zombies, and his forces find themselves without their invisibility cheat, and the Ishiyama students have five Crazy Frogs, which combine into one giant Sentai robot.
Oga manages to capture shadow Beel, using his own stupidity as bait. Isa takes Aoi to an inner part of the temple, where there is someone she wants her to meet. Oga manages to subdue Shadow Beel for a little bit, before Shadow Beel unleashes his true hidden potential.
My Opinion
Beelzebub just knows when to turn the seriousness off. And just when you're laughing your buttocks off something happens to remind you that serious things are happening. This leads to the serious moments becoming much more poignant in contrast to the comedy that preceded them. And vice versa. The moment the viewer is comfortable with the serious turn in events, they get slapped in the face with more comedy.
Oga's arc during the episode is a perfect example of this. He starts off doing a ridiculous aerobics exercise. This is funny. Then Saotome creates a shadow for Oga to fight. This is serious. Except it made a copy of Beel. This is funny. Only it is as strong as Beel could be potentially, and as a demon lord this is very strong. This is serious. But shadow Beel is still just as stupid as Beel, and easily distracted. This is funny. But it can control its lightning enough to leave a bottomless hole that Oga almost falls into. This is serious, and kind of funny. Oga mangages to catch shadow Beel by taking of advantage of his stupidity. This is funny. Then this:
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| Very Serious. |
The video game scenes on the other hand are nothing but hilarity all the way through. There is an element of seriousness, but that is mostly from how serious everyone is taking the game, as well as the stakes involved if they lose. But since it's a video game world, where real world rules don't apply (keep in mind that people regularly get buried face first into concrete in Beelzebub's real world), the anime is able to get truly ludicrous.
The climax of the game arc, with the zombies, and the Sentai transforming Crazy Frog robots, along with theme music, is such a barrage of ridiculousness that this could easily be one of my favorite episodes. I like over the top humor, and stupidity, and Beelzebub knows just how to cater to me.
If you liked my review, Watch the Episode Here!
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