Anime Review: Hayate the Combat Butler - Can't Take My Eyes Off You!

Hyde to the Comet Butler, as a manga, has since come to an end, as far as since my last video. Though in the United States, as of this recording, the manga is still wrapping up its release at the last few volumes. I previously covered the first two seasons of the show, quite some time ago, but there were still two series left to cover. Now, as Kimura-Con used to be in September, before it moved to October with the change of venue and various requirements thereof, in the spirit of its old date, this month, I'll be focusing on anime by wrapping up the two existing Hayate to the Comet Butler TV series. Oh, Kimura-Con, that's my local anime convention. You might see me there this year, and last year, the year before, if you see me say hi. Anyway, Hayate. Hayate to the Comet Butler, I Can't Take My Eyes Off You, is something of a break from the norm from the first two seasons, as the series is considerably more serialized than the first two series, or for that matter, than the series that follows. The show is set past where the previous series ended, and indeed, past where the manga was at the time the series aired. Consequently, we're skipping past the introduction of Athena and the Grisard, Nagi using her fortune, starting a boarding house with the rest of the female cast as her tenants, and then getting her fortune back and moving into one of the mansions with Hayate and Maria again, while also maintaining the apartments and frequently going back to visit. Also, the idol Ruka had been introduced prior to this, though narratively she doesn't play much of a role in the series, aside from a few brief vignettes through the first person of the series, and also an appearance in the ending credits. But still, again, that's another member of Hayate's harem who's been introduced to the series by this point. The series itself is also notable as, while it is a sort of guidance series, it actually does some serious, as much as anything in Hayate is serious, expansion of the backstory, in particular for Nagi. We learn how Nagi's father and mother met, and what happened to her father, or Nagi's mother's fate was already known. The plot also gets more into the fantastical side of things, in particular the plot focuses on a magical artifact known as the Black Melia, with a chunk of the mystery being what it is and what it can do. This doesn't mean the usual manic comedy that you expect from Hayate is absent. In addition to some set pieces that are both amusing and exciting, like Yukiji stealing some from some crooks who are planning a casino heist because she wants the money to drink some really nice booze, several chapters from the manga also get adapted in a way that fits nicely with the rest of the series. Of particular note is an adaptation of a chapter of the manga where Hayate finds himself trapped in a restaurant with Yukiji, Sister Sonia, and an armed bank robber, as Hayate tries to keep Yukiji and Sonia from dine and dashing. Now this chapter was originally published contemporaneously with the material from seasons 1 and 2, so I was really glad to see this chapter adapted here. The show still has a few little issues. For starters, the series operates with almost the reverse of the read the manga problem. Instead of having an ending which encourages the reader to keep reading the manga to get the conclusion of the story, instead we have a manga that operates with the assumption that you've been actively reading it and so they can just drop you in without having to worry too much about explaining anything. On the one hand, the manga in question, Hayate the Combat Butler, is running in Shonen Sunday, which is Shonen Jump's main competitor and the magazine that Detective Conan, a something of an anime and manga institution, has been running in, so lots of people are likely to be reading this magazine and thus presumably whoever read Hayate. However, if you've primarily been following the show with the anime, you're going to come in somewhat lost. Even more, it makes for a terrible jumping off point for the franchise, so those familiar with the series should probably check out seasons 1 and 2 instead. Additionally, looking back on the show now, considering that the manga is wrapped up, the show is somewhat disappointing. It takes a big hop, skip, and jump over several major arcs of the manga and based on how the anime industry works, this means that the arcs in question aren't going to be adapted for quite some time. We may still get an adaptation of those arcs, but again, not for some time in the future. As this recording, I'm still reading the Grease Vacation arc and have got the Boarding House arc to come and I'd love to see those animated. For the show to skip over those arcs entirely is really kind of a bummer. As this recording, Hayate the Combat Butler, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, is currently available on DVD and Blu-ray on Amazon and Right Stuff and for streaming on Crunchyroll and HiDive. Affiliate links for the physical media and non-affiliate links for streaming will be in the show notes. There is also a Hayate the Combat Butler animated movie which I have not seen yet and will review at some point in the future. Meanwhile, next time we're going to review what is currently the last Hayate the Combat Butler TV series or animated TV series we've gotten thus far, Hayate the Combat Butler Cuties. So thank you very much for watching. If you enjoyed the show, please like and subscribe and also consider backing my Patreon. Patreon backers get episodes up to one week early of this show and any future Let's Plays. Also, please consider backing my Ko-fi. Tossing me a few bucks also helps support the show and it's not a monthly obligation or anything like that.