Ranked #405

Hayate no Gotoku! (Manga)

Hayate the Combat Butler targets a specific audience, and hits it dead-on. Hayate is for people who love rapid-fire gags and Japanese cultural references. Those looking for serious plots or extremely well-developed characters should look elsewhere.

That being said, Hayate the Combat Butler accomplishes what it sets out to do: Make you laugh. Sure, there's a little bit of a plot thrown in every now and then, and maybe a character or two makes a realization after 10 or so chapters, but the main focus is on the gags, and each characters' role in them. Character deliveries range from deadpan-humor to Manzai stand-up, and each one's little quirks only make them that much more of a riot.

The art is simple, and if I had to count each time the artist used a black-background double-take face I'd have to get a new notebook to tally it up. However, each character has their own defining looks, and the simple art style lends itself well to the lighthearted nature of the series.

If you need a break from heavy plot and just want to chuckle (or roll on the floor), you could do a whole lot worse than Hayate the Combat Butler. read more

Story: It's very creative and original, albeit unrealistic, but not in a way that detracts from the series. It's a fairly simple slice-of-life type of story, but it's a very unusual life that the characters lead. This allows for plenty of interesting, crazy things to happen that flow well because the whole thing is interesting and crazy. The story is exciting and new, giving infinite possibility for the author to let loose with his creativity.

Art: The very pretty and distinct characters are fun to look at; again, the variety and uniqueness make it a great manga. There aren't many gorgeous glory scenes that stick out in one's mind, but there are also no weird, out of place scenes. The backgrounds look pretty good too, and although the blank background is used quite often, it's used for comedic timing to set the mood, and it all works well.

Character: The charactes are just awesome. They are many and varied, and all of them have their unique charms so you really love all of them. Their personalities really bring out the best in each other, and it's just great to watch.

Enjoyment: Certainly one of my all-time favorites. First and foremost, Hayate no Gotoku is a comedy, and comedy it does very, very well. And then, there are bits of romance, and a pinch of angst, and some cool action, and then that deep-down-emotional-inspirational-goodness that we all love. Used in moderation and with humor being omnipresent, all of these other genres come together really well in Hayate no Gotoku. It's all done well - Hayate is the perfect protagonist for showing these elements - and so there's something for everyone.

Overall: I highly recommend this series for anyone, old and young (but not too young - there is sexual humor, but it's not anything really bad. Compared to some other series, the sexual humor is quite mild, despite being used quite often.) I truly believe there's a lot to appreciate in this manga, not just the humor and the parodies, so check it out if you want to pick up a new series. read more