Hayate no Gotoku!
Hayate the Combat Butler

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For a long 570 chapters of a series, my enjoyment has been maintained entirely throughout. Every day, I wake up and the most exciting event for me is reading my daily 2 volumes of Hayate the Combat Butler. This 2-volumes-a-day rule was actually a rule past-me enforced on present-me so I wouldn't binge until 5 am and kill the rest of my life.

What did I look so forward to? Firstly, the cuteness of the romance comedy element. Almost every character is well-crafted. My heart goes doki doki when Hina blushes upon Hayate's dense kindness, or when Ruka so explicitly shows her love. The exception ... is of course the characters who solely contribute to the overarching plot (Hisui) with very shallow motives and character, or the gag characters (Kotetsu). Even characters like Chiharu, who don't particularly have an important role, I still love because she is so full of kindness and laughter. What more could fulfill the heart of a romance-deprived teenage boy? (Right, fan-service, too) [Characters 10] [Art 10]

To be honest, I don't really follow the "main" story of this manga. During my reading, I even tried to do research on what the fuck was going on with "King Jewels" and other stuff. I was still confused in the end but at least I understood it more. Even though the whole story is revolved around a supernatural power and its associations, my enjoyment came from following along, not really understanding everything, but still appreciating the astonishing art and touching stories. I do admit that some of the chapters are seriously filler, but when this series gets intense, it sure fucking does. The drama and comedy aspects of the series I both equally like. As a result, I was very disappointed by the end of the series because the whole story felt like a journey. Reading it felt like I was living another exuberant and colourful life beyond mine. It wasn't easy to handle the truth that this manga had to be wrapped up for the good of the readers. [Story 8] [Enjoyment 8]

Finally, I would like to share that this series had some seriously motivational moments. There was a chapter I remember so clearly because of Izumi. She was explaining how a weed is not particularly interesting to anyone, but it grows and struggles against the nutrient-deficient soil and scorching sun, only to die. But, its nutrients contribute to the growth of other plants. Thus, even she lacks the abilities others do, her efforts will not be in vain. Perhaps I just don't think about life very much, but I loved that scene. Now you see why the characters can be so interesting, they all have a meaningful story, even if it is just a small one.

I would only recommend this series to people who have time, and even better, time-management skills. It sure is a journey, so enjoy every moment of it.

This is my first review, I hope you're proud of me!

It's difficult to talk about someone's own happiness and what that means relative to their financial wealth. People often say that money can't buy happiness, and yet this saying betrays just how utterly miserable being poverty-stricken can be - everything from personal relationships to material belongings to familial security can be taken away from you, with a reality that what little you have can be stolen at any second. Hayate Ayasaki lives one such life where he works day in day out, sacrifices any and all connections he may form with others in order to have a better future away from his parents, only for ... his parents to inevitably walk all over him and take whatever material belongings he has for their own egotistical reasons. This culminates in his parents quite literally selling him off to the yakuza for 150 million yen.

It takes a chance encounter with a girl who mistakes his kindness in saving her from kidnappers and giving her a jacket for a confession to finally turn his life around - with the seemingly minor and swept under the rug inconvenience that ironically he himself was planning to kidnap her out of desperation. This introduction sets the stage for a long, long, long semi-episodic romcom about Hayate paying back his savior in Nagi, who paid his entire debt in exchange for him being her butler.

Hayate has clear issues in how it structures its narrative and comedy. The series is often very tongue-in-cheek about lampshading events before they happen, yet this can often feel somewhat like it's a parody of itself even in instances when the narrative takes itself seriously. The comedy - while incredibly funny even if certain gags overstay their welcome - takes up a sizable chunk of the middle of the manga and this can make it difficult for readers to go through this entire behemoth of a manga they may not even find comedic. Kenjiro Hata's values are occasionally reflected through Hayate himself, chastising this or that female character for being a woman and not behaving accordingly (this gets fades away as the manga goes on before disappearing entirely near the end). The antagonists are rather onenote and serve their purpose without doing anything more - there is one noteworthy exception in the manga's first half, but the finale in particular, while definitely thematically fitting, suffers from this. There's a fair amount of fanservice - this doesn't bother me, but I can see why it bothers others. And, obviously, 52 volumes is an absurd amount to read for what is essentially a romcom parody that only occasionally takes itself seriously.

What there is for a narrative is a story about abandoning material comfort in order to connect with others, and how all the material gains in the world won't mean anything without a drive to succeed, a passion to embrace and people to love. Nagi herself epitomizes this, being deeply in love with manga and desiring to be a manga author for much of the manga, yet there's many instances where it's clear that her life is a lonely one minus Maria, who she literally sleeps next to in order for that emptiness to fade away. Several excellently written foils to Hayate exist in Hinagaku and Ruka, who both were abandoned by their parents and suffered considerably because of it - the former being saved by her sister and thus grew to have a functioning life later on, albeit one where she still occasionally shows scars of her old life, and the latter due to working for her parents' sake to be an idol, only to be abandoned later on.

More examples can be given via the side cast - Wataru and Saki struggling to manage a store together yet finding comfort in each other's presence despite the former being left behind, Maria's abandonment issues that come to surface later on in the manga, Athena being isolated and alone for so long despite her desire to reconnect with Hayate or Ayumu taking Hayate for granted before slowly but surely realizing that her chance to be with him has come and passed. This struggle to find connection with other members of the cast is at the center of Hayate - both in its largely comedic content, and its more serious moments - and without the more funny moments over the course of the series that involve the cast literally goofing off together, the series would simply not work.

The last quarter of the manga and especially the last few volumes is where somehow over a dozen character arcs discussing these themes are flawlessly wrapped up. The manga ramps up its story to 11, it goes absolutely bonkers with its villains and there's a damsel in distress arc and yet the manga was careful enough in building up to this moment that this somehow manages to work out insanely well. More than anything, the ending wraps up the series with the characters in many cases having less materially than where they started, yet somehow this is portrayed positively rather than negatively, since the characters find happiness in each other rather regardless of distance, lifestyle or occupation. This is a message that has aged insanely well considering our current economic situation, unfortunately, and I believe that it is one that would resonate with many a reader in these troubled times.

Do I recommend Hayate? I would, but with the nuance of approaching the story (when the narrative focuses on it) for what it's trying to tell, and understanding that its flaws are as part of the experience as its highs. When the manga ends, much of the less than ideal moments across the series or the long stretches of comedy become fond memories of a more nostalgic time - yet it's those precise moments that make the ending all the more powerful and memorable. Otherwise then I'd completely understand why someone wouldn't be into this series - the comedy isn't for everyone and the middle of the manga takes quite a while to get through.

Aside from that...I can't recommend this series highly enough, even with all its numerous flaws.

Thank you for reading.

Jesus Christ, I finally finished this 500+ manga and it only took me 7 months to do so.
Anyway, I watched the Hayate anime a few years ago which is why I of course decided to check out the manga out of curiosity. I'm not a huge fan of the series like I am with other romance harems like Rosario Vampire and Heaven's Lost Property but I enjoyed the series to a certain extent.

Story: 6
Hayate's story is a very mixed bag. It starts out well with the idea of a Hayate being abandonded by his parents on Christmas Eve and taking on their debt ... which leads to him becoming a butler of the most richest girl in the world. It's a cool and unique idea that works out well. After the first chapter though, its just mixed for about 30-40 chapters. Some of the jokes don't land as well as they do later on and the writing isn't anything great. It gets better as it goes on but the manga does have a noticeable slow/whatever beginning.
Around chapter 100 or so the chapters become much more consistent in terms of quality. The quality however is usually just good/fine. The story isn't the series' strongest point but it works. There are some noteworthy arcs that do stick out as the better ones such as the Golden Week, School Trip Level 5, the final arc. But by far the greatest arc of them all is The End of The World which is honestly just amazing and shocked me by just how well written and enjoyable it was to read. I loved every minute of it, but sadly its only at most 20 chapters out of 570.
One of the stories biggest flaws would have to be its pacing. Again, this is 570 chapters which is also 52 volumes. That is an insane amount of chapters for a romantic comedy. There is a noticeable amount of "filler" within the series and although some of it is enjoyable and could be meaningful, the way in which it is presented just feels like filler most of the time. I would say at least 100 or so chapters could be cut out and the manga would work just as well as it does. This really doesn't have to be 500+ chapters long, and I know I keep complaining and bringing this up but this really is a big problem for me.
This might go in the "Art" section but when referring to pacing, the art/manga itself is also to blame for this. For about half of the manga or about the first 300 chapters or so, the chapters themselves feel longer than they are/should be. There are usually too many panels or text on a page which makes the chapters drag on. This is fixed much later on but the pacing still isn't amazing or anything.
Considering the length of the series, progression is a very important factor and the manga doesn't seem to progress that well. There's character development, story changes, etc. but the filler chapters just really put everything to a sudden stop. I never felt as though I was getting anywhere with the main story at certain points. It isn't nearly as big as a problem as the others I mentioned but its something noteworthy. Mainly a miss opportunity I noticed was Hayate's debt. I would've love to seen his debt go down every once in awhile but it doesn't get resolved until much MUCH later on. Imagine seeing it drop from $150 to something like $120 even. It's just something I really think could've worked well.

Art: 7
Hayate's art isn't anything mind blowing, I'll say that for sure. The series ran for 13+ years and the art actually got better as time went on. The art in the beginning wasn't anything too special but it wasn't bad. The style changes as the series goes on and the change is for the better. Besides the style, the character designs are good, the backgrounds are well drawn, no problems there. Considering it ran for over a decade, the amount of consistent quality it retained is quite impressive. Even mangas such as Dragon Ball which I adore the art of, fell in quality towards the end of its run even though it still looked amazing at its worse.

Characters: 7
The series' strongest point is easily its cast of lovable characters. Hayate may not be great but he's an enjoyable main protagonist. There isn't anything wrong or wind blowing in terms of the characters, they're all just entertaining and enjoyable. Also Hinagiku is best girl, followed by Athena.

Enjoyment: 6
I may have explained some of my enjoyment in the "Story" sectioned but overall I did enjoy Hayate, although I wouldn't say I loved it. Again, this could've easily been 100 chapters less and probably only been maybe 350 at most.
Hayate's comedy is good, I will give it that. I got a decent amount of laughs, and even the filler chapters that I complained about and felt as though they are unnecessary were still enjoyable to a certain extent. It may not be the funniest comedy out there but it does work well and most of the jokes were successes.
As mentioned, I would've enjoyed the manga more if the pacing/manga itself was more organized. The chapters dont fly by as other mangas like Chobits or Elfen Lied which makes them feel longer than they should be.

Overall: 6
If I sound like I dislike Hayate, well I actually don't. I actually enjoyed my time reading this manga. Hayate is a good manga overall, but had the potential to be a solid one at the very least. If the chapters flew by quicker and the material was cut down by half, this could've been a pretty solid manga. But enough with what ifs. Hayate the Combat Butler is a long, but enjoyable manga that I...kind of recommend. I honestly can't recommend this to everyone easily. The length is just way too long with the quality only being just good. If anything I can only recommend this to those who have a large amount of free time and to those who are fans of comedies. This isn't much of a harem or romance honestly. But yeah, Hayate is good, just good.