Hayate the Combat Butler 23

SPOILER Summary: Its the first day of school after the summer break, but Nagi is ill and Hayate is going to school by himself. He meets Hina-chan, and they talk about things including Nagi’s illness. Her sister, Katsura-sensei, rushes on scene wanting help. Apparently, she’s being demoted as a new teacher is being assigned to the class. That new teacher is the robot scientist, Makimaru-sensei, has been sent there by her boss to learn the feelings of the heart.

Her first act is to assign a test, which Katsura-sensei thinks will allow her to defeat Makimaru-sensei by making the students hate her. However, the students don’t react that way and Makimaru-sensei grades the tests on the spot with her a glance through the tests. When she learns she actually has to mark each test, she turns that job to Katsura-sensei. After school the Student Council Trio (Izumi-chan, Miki-chan, and Risa-chan) are there to ensure Nagi gets the handouts and have a Super Sentai moment. However, when it comes time to do the class report, Izumi-chan is abandoned, leading her to beg for Hayate’s help, which he agrees to.

Before anything can happen, Katsura-sensei grabs Hayate and explains her complicated plan to use him to get rid of Makimaru-sensei by ultimately forcing her into a compromising position with Hayate. Hayate resists and Makimaru-sensei arrives. Hayate accidentally ends up falling on her, giving Katsura-sensei what she wanted. This leads to a chase where Hayate is determined to get the memory card of the camera to protect Nagi. They end up on the trolly where Izumi-chan finds them. She takes the camera, but gets bribed by Katsura-sensei to give it back.

Eight arrives in Giant Robot mecha form and ends up accidentally destroying the camera. He attacks and battles Katsura-sensei. Hayate knows the giant mecha needs to be destroyed and knows where the self-destruct is, but is concerned for Izumi-chan wearing a skirt, which might end up exposing her panties in the explosion. She’s wearing bicycle pants under her skirt, so Hayate destroy’s Eight’s giant body at the cost of getting thrown a great distance and knocked out. Katsura-sensei offers friendship and help to Makimaru-sensei, who’s learned about matters of the heart now. The two of them and the old Eight head off to get something to eat and drink, which Katsura-sensei ends up getting stuck with the tab.

Thoughts: It was an amusing episode, but I didn’t really laugh. I’ve never seen Death Note and as the reference section shows, I was really out of my league this time on catching references.

References: Sheeze. I don’t have time to do all the research I wanted for these. If you have anything, let me know, please.

1. The title of this episode (in English), “A Genius Sensei, Who’s Not Small, Appears,” may be a reference to the manga/anime Pani Poni Dash!, where the main character, Rebecca Miyamoto, is a small, 11-year old, genius teacher. Makimaru, the new sensei for Hayate’s class, certainly isn’t small but is a genius.
2. Man, this one almost slipped pasted me. When Katsura-sensei is running and crying to her younger sister Hina-chan, she calls her “Hinaemon.” That is a reference to the anime/manga Doraemon and the character Nobita-kun, who often came crying to the cat-robot Doraemon whenever things went wrong.
3. Weirdly enough, Makimaru’s boss looks a lot like J. Jonah Jameson, the editor of the Daily Bugle in the Spider-man comic books (and movies). Whether intentional or not, I can’t say (I suspect it is though).
4. The Student Council Trio do a pose like those of a Super Sentai series (known in the U.S. as Power Rangers). Which one, I can’t determine yet. The mecha unit is likely from some Super Robot anime series, but I’ve not been able to determine which one (I suspect one from the 70’s, but it will take a lot of research to determine which one…if I get the time).
5. The poses of the super-deformed Student Council Trio in the 2nd eye catch is the same as those from the Super Sentai series Juken Sentai Gekiranger.
6. I’m told that when the Student Council Trio offer the color orange to Hayate and his reply of “I’m not Orange,” is actually a reference to Code Geass character Jeremia Gottobaruto, who hair is similar in color to Hayate’s and who’s nickname was “Orange” or “Orange-kun.” The color orange has only been used once (that I’m aware of) in a Super Sentai series — Battle Fever J. (cyruz)
7. In the 1st eye-catch, Katsura-sensei says, “Ringo daisuki,” (“I love apples”) which appears to be a reference to the character Ryuk’s love of apples in the series Death Note. Later after taking the compromising picture, her phrase “Heaven itself is my ally” is what Yagami Light says in that same series. She assumes the appearance of Yagami Light and says she “will be the god of the new world” as she flees. And there was one final one as Katsura-sensei again assumes the appearance of Yagami Light at the end of the episode when talking with Makimaru-sensei.
8. The model mecha unit with the censored name in Katsura-sensei’s plan is a Gunpla, or a Gundam model, specifically a MSN-04II Nightingale model.
9. I need help here — Ka**kabe Defense Force — I spent an hour looking, but nothing.
10. Ditto Nagi’s reference to watching Ya**naka Seisho.
11. As suspected, Eight (dot two) was emulating a known mecha design. This time, he uses the form of a RMS-099 (MSA-099) Rick Dias mecha unit (with a few minor modifications) from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. (Thanks 5parrowhawk for the info!)
12. It is possible that Izumi-chan revealing she’s wearing bicycle (sports) pants could be a reference to SAKURAZAKI Setsuna from Negima!, who always wears them under her school uniform skirt while the other girls get in the series get heavily fanserviced with panty shots under their skirts.