Hayate the Combat Butler Ep. 24

SPOILER Summary: Hayate discovers a DVD she’s had for two or three years which needs to be returned to Wataru’s store. Sadly, Hayate runs into a great deal of misfortune and has to just place the DVD in the drop box. When he returns, Sakuya and Isumi are over and Sakuya is upset she didn’t prepare a gag. However, she soon finds an excuse to whack Hayate with a harisen. Isumi has lost her stole (like a shaw) and so Hayate goes to find it.

Tama finds the stole and plans to do cat-like things to it with his claws. Hayate comes on him but before he can react, Wataru attacks Tama and saves the stole. Because he has a crush on Isumi, Wataru takes a moment to sniff the stole before realizing Hayate is there. Hayate promises not to say anything, but Tama decides he’s going to blab. Tama flees to his little command center where he’s found by Hayate, who attacks and forces Tama to back down in fear.

Isumi thanks Hayate-sama and detects the pendant that he wears, which had caused him misfortune earlier. She embraces him to purify the pendant, which is seen and misunderstood by both Nagi and Wataru. Isumi states that she really likes Hayate, who figures that’s because he’s good with kids. However, Nagi is afraid that Isumi really does love Hayate and doesn’t want her hurt because Hayate surly loves Nagi. However, when she confronts Hayate, he states he does care for Isumi (in an innocent way) which Nagi interprets that he loves her.

At Wataru-kun’s store, Saki ponders a porn video produced by Tama when Nagi arrives with her bodyguards. She’s run away from home and is going to stay at the store. She gets the depressed Wataru up and the two decide to head to Isumi’s home to get the story straight. Meanwhile, after consulting with Maria, Hayate decides to head to Isumi’s home to look for Nagi. He finds her outside by a lake and when some dust gets in her eyes, he moves in to help her. Nagi and Wataru see this and again misinterpret this as a love-love action between the two.

Back at Wataru’s video store, Nagi berates a customer for his lack of Gundam knowledge. This brings Wataru’s anger on her as she’s jacking with his business. Nagi starts to cry at the thought of Hayate no longer being at her mansion.

Then, there’s a brief short of a kitten found by Wataru as a child one rainy day, as told from the kitten’s point-of-view.

Thoughts: Another enjoyable episode, though a little sad to see Nagi’s heart get broken. Sakuya returns, howbeit briefly (and not really in a funny way). This appears to be a 2-parter since the story didn’t have an end and looks to have that next week.

References: As always, report anything I missed or got wrong.

1. Pretty obvious, but the DVD that Nagi forgot to return has Bono from the rock band U2 as well as SUZUMIYA Haruhi from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.
2. When Hayate returns from his errand, having suffered so much, he is wrapped in bandages similar to those of SHISHIO Makoto from Rurouni Kenshin.
3. When initially confronted by Hayate, Tama is wearing the cap of KUJO Jotaro from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
4. Tama’s statement about a “dying message equal to that of Co**an’s” is a reference to the episode “The Resurrected Dying Message” of anime series Detective Conan. (at least, I think it is)
5. When Hayate attacks Tama in his command center, it appears he is using Ciel’s Black Keys attack from the anime Tsukihime (though there has been some speculation that Hayate appears to be acting like the female ninja character MAKIMACHI Misao from Rurouni Kenshin).
6. When Nagi is at the video story, she states the customer is lacking in Gund*m knowledge, clearly a reference to Gundam. I believe the reference her finger produces is for SD Gundam Gaiden Sieg Zion Hen. The additional series she references is Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. This is also known as Double Zeto in Japan from what I understand.
7. The short at the end seemed like it might be a parody of Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko (at least, that’s what I thought of when I saw it).
8. Hayate’s statement for the preview to episode 25 may be a reference to the anime Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me (my ears aren’t good enough to say for sure though).