Hayate The Combat Butler Manga Volume 2
ハヤテのごとく！Manga Volume 2
Hayate no Gotoku Manga Volume 2

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Volume 2 starts with Hayate and Tama battling a revived Eight in the mansion. Next we are introduced to Sakuya, Nagi’s relative and another rich ojousama from the Kansai region who has an affinity for Japanese comedy. After this, Nagi and Hayate spend New Year’s eve at the beach. After New Year’s, Nagi, Hayate, Maria, and Sakuya take a trip to see Nagi’s grandfather, who has a gift for Hayate and a challenge for his legacy. After a story about Hayate’s dream, Hayate is given a cashmere coat and a task to pick up some tea for a forthcoming visiting friend of Nagi’s. Hayate meets this friend, Isumi, who’s lost (and often gets so), but mistaking her bodyguards for yakuza, Hayate ends up destroying his coat to protect her.

After finally getting Isumi to Nagi’s home, Hayate is ill and ends up getting some nasty food made for him by Nagi. However, he eats it to spare Nagi’s feelings. Once Hayate is feeling better, he plays a game of pool with Maria where he learns a bit more about Nagi. Hayate wins the game and his bet with Maria, but unfortunately, Nagi and Isumi come in on this and Nagi isn’t happy with what she sees. Finally, Nagi’s official fiancee Wataru and his made Saki make their post New Year’s visit to see Nagi.

Thoughts/Review:

First, Viz. I never thought I’d see the day, but Viz has gone from “must domesticate” to “otaku friendly.” So, all the otaku-friendly terms and honorifics from volume 1 carry over, but I have to say I was stunned when the title “waka” was included in the adaptation. While “ojousama” has shown up more and more in manga adaptations, I’ve personally never seen “waka” used (which is kinda like the male version of ojousama). So kudo’s to Viz for this. Hayate the Combat Butler is a very Japanese manga, so bringing the Japanese perspective is key.

My only problem with Viz here (and it is a small one) is that there are no translator notes. So while there are famous references (with the “O” to partially block a reference from being fully spelled out as seen in the example –> “Van HOlen”), unless they are American ones or Japanese ones that the American reader already is familar with, the read won’t get said reference. That’s unfortunate.

Story-wise, with only two volumes under my belt, I get the sense that the manga story is flowing better than the anime story did at this point. It has been a while since I watched the anime, so I can’t be sure but that’s my initial impression.

The manga makes Isumi come off a bit stronger in my opinion than she seemed in the anime. She still gets lost, she’s still a bit timid-seeming, and she doesn’t keep up with the flow. However, she doesn’t seem overly timid as there seems to be an inner strength that comes through the pages. I found that nice.

I like the little one-page omake featuring the agent and whatever characters. At the end of the manga, we get the character pages for Isumi and Sakuya as well as a note from Hata-sensei (which is interesting) and two 4-koma manga strips. Those were included in the original Japanese tankoubon so they should be included in this volume. Too bad the 4-koma strips aren’t in color as I believe they were in the Japanese.

Botom line: If Viz keeps up this kind of adaptation, they can expect a loyal customer for the entire Hayate the Combat Butler manga series. The manga is funny and just fun to read.