Hayate the Combat Butler “2nd Season” Ep. 14
ハヤテのごとく！！Episode 14
Hayate no Gotoku!! – 14

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

After the results of the 2nd annual popularity contest is announced, Isumi and Sakuya are on a youkai hunt and as the battle winds down, Isumi dispatches the large winged eyeball-like youkai. Isumi explains that this is a “dream youkai” which forces people to dream about a popularity contest. A small version of the youkai emerges but when Isumi pulls an ofuda to dispatch the beast, her powers fade and she’s unable to do anything but chase the youkai.

The next day, Nagi sends Hayate to Isumi’s estate with a get well gift, having heard that Isumi isn’t feeling well. Hayate meets a woman in a kimono at the front gate wondering which button on a single-button intercom system she should press. Hayate attempts to help by saying that pressing the button will summon the person inside the residence outside. The woman says that Hayate is lying as the person inside is already outside. Hayate is taken aback by this but then Isumi arrives and Hayate realizes that this is Isumi’s mother. After meeting Isumi’s mother and grandmother, Hayate understands why Isumi considers herself to have it together.

Isumi explains that she’s not ill, but has simply lost her powers. To prove what she says, the little dream youkai begins beating on Isumi’s head until she’s had enough and gives chase. Isumi’s mother, Hatsuho, explains that even though Isumi is more powerful than Hatsuho or her grandmother, Isumi is still young and so does not have control of her power.

Hatsuho says that she has determined that they need the blood of a 16-year old male who is strong, looks like a girl, is unlucky, works as a butler, and who’s given names starts with a “Ha.” Hatsuho doesn’t know where they’ll find such a person but Hayate knows. Before he can volunteer, Isumi stops him because she feels her power loss is her own fault. When the dream youkai turns large and attacks Isumi, Hayate discovers that the real youkai is nearby playing a video game in a way Nagi does. Hayate disposes of the youkai and saves Isumi.

Hayate walks home and comes upon a box of abandoned kittens as well as a puppy and young monkey as well as a note saying to adopt them or the animals will die. As Hayate ponders this, a short person in a mask attacks but fails. The person and the animals leave and Maria arrives to do some shopping unexpectedly. A hand brushes her butt and she thinks it is Hayate, but it is the short person in the kimono and mask again. Again failing to nail Hayate, the person grabs Maria’s butt and flees.

Maria has had enough and orders Hayate to do something about it. Chasing the person across the roofs, Hayate finds himself under multiple attacks from the person, which he manages to foil. Eventually, Hayate gets his opening and kicks the person in the face, removing the mask. Hayate is stunned to see a young girl there and the girl is very upset about having been kicked in the face when all she tried to do was kill Hayate.

She decides that she no longer cares about Isumi’s needs and goes for an all out attack but fails when she suddenly turns into a very old woman. Isumi arrives, explaining this is her great grandmother Ginka and this is her normal appearance. She only looks young thanks to drinking blood of those pushed to their limit. Hayate volunteers to give Ginka blood and she readily accepts. Hayate returns home quite a bit thinner thanks to the experience.

Thoughts/Review:

Wow! They did the popularity contest from Weekly Shounen Sunday magazine, which was from the manga. I honestly expected this to be skipped. Oh wait — they DID skip the one I was thinking of, which was the first popularity contest. This is the 2nd one, which I’ve not read yet because Viz hasn’t gotten that far yet. ^_^; However, the anime writers do make a joke about skipping the first contest so WOOT!

The anime writers DID skip the Detective Conan parody chapter where people had to find “Conan-kun.” This could be bad juju because frankly, there is an event which happens in that chapter between Ayumu and Hayate which will play out more in a later story — next episode in fact. I’ll be interested to see how the writers compensate for the loss of the Detective Conan story though.

You know what’s really amazing about the loss of this story? Its the fact that last series, there were lots and lots of Detective Conan references. How many busts on Nagi’s mansion grounds and in the mansion itself were shown to be Conan? Now, we don’t even get the story with Conan. Strange but then again, there were likely copyright issues to overcome and the staff decided to go for the Evangelion stuff over Detective Conan.

The nightmare joke was changed too as the manga had the dream youkai make you dream about Detective Conan. Yet they had Isumi’s mother Hatsuho make a “Conan-kun” reference. Strange.

Speaking of Hatsuho, I wonder why Isumi addresses her as “Hatsuho-okaasama.” That certainly didn’t come out in Viz’s translation of the manga. I mention this because as formal as Isumi and her family are, even using her mother’s name in the way Isumi is implies that she’s not truly Hatsuho’s daughter, but sees Hatsuho as a mother-like figure.

Great Grandmother Ginka comes off quite well in this episode and is funnier in the anime only because of the extras an anime adds to a manga. The blades with attached cats were a smile point in the manga but here, they made me laugh out loud. Her baby talk while in child form is something to get used to though but I still loved the whole, “You kicked me in the face when I was only trying to kill you” argument of Ginka. *lol* I look forward to seeing more of her since soon the anime will pass what I have read in the manga.

You know, the youkai in this episode reminded me of one of the critters from Monster Rancher — Suezo. The difference is that Suezo had no limbs save for one leg and Suezo was yellow. Too bad that Monster Rancher wasn’t released in the U.S. in an unedited form with a Japanese track w/ subtitles. I did watch a few episodes on TV years ago, enough to get me interested somewhat despite it being a kids title. But I digress…^_^;

So a good start to the “Isumi Loses Her Powers” arc. ^_^