ハヤテのごとく！/Hayate no Gotoku Chapter 355
Hayate the Combat Butler Manga Chapter 355

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Hayate consults with Sakuya on how to eat high quality yakiniku for free, the latter is not amused by this, but gives him a copy of “Straw Millionaire,” whereupon the idea is to take what he has and trade it up for something better until he achieves his goal. All Hayate has is a coupon for a massage from him, so Sakuya reluctantly agrees to take it and gives Hayate a broken MD Walkman.

Hayate leaves and encounters Isumi’s mother, Hatsuho, who really wants the MD player, mistakenly believing it is a new model of iPod.  She won’t be dissuaded by Hayate’s attempts to tell her the truth, since she’s jealous of her daughter’s iPod. She offers either a larger wicker box or a small one in exchange, so Hayate picks the small one after a reasoned debate in his mind. It turns out to be a VHS copy of “Winter Sona,” which seems worthless until Katsura-sensei arrives and wants it.  She ends up trading him her old high school uniform for it.

Feeling that he won’t get to his goal, Hayate despairs until Kaoru-sensei arrives, who has had a crush on Yukiji since their school days together. As such, he pays for her uniform, giving Hayate the money to treat everyone.

Thoughts/Review:

Heh!heh!  Leave it to Sakuya to suggest the “dine-and-dash” maneuver in order for Hayate to get free yakiniku.  Hayate knows all about that from earlier in the series, when Katsura-sensei and others tried to do it on him.

I’ve not heard of “Straw Millionaire,” but what was revealed in the chapter reminded me of an episode of the British series, Lovejoy, where antique diva and dealer Lovejoy (Ian McShane) helps a bum aristocrat raise capital over a few hours period to get the only thing of value the bum still owns out of hock.  Basically, he started with pocket change and ended up with the money he needed (roughly what the average person would make in a week).

While I’m sure that Sony’s MD Walkman’s were popular in Japan, how much traction did they get in the U.S?  In my own circles of friends, I never knew anyone who owned one, nor did I ever notice these devices being pushed in American markets.

I laughed at Isumi’s mother wanting the MD player so badly and figuring it to be the latest iPod despite it all.  I think what helps make it funny is the fact that Hatsuho is wealthy and could just buy her own iPod since she was jealous of Isumi’s, but she doesn’t.

I’d never heard of “Winter Sona,” but I’m pretty sure this was actually a parody of Winter Sonata, otherwise known in Japan as Fuyu no Sonata (冬のソナタ).  This is a very popular Korean drama from 2002, which was adapted into an anime in 2009.

Finally, there’s Kaoru-sensei, who’s clearly still made no progress with Katsura-sensei. *lol* Still, the otaku collector’s element within him getting him to cough up the dough for something of hers made me laugh.

Man, all this talk of yakiniku has made me hungry.  Too bad there isn’t a yakiniku place nearby. ^_~