ハヤテのごとく！/Hayate no Gotoku Chapter 363
Hayate the Combat Butler Manga Chapter 363

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Ruka’s manager shows a company executive Ruka’s manga. Initially, he supports Ruka doing the work, but after Ruka’s manager reveals her belief that Ruka will become a successful manga-ka and leave the idol industry, when they want her to be an idol for ten years, the executive apparently changes his mind.

Back at the apartment house, Nagi tells Chiharu her new story idea, which Chiharu finds to be good. However, when Nagi shows her the manga’s storyboards, Nagi has incorporated this good idea with her bizarre Brittany manga.  Chiharu demands Nagi do the manga normally as Hayate wonders if Nagi will be able to beat Ruka in their August competition.

At Ayumu’s home, her parents are having an argument of sorts.  Ayumu’s brother is planning an escape of the household by signing up for a homestay program. Ayumu decides to head out and pay Hayate a visit.

Ruka comes by in disguise and asks to rent a room. As Hayate asks why, an announcement on the TV reveals that officially, Ruka is being hospitalized for two weeks due to poor health. She says that she ran away, so Chiharu asks Hayate to get the details as she has to go to work. Hayate tells Ruka he believes she had to have a good reason for doing what she’s doing, so she reveals that the idol company learned about her manga and demanded she stop.  As such, she doesn’t think she can take part in the doujinshi contest with Nagi.  As she’s telling Hayate this, Ayumu arrives at the apartment-house of Hayate’s.

Thoughts/Review:

*lol*  Is it much of a stretch to think that Ayumu might move in too?  After all, Hina is staying at this apartment-house, and with so many other girls, I’m sure Ayumu would want to be there to make sure she doesn’t lose out on Hayate.

As to Ruka, I can’t really predict how things are going to go there because I just don’t know enough about her and the like. It wouldn’t surprise me if she stayed at the house for a bit, which causes Nagi to get serious about her manga again, but in the end, Ruka goes back to her idol job, but she’s somehow allowed to do her manga.

It is interesting to see how Ruka’s manager is keen on milking Ruka to death. I’m guessing that this is probably how it works in the idol industry in Japan.  After all, cute idols are only “cute” for a certain amount of time, after which, they become too old to be an idol and are discarded like yesterday’s jam (a little The IT Crowd lingo there ^_^ ).

The fact that Nagi is still attached to that hideous Brittany concept of hers made me chuckle.

I was also amused by the notion that even in Japan, someone dressed in the hoodie with the hoodie up is seen in a negative light.

It is an interesting chapter which has me curious to see where things will go.