Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties
ハヤテのごとく！Cuties Episode 09 review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Chiharu gets busted in the student council tower by Aika when Chiharu starts re-enacting a favorite moment from the manga she’s reading. Aika promises not to reveal this, while noting it in her book of weaknesses, but remarks on how unguarded Chiharu is. Chiharu disputes this, citing Hina as someone unguarded. Chiharu walks across campus and comes across Nagi sitting on a bench, so engrossed in her game that she doesn’t know her panties are showing. When Chiharu points this out, Nagi gets embarrassed and angry. However, when Nagi sees the manga Chiharu has, the two strike up a conversation on the subject, but end up arguing over why the manga is good.

Chiharu continues her walk across campus, where Izumi ends up flashing her panties to grade school boys after failing to kick a soccer ball back to them. Hina walks by, engrossed in reading some papers, when a baseball is hit her way. Without even looking, she catches the ball and tosses it back, causing Chiharu to silently apologize to Hina for accusing her of being unguarded. Chiharu then leaves school and heads to an arcade, where she’s surprised to find Nagi. The two play a racing game against each other, which ends up being the battle arena as they argue about who is the most unguarded person.

Chiharu is at Yukari-chan House and wants to have a barbeque. Nagi rejects this instantly since her tenants don’t pay enough in rent to allow Nagi to sponsor a barbeque. Nagi suggests curry, but when Hayate heads out shopping, Chiharu tags along and convinces him to get BBQ fixings. Meanwhile, Ruka pays a visit to the house, revealing to Ayumu that she plans on confessing to Hayate. Ayumu puts a stop to that, citing how Hayate is, but when he and Chiharu come home, Ruka decides to ask him pointed questions. His answers make the two girls think that Chiharu confessed to him and he rejected her. As such, they give Chiharu part of their kebabs as a means of supporting her.

During the barbeque, Nagi and Hayate think back to Kayura becoming an tenant. Back then, Kayura bragged on being accepted to Hakuou, not realizing every student tenant at Yukari-chan House, save Ayumu, were also students there. Nagi and Hayate give Kayura a tour around campus, seeing things like the unused street car, the passed out Yukiji-sensei, and the student council clock tower, where Kayura gets a great view. Hayate reveals another “site” at the school by opening a door in the student council tower where Hina is changing. Back at the barbeque, Hayate goes upstairs with Kayura and Chiharu, where he opens the door on Hina, who’s changing again. As before, Hayate is punished for this.

Thoughts/Review:

For those even remotely interested, this episode was adapted from chapter 192 (volume 18), most of chapter 371 (volume 35), chapter 372 (volume 35), and 350 (volume 33).

Since I’m way behind, thanks to having a rather nasty cold, I’ll keep this brief. I still can’t get passed the Frankenstein way these episodes are slapped together. For example, for the barbeque at Yukari-chan House, Ruka had moved in as a tenant at that point in the manga, but of course, the anime is ignoring this. However, it has Nagi back at Yukari-chan House and apparently poor since she  can’t afford to buy barbeque for her tenants, something she would be able to do if she lived in the mansion, which this series as also indicated.

Although it was a small moment, I was disappointed that while the anime did have Ayumu “take damage” in a Japanese RPG fashion when Ruka mentioned her desire to confess her love to Hayate, the anime did not have the subsequent “hit” when Ruka decided that she’d need to up the ante and go for a kiss.

I did like the visuals of seeing Chiharu and Nagi play a racing game against each other.  I will confess that I did love the Lupin III style music being played here, especially since Fujiko-chan came up in their heated discussion as they played.

Otherwise, not a lot to say. Too bad Hayate the Combat Butler manga isn’t getting a proper adaptation.