June 12th, 2014 
AstroNerdBoy ハヤテのごとく！/Hayate no Gotoku Manga
Hayate the Combat Butler Chapter 453 Review
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Nagi notices the name of their hotel, Asuki Hotel Resort, and decides to pay a visit to the front desk for more information. A none too pleased Hina shows up, letting the others know that Hayate is preparing curry at the Seaside Restaurant.
Kayura and Chiharu accompany Hina to the restaurant, who upon seeing the instant curry packages, express doubt that this will help. Hayate says they still have a chance, saying they dump the curry into pots, heat it, then serve curry that costs them nothing, meaning 100% profit. However, Chiharu and Kayura are sure this won’t net them the ¥8.9 million they need.
Hina, Chiharu, Kayura, and Ah-tan head to bed as Ayumu offers to help Hayate. She ends up getting tasked with taking out trash bags filled with empty curry boxes. Ayumu has no idea where to dump the trash, but finds a neighborhood trash gathering point where leaving her trash would be illegal. She’s planing to dump her trash anyway, but she’s caught by Ikusa, who lets her know that Seaside Restaurant has hits own trash spot.
Ikusa takes the trash for her, so Ayumu follows, noting that he’s a nice person. She asks why his job is to save people, so he answers that since he was blessed with a strength that others don’t have, he decided to help others. When Ikusa asks if Hayate is kind, Ayumu confirms it, citing the troubles he’s had and he’s a butler for Nagi, protecting her with his life. As such, that’s why he needs the stone Ikusa has so he can continue to protect Nagi.
Hayate shows up, worried about Ayumu, so Ikusa notes that he shouldn’t have sent her out to take out the trash. Hayate gets angry with Ikusa because the competition is the cause of all this. Ikusa won’t give up the stone because this whole thing was a joke. Hayate goes off on Ikusa, comparing him to their parents with his love of money.
Nagi shows up, revealing that Ikusa is not poor and that he is actually the owner of the Asuki Hotel Resort. Ikusa reminds Hayate that this whole situation was a joke. Hayate is stunned by this, then demands the King’s Jewel. Ikusa refuses, saying that this is no longer a joke.
Thoughts/Review:
Har! Hata-sensei certainly pulled a twist with this chapter. I never would have thought that Ikusa was rich. Then I remember that Doctor Kurosu and her involvement with Ikusa. She was obviously very rich, and she considers herself a traveling doctor to help people. She apparently spent a great deal of time with Ikusa over his amnesia. It seemed odd to me that she’d be in such an expensive car, but now I’m thinking that Ikusa is the reason she has that car. I think it would be kinda neat if she were his wife.
I liked that Nagi was the one who figured out Ikusa’s secret. Considering that she came from wealth, it doesn’t surprise me that she’d spot things that smell of wealth.
Regarding Ikusa, I’m starting to question how real his amnesia is. Some fans have questioned this, especially in light of Athena’s conversation with him. After this chapter, I’m starting to think that his “joke” with Hayate may have been to test him, and that he knew who Hayate was all along. I could be reading too much into this though.
Beyond that, I’m not finding a lot to comment on with this chapter. Hayate making the ¥8.9 million is being set up as hopeless now, and Ikusa is saying that this situation they are in is no longer a joke. So I have no idea where Hata-sensei is trying to take us.
Regardless, I did enjoy this chapter.
Posted in 
Tags: 
It’s a trivial note to make, but it was interesting to see sensei giving a nod to Ano Hana again. I wonder what’s been prompting the multiple shout-outs, such as with Maison Ikkoku?
I think you have a strong point wrt Ikusa playing dumb. It seems like a very roundabout way to test Hayate, though.
I like to think he’s giving credit where credit is due, meaning he’s taking cues from those series.
It does, but then Ikusa is stubborn and does things his way no matter what.
I’m not sure if this is what you meant… but it’s a really interesting notion that he might be recognizing and/or telegraphing plot points he got ideas for from other series.
Could that mean in this case that (ROT13 very mild Ano Hana spoiler) frafrv tbg gur vqrn bs Vxhfn pbzvat onpx gb uryc Unlngr trg “hafghpx” sebz fbzrguvat va uvf cnfg, sebz gur jnl Zrazn pnzr onpx gb fvzvyneyl uryc Wvagn?
Incidentally, I’d **highly** recommend Ano Hana if you have the time for a pleasure-watch. I don’t think it would lend itself very well to blogging, but it’s a heartwarmer/tearjerker that’s right up there with Kanon or Clannad.
He might be doing that. What I was trying to say (in a poor fashion) is that I appreciated Hata-sensei giving nods to the people who came before him, who’s work he admired. ^_^
I haven’t read the other series, so I can’t say for sure.
Is it depressing? ^_^;;;
YMMV… I find it primarily heartwarming, and very uplifting. There’s a distinct tinge of sadness, and moments that’ll probably have you crying… but it doesn’t trade on sadness/anger/ugliness in the least. It trades on believing the best of people, and on people caring about each other. In that regard, you could compare it to Chuunibyou Ren minus most of the comedy and plus a more mature (*not* H) aspect.
I’d hate to tell you a clear “No” and have you feel the opposite, but if I had to choose one or the other I would personally lean strongly toward “No”.
I’ll have to add it to the list. ^_^
I agree. As I’ve also speculated on my blog, Ikusa just has to be faking it somehow. All the little clues in the manga such as his knowledge of his past and why he even gave Hayate this chance to take his “treasure” from him in the first place leads me to believe that he is at least partially aware that Hayate really is his brother and that he’s just been playing the troll all along. I think what might have turned it serious though would be his last conversation with Athena. I get the feeling that we weren’t shown the full conversation just yet and that she said something which has made this King’s Jewel business really serious business.
That’s certainly how it seems now, doesn’t it.