ハヤテのごとく！/Hayate no Gotoku Manga
Hayate the Combat Butler Chapter 492 Review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Hayate learns there is no Tsugumi at Hakuou Gakuen as Nagi travels with (Tsugumi) Ruri on the snowmobile. Ruri explains that she’s helping Nagi because Nagi is family. The two are stopped when Sister Sonia attacks. She tells Nagi that she’s fighting with her life on the line and attacks, only to be countered by Tsugumi. Sister Sonia asks why Ruri is involved, to which Ruri says she’s protecting her oneechan. To that end, Sister Sonia causes the snow underneath them to collapse.

In prison, Izumi is cold and pondering quitting. Risa chastises Izumi for being spoiled when there are so many poor around the world with lives filled with hardship. As such, this prison cell is nothing. When Izumi reminds Risa that the trip is ten days and nine nights, Risa immediately gives up, much to the irritation of Izumi and Miki.

Haruna asks Aika why she hasn’t given up. Aika recalls how she tried to get her butler-boyfriend to go on a trip to Europe with her, but he refused, telling her she’s been depending on him too much and that she should just go with her friends. When she plays the “I’m weak” card, he calls her spineless, thus making Aika determined to prove she has a spine.

Back with Nagi, she gets up and calls for Hayate, who doesn’t come. With the blizzard raging, Nagi knows she’s in danger of freezing. However, she doesn’t know the way to the goal. It is then that Ruri finds her.

Thoughts/Review:

When Ruri first showed up, I had a hunch that she’d play a similar role to what she played in the Can’t Take My Eyes Off You anime. She has taken another step in this direction by addressing Nagi as “oneechan” and telling Nagi that they are family.

As such, I figure that Kananiwa will be in fact be Dolly and that her relationship to Ruri will be similar. I also think that we’ll see Nagi’s father, Shin, show up in some form.  We’ll see how it all plays out.

When Sister Sonia showed up, I didn’t even recognize her. Had Nagi not called her “Sister”, I wouldn’t have had a clue. That’s just how bad the character designs have become over the years, in my opinion.

It was mildly amusing having Risa go off on Izumi for being spoiled before giving up herself. Somehow, I can’t imagine Miki and Izumi not following Risa out the door.

It was also mildly amusing seeing Aika’s motivation on this trip, that being to prove to her butler-boyfriend that she has a spine.

I still can’t fathom Kananiwa’s plan and why she wants most of these folks to drop out and have only the strong survive. I guess we’ll have to just wait and see.

In the end, this chapter was interesting from the standpoint that it continues to parallel the Can’t Take My Eyes Off You anime in certain aspects. The chapter humor was only mildly amusing, but overall, it was an enjoyable chapter.