November 12th, 2015 
AstroNerdBoy ハヤテのごとく！/Hayate no Gotoku Manga
Hayate the Combat Butler Chapter 510 Review
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Isumi pays a visit to Sakuya regarding the end of the school trip while Nagi awakes from a contemplative dream regarding whether Hayate is with her because he loves her, or because he owes her over ¥150 million. She then notices that the completer counter has gone down to two.
Elsewhere, Hayate gives Kananiwa back her player and the King’s Jewel. Kananiwa tells Hayate that her breakup with her boyfriend of ten years so devastated her, she decided to obtain the Royal Power in order to get him back. However, since she’d not been able to open a path, the game made her realize her feelings of despair must not have been real. As such, she gives Hayate the King’s Jewel and look for a new love.
Nagi rushes in regarding the completer being at two, so Hina thinks that Hayate will give up to allow Nagi to win and have things go back to normal. Instead, to everyone’s shock, Hayate presses Nagi’s completer, meaning he’s the winner of the ¥150 million prize. With that, he announces that he’ll use the money to pay off his debt to Nagi, save for the little that remains. However, he tells her he’ll continue as her butler since she’s more important to him than anyone else.
With that, Nagi becomes convinced that Hayate truly loves her and becomes very happy as a result.
Thoughts/Review:
This arc has to be the most disappointing arc in the entire Hayate the Combat Butler manga. I really don’t think Hata-sensei had his heart in writing it. I think some of it might be because the Can’t Take My Eyes Off You Vegas story, which was supposed to be canon, was reportedly made unavailable for Hata-sensei to use. Then there’s also the fact that Hata-sensei decided to launch a second, major manga (Ad Astra Per Aspera). As such, I think he just didn’t feel like doing much with the story since it wasn’t part of the original plan to have to do this story.
Nothing in this arc had any real meaning. When Kananiwa was introduced, I was excited at the thought that this could be dryad Dolly, even if she had a new name. The introduction of Ruri seemed to cement that. However, it eventually became clear that Kananiwa was just a regular human (and convenient relative of Mikado). This chapter took the last of her teeth by shifting her from mysterious with a burning agenda to a simple MacGuffin to allow Hayate to pay off his debt and acquire a new King’s Jewel.
And as for Ruri, she had even less of a purpose, other than as a tease. If she had a purpose, Nagi would have won with Ruri’s help.
Still, there was one tiny element of Kananiwa that caught my eye. When she was talking about the loss of her boyfriend being the motivation behind her opening the path to the Royal Garden, I thought about the very brief scene during the Shimoda arc, where Nagi references her grandfather not letting go of things (without saying his name) and we see a scene of Mikado standing at a giant portrait of Yukariko. It made me think that maybe Mikado’s ultimate motivation isn’t riches, but maybe finding a way to bring his daughter back. After all, part of the Midas myth has King Midas accidentally killing his daughter by turning her into gold. Some stories have his daughter restored to life, but only after Midas repents. I’ve long thought that Mikado was the symbolic Midas, so there may be something to this theory.
Of course, I’m probably reading too much into that moment in this chapter and in the moment with Mikado at Yukariko’s portrait. After all, it really feels like Hata-sensei is desperate to be rid of Hayate the Combat Butler and is trying to bring it to as rapid of a conclusion as he can. If that’s true, he’s not going to bother too much with things and will do whatever he can to end the manga as soon as possible after tying up the major plot threads. (Hayate paying off his debt is one such thread.)
As to the end of the chapter, we are clearly setting up a situation for Nagi to be the one driven to despair so that the path to the Royal Garden opens again. That’s not surprising, considering that Mikado’s condition for allowing someone to inherit the Sanzenin fortune was to make Nagi cry. So I think Nagi is being set up for a terrible heartbreak that does open the path.
Anyway, I guess I can give up on Nagi’s father having a meaningful story in the manga that we get to read. I sure was hoping that when the group went to Las Vegas, we’d get to see that, even if told in a completely different way from the anime.
In the end, this chapter is a very anti-climactic end for a disappointing arc who’s only purpose was to allow Hayate to pay off his debt while giving him another King’s Jewel.
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Since I think Hata (I remember Nagi wearing a costume that was reminiscent of Fate/Stay Night’s Caster) was influenced earlier by Type-Moon’s works, I’ve had the same theory for a while that Mikado might be trying to use the royal power to bring Yukariko back from the dead… kinda like how the Holy Grail functions as a wish-granting device. I mean, he’s categorized as some kind of evil chessmaster, but we can see in bits and pieces throughout the manga that he’s not really all that heartless and although he can be a bit of a schemer, even Athena doesn’t seem to dislike him that much.
By the way… if Hayate makes Nagi cry, does that mean he inherits the fortune? I suppose you’d also have to be from the Sanzen’in bloodline though.
the cry and apologize condition was changed to get the inheritance by defeating her butler .
Yeah, but that was Hayate’s condition, not Mikado’s. That being said, Mikado may have thought that if Hayate were utterly defeated and near death, Nagi’s anguish might trigger the path opening. That’s the only reason I can see him tentatively going along with Hayate’s plan.
That’s kinda how it came across, didn’t it — whomever fulfills the condition of the requirements gets the inheritance. After Hayate set himself up as the roadblock, Himuro pondered the issue, but said he wasn’t interested since he already had a bankroll.
hayate wont do it intentionally but the bomb is going off shattering the bond. nagi will open the path and this will lead him to affirm her feelings are real as Kananiwa said-since she’d not been able to open a path, the game made her realize her feelings of despair must not have been real.
in the end he will have to choose to get her back or move on.
honestly hayate is very ambiguous and i dont like the way his character is being developed in manga. from ruka’s arc he is pissing me off.
My sentiments exactly. Hayate would never intentionally hurt Nagi, but the way the plot is being developed, it’s going to happen anyway.
Also agree with Hayate being extremely ambiguous in the manga. There’s just no way to tell what his true feelings are because his moments of self-reflection are so few and far between and he is extremely elusive when confronted about them. Hayate needs to understand that Nagi’s feelings for him are very real and he will have to face these feelings eventually without running away. He has to give her a straight rejection or a firm acceptance — because that’s what being a real man is all about… scratch that! That’s what being a decent human being is all about.
We have to give him some leeway though, because he is apparently still influenced by Athena’s “pain of love” from 10 years or so ago… still, he can’t run away from the misunderstanding that he himself was responsible for forever. That’s why I can never accept the “I’ll be her butler forever with no romantic ties” ending.
agree there is a reason for hayate to be that way he lacks empathy he wants to be accepted. being abandoned by both his parents then athena he tries to be nice to everyone n thus becoming ambiguous guy we know.
Nice insight on “the usual disease”.
It’s possible that Sensei is creating a giant red herring and the one whose despair will open the path will be Hina, though that could be my usual disease of prejudice for Hina flaring up again. But I don’t think so. I think ANB is right, Sensei is bulldozing a path through the story to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. (･᷄_･᷅ )
And it is a shame that Hata-sensei is doing this since to wrap up the manga properly, I’d think it would take a year or two.
agree we have to cut him slack. there’s a reason hayate is like this having abusive childhood being abandoned by parent then atan. he lacks empathy.
he wants to be accepted so he goes out of his way to be nice to everyone and becoming as confusing as he is.
And I think that Hayate is still deeply in love with Athena.
There’s also a chance that Nagi decides to move on and accept. However, in the end, I think that Hayate will end up with Nagi even though I ship Hayate x Athena.
Just like how you believe that Hayate is still in love with Athena, I think Nagi’s love for Hayate is too strong for her to move on and accept — also extremely anticlimactic given all the developments in the manga so far. Also, like I’ve mentioned before, that’s a lopsided ending in Hayate’s favor only.
Over time, Nagi started being fine with Hayate hanging out with other girls. It started with Shimoda (her way of thanking Ayumu), but then grew over time. But regardless, I think Hata-sensei is going to have a Nagi x Hayate end come hell or high water. (Though if no English group picks up the series, I may not get to read it.)
I have a very bad feeling that this is only the beginning, i.e. that “Cool Japan” and METI have decided it’s time to kill every goose they can find to get their theoretical $20 billion in golden eggs. (⌣_⌣)
It was bound to happen sooner or later, given the buy-in to the “war on piracy” and the **AAs’ false extrapolation that people will spend trillions of dollars they don’t actually have, once the evil pirates are gone. “War”, like divorce and auto accidents, can never be “won” – there are only degrees of losing. And it’s just as true when you declare “war” on theoretical customers.
~~~~~
I don’t often “see” sounds, but I “heard” strains of this familiar beep-beep-beep while looking at the raw, given the number and variety* of characters interacting.
On the other hand, the person in the last panel may be a pleasant surprise to you. And I was glad to see Hina apparently trying to think things through, since she’s a good catalyst.
* – It also puts me in mind of my days in chemistry: You can do a complicated synthesis in a careful step-by-step, with each reaction under optimal conditions… or you can get impatient halfway through and toss the product you’ve made so far into a beaker with all the remaining chemicals, crank up the Bunsen burner, and hope for the best. Sure, you’ll waste most of the desired end product (with a lot of incomplete side-reactions), but it’ll be done.
I think I may need to write another of my Piracy Wars pieces. 😉 But I agree, they can spend as much money as they want trying to squash piracy and it will never by squashed.
Chapter 510?
Umm… just like to point out that Nagi being fine with Hayate hanging out with other girls is a continuing nod to her character development — not a sign of her waning affections for Hayate. She confirmed it herself in this chapter.
Anyway, I’ll continue blogging this manga whether some English scanlation group picks it up or not.
I didn’t mean to suggest that her feelings were wavering. You are correct that she’s growing as a character and that’s where I was looking. It is possible (though I find it highly unlikely) that she might willingly give up on him, following the ‘if you love someone, set them free.”
i think someone will do it but it will take time may not b as good as rhs but still hoping for the best
So am I.
Wild suggestion: Shall we try doing it ourselves? (Half-joking. I’m not sure if I can sustain a weekly release and my translations suck… I’m pretty good at photoediting/digital art though)
ANB: I was under the impression that that was what Athena did with Hayate.
I couldn’t do it. For starters, I don’t have the time and secondly, I couldn’t translate either. I hope someone picks it up since Viz doesn’t put it out.
True, and I did say my thoughts were highly improbable. 🙂
The raw for 511, actually. Sorry that it wasn’t clearer… I was trying to be even more oblique than usual so as not to spoil, and overdid it again.
Less oblique: It’s only a strong impression from the art (with a smidgen of hacking out the furigana), but it gave me déjà vu of a bulldozer backing up (to get ready to plow through an area).
Slightly less oblique: All that work to build Tokyo Tower, but now Sensei appears to be willing to settle for Yekaterinburg. (;_;)
No problem. I need to look at the raw again. Hopefully, we’ll see this in English.
i know what you mean atan is what you would call perfect. but nature wise she is quite similar to nagi and to lesser extent hina. they are strong, confident, intelligent and tundere.
when hina recently asks hayate what kind of girls he would date he says one with confidence hayate says that thinking about atan but hina feels he is talking about nagi.
there was also that time when ayumu confesses to him and he sees nagi’s sad face and he could not understand why.
even how he met nagi in the same state as atan he lost hope in life and they both got him through. nagi said the same thing be my butler. in chapter 177 she said the same thing as atan which reminded hayate of atan. then atan was introduced.
hayate has low self confidence so he doesnt even entertain the thought that someone like hina, maria or nagi will like him. and he respects nagi so he feels that having such thoughts about her will be rude and also the fact that she is younger( 3 years but still).
i liked atan and hayate but even i know it wont happen so i am just reading the manga and well hoping hata can justify the ending.
also wanna add atan, nagi, and hina are stubborn as a mule.t it is at times their cute side.
My reading on Hayate’s relationship with Nagi is that he knows she feels abandoned and lonely. She never knew her deceased father and she had a fight with her mother before her mother died. Her butler Himegami, whom it is suggested she was close to, left her. She doesn’t like her grandfather and Maria is basically the only family-like person to be with her. However, in Nagi’s own thoughts on the subject, she knows all too well that one day Maria may find someone and leave her. Hayate, kanowing VERY well what it is like to be abandoned and lonely, doesn’t want to inflict that upon Nagi. Plus, he owes her his life, a debt her can never repay (even though he’s saved hers several times).
Still, because of Hayate, Nagi has made a lot more friends and is no longer the complete shut-in that she used to be.
I know it’s a couple weeks after the fact, but this chapter really bummed me out with Matsuki Miyu’s (Isumi’s VA from the anime) passing earlier this month. Seeing Isumi at the beginning just reminded me that her voice will either be different or unspoken in any future Hayate anime. :-\
Yeah, that’s true. And it is sad that she passed away like that. 🙁
By the way… just in case no new scanlation team picks this up, will you still continue blogging this manga anyway? Just curious. We may be on different teams (when it comes to shipping), but it’d suck to lose a fellow Hayate blogger.
There’s no way I’ll be able to continue, not without an English translation. Now, if there’s a translation somewhere, whether it is scanlated or not, I could continue then. It really is a sad situation, though it is possible someone will translate.
Prior to the new English scanlation, I did notice some anon on some image board post a page by page translation.
Ah. I was unaware of that. I would have used that had the new scan not come out.
Woohoo! (^_^) You have your wish, a lot sooner than I dared to hope.
Definitely looking forward to your review.
Side note after re-reading pages 7 and 8 of 511… ohhhh, those expressions. Especially the bottom middle of page 7. It never ceases to amaze me how much a great manga-ka can “say” by changing the angle of a single line 3 degrees, or with a slight change in the curve of an oval. A picture is worth a thousand words, indeed.
Yeah, good times! 😀