Sorry for the delays. I’ve had major computer problems. ^_^;

SPOILER Summary: Hayate has just been challenged and is supposed to fight Azumamiya’s butler Nonohara. However, because Azumamiya started the fight and then called Nonohara to fight it for him, Nonohara feels he must teach his young master a lesson and proceeds to give Azumamiya a beating. Hina steps in and stops it. During her talk with Nonohara, she slams Azumamiya pretty hard verbally, “hitting a vital point” on him. This is applauded by the butler Himuro.

Azumamiya understands the lesson Nonohara is trying to teach and so challenges Nagi leaving Hayate to battle Nonohara. Hina steps in again to take Nagi’s place since Nagi has no kendo experience. Nonohara is pleased that the lesson has been learned but Azumamiya is not too happy to have to battle Hina. As the four square off, Hina makes short work of Azumamiya.

Meanwhile, Hayate battles Nonohara, who is super fast. Himuro wonders if Hayate is up to fighting Nonohara but Nagi insists he is. Hina looks up just in time to witness Nonohara perform his “Safety Shatter” ultimate move on Hayate, which send him flying across the dojo. This stuns Hina, but Himuro states that all combat butlers have ultimate moves and that it is strange not to have them.

Hayate knows he’s in trouble and he really wants Nagi to get into the Kendo Club. So he has to come up with a way to counter Safety Shatter. He imagines training in order to do this, but realizes that most training of this kind done in an anime requires a full episode. As such, training to counter the move is out of the question. Nagi has faith in Hayate’s abilities and in desperation, Hayate comes up with a plan to counter Nonohara’s Safety Shatter.

Using a ninja technique, when the attack comes, he simply grabs the unconscious Azumamiya off the floor and places him in the line of attack while Hayate escapes the blast. The stunned Nonohara has just blasted his bocchan and Hayate moves to counter. Nonohara is at a serious disadvantage now and Hayate uses this to land a blow on Nonohara. The match is over and Hayate has won. Nonohara takes the unconscious Azumamiya away and hopes that Hayate will have his own ultimate move for their next encounter. Meanwhile, Nagi states she absolutely refuses to join the Kendo club because of the stinky masks they have to wear. Hayate however, agrees to join and to train with Hina.

Nagi decides to thank Hayate by providing him with a special training area. Inside a tiger-faced cave, Tama awaits with wings on. He was forced into this and so decides that they need to get this “training” started immediately. As they battle, Nagi is happy to think that Hayate liked her gift so much, he couldn’t wait to start training with it.

Elsewhere, Nishizawa-san does an ultimate pancake flip move. Klaus ponders different shows and movies. Isumi stares out of a train window in Japan as people go by. Tama is described as a puppy and “plays” with Hayate. Klaus goes through the the house and talks. And finally, Nagi goes through various emotions while reading a manga.

Thoughts: Well, now I know where the title “Combat Butler” comes from. Sheeze. This was mostly a humorous parody of the shounen titles where characters have ultimate moves and battle. The only weird thing is how the other two butlers serve a master, yet the young master in each case is submissive to the butler.

Then, there was the ultimate filler. The last third of the anime was filled with the most in your face filler I have ever seen. I couldn’t help but chuckle as the blatant “we must kill time” aspects of the different mini “tales.”