First Impressions / Hayate no Gotoku!

Summary:

When Isumi has to leave after her extended stay at the Sanzenin mansion, Nagi actually asks her to come get lost again because Nagi needs her. Much to Nagi’s disappointment, Isumi points out that Nagi can see her if she comes to school. In convincing Nagi go to school the next day, Hayate decides to drop her off and pick her up by bike. When she asks why he wants her to go to school so much, he makes her realize that there are some people who can’t go even if they want to. After returning the mansion and starting with his butler duties, Hayate gets asked by Tama about his own education. Tama recalls that Hayate was a high school student, but Hayate says that he has a debt to repay that will take 40 years. Nagi meanwhile isn’t paying attention to where she’s going at school and gets stopped by Isumi because she’s heading towards the old school building. Later that night, once Nagi gets home, she finds that she forgot her notebook at school, so Hayate offers to go get it for her.

At the school gates, Hayate is attacked by Yukiji who turns out to be the school’s night watch. Hayate explains the situation to her and asks for the classroom key, so they head to the night watch office, but Hayate finds it to be filled with Yukiji’s stuff. As he quickly figures out, she’s living here because she doesn’t have to pay rent. Hayate then meets the other girls on the student council Izumi, Miki, and Risa who are supposedly studying with Yukiji. She eventually gives him the key, but she and the other three imply that there are ghosts and monsters in the school at night. Hayate then makes his way to the school building, but he makes a mistake and goes into the old school building, somehow missing the forbidden entrance sign in front of the building. Inside, Hayate suddenly gets a phone call from Nagi who is worried about him. She tells him that she’s relieved because she thought he’d be alone, but she can hear lots of people’s voices around him, including screaming. This scares Hayate, and to make matters worse, the next steps he takes cause him to fall through the wooden floor.

Around this time, Hinagiku arrives at the night watch office with snacks and learns that Hayate is here too. The girls think that Hayate might have mistakenly gone to the old school building, so Hinagiku decides to go look for him. She claims to be unconcerned about monsters, but when she gets inside the old building, she finds apparitions floating around all over the place. When she screams and starts to run away, a mysterious voice points out that she said wasn’t concerned about monsters. This voice belongs to a moving anatomical model that is now running alongside her, and it corners Hinagiku. Her screams for help alert Hayate, and he arrives with a flying kick that breaks the model into pieces. She hugs him in fear and thanks him for saving her, but she also slaps him hard for getting lost in such a scary place. Hinagiku then makes him promise to keep how scared she was a secret, though she is now determined to catch the true identity of their opponent. Hayate realizes once again that Hinagiku, like Nagi, hates to lose.

As they continue walking through the building, Hinagiku suddenly stops and comments on how hot it is. She notices Hayate looking at her, but Hayate says that she’s a little too defenseless. In response, Hinagiku approaches him from behind and says that he can do what he wants with her. This surprises Hayate greatly, but Hinagiku soon reveals that she’s joking and says she’ll be careful the next time she’s with someone like him. All of this makes Hayate realize that Hinagiku actually hates to lose even more than Nagi does. Their conversation, however, is interrupted when Hayate notices that the anatomical model has returned. It tries to make them leave, but Hinagiku attacks it instead. Hayate notices something odd when the model calls him “Hayate-sama,” and he recalls how Isumi was able to scare away all the rats when they were underground previously. Realizing who the voice belong to, Hayate plays along and suggests to Hinagiku that they leave. Hinagiku refuses until she defeats their opponent, so the model powers up before exploding, all without Hinagiku laying a hand on it.

Hayate pretends to be impressed that Hinagiku destroyed it with just her spirit power, and even though Hinagiku isn’t completely satisfied, she lets it go. She then takes Hayate’s hand and suggests that they go pick up Nagi’s notebook. Since Hayate is still referring her by her last name, she also asks him to call her Hinagiku. After the two leave, Isumi and her bodyguards appear from the shadows and are now ready to do some real ghost hunting.

Preview:

I’m not a big horror fan, so the only references I got were the four bleeped out names that Izumi mentioned: Sadako from Ring, Kayako from The Grudge, Freddy, and Jason. Anyway, the first half of the episode had more amusing parts for me – Hayate in the bathroom, Ayumu eating the popsicle in that way – and the second half featured more of Hinagiku and Hayate. We see Hinagiku getting close to Hayate (joking or not), and I think she’s got as good a chance as any of the girls to end up with Hayate relationship-wise, but I somehow doubt that this is the kind of series (at least the anime) that will end happily like that.
Next week’s episode, as the preview says, will be an original story. I’m actually looking forward to seeing how much funnier an episode will be if I don’t know what’s coming from the manga.

22 Comments

  9. It looks like they’ve kept this one mostly intact – which has me excited, especially with the ‘frightened Hinaguku/Tsun-tsun Hinagiku’ responses we saw in that chapter of the manga.

    Haesslich
    Reply

  13. I don’t think the show is for children (as such) — it’s merely subtle enough that children won’t “get” any of the dirty scenes, if you will. There are probably children in real life who, without knowing any better, eat Popsicles the same way Ayumu was eating them.

    Looking forward to watch this episode too… ^^

    cbhl
    Reply

  15. This episode was SO BLATANTLY erotic. The fact that Nagi brought up why the blackboard has no “Skip function” after talking about school being as boring as a クソゲー (term often used to refer to crappy H games) just screams out the word erotic. That combined with Hayate’s pee, Ayumu’s popsicle scene, and Hinagiku’s H game-esque acts with Hayate, this episode of Hayate no Gotoku probably has the most erotic references in an anime yet.

    Rasmiel
    Reply

  19. @Rasmiel
    Don’t forget Hayate barging into Nagi’s bedroom, and the harem-esque group of girls wearing pajamas. And all the talk about Hina’s “flute”. I don’t know what it means, but it sounded dirty.

    Also, I’m sure no one didn’t get it, but MAR reference in Yukiji’s room. (Twice, also a poster at the end of the ep.)

    Telliamed
    Reply

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