First Impressions / Hayate no Gotoku!

Summary:

It’s the first day of the new semester, but Nagi is sick and can’t go to school. Though he worries for her, Hayate heads to school by himself and runs into Hinagiku. As they’re chatting about Nagi being absent, Yukiji comes running because of a new teacher that she perceives as a threat to her being in charge of the class. As it turns out, this new teacher is Makimura Shiori, and she’s here because her superior ordered her to learn what heart is, since that’s what he thought she was lacking. In any case, her popularity as a teacher causes Yukiji to start plotting her downfall, and she recruits Hayate to help. The crux of her plan is to get Shiori to trip and fall into Hayate’s arms, at which time Yukiji will take a scandalous photograph. Hayate doesn’t want to help, but when Shiori finds them struggling outside, Yukiji accidentally knocks Hayate into her and takes a photograph with the intent of putting it on the school’s bulletin board. This causes Hayate to panic because it could embarrass Nagi, so he chases after Yukiji and tries to get the camera’s memory card.

After the camera gets knocked down in front of Izumi, Yukiji bribes her student to get it back, but she then gets stopped by Eight who crushes the camera with his foot. Eight proceeds to blow them up for making Shiori cry, and as he watches Yukiji fight the robot, Hayate notices a self-destruct button on Eight’s back. At first he worries that the blast will lift Izumi’s skirt, but since Izumi is wearing leggings underneath, Hayate jumps for the button. Unfortunately for him, Yukiji actually presses it before he can reach it, and Hayate gets sent flying by the explosion. In the aftermath, Yukiji blames Hayate for what happened, but she also makes an impassioned speech about how it’s her duty as a teacher to enlighten her students because she’s a teacher and because she loves them. Feeling that she finally understands that heart is important, Shiori pledges to become like Yukiji. Yukiji then takes advantage of the situation and decides that they’ll have a study session at the tavern, but in the end, Shiori makes her pay because Yukiji is the senior of the two of them.

Preview

Yukiji is fun to watch with her semi-elaborate plan and with all the Death Note references (I counted no less than three, and the her line about becoming god of the new world made me laugh the most), but apart from that, the episode didn’t have much to offer. I keep wondering if they’re actually ever going to get around to any serial-type story – and I know there is some, particularly in regard to Hinagiku – but I’m beginning to think that they’re content with producing stand-alone episodes with the established characters. This may just be the problem with Hayate being such a long series, giving them a lot of time to futz around before getting to the better stuff. Anyway, next episode looks like it’ll be the Isumi story from volume three of the manga, so we’ll see how that goes.

34 Comments

  18. … They don’t seem to have gone very far in the “story”… most, if not all, of the stuff appears to have already been released in manga format in North America. >.> I wonder if that’s intentional.

    cbhl
    Reply

  21. Actually tin, this is scheduled for 52 episodes.

    But even I’m wondering if we’ll ever get to a consistant storyline. I mean 1 offs are fun, but I do wish for an actual plot and story to follow.

    Kageho
    Reply

  22. @Kageho
    This upcoming bit with Hayate/Isumi is going to take a few episodes along with some plot development. That being said it will also mean no Hinagiku for a few eps ;_;

    Also, turning Eight into a Rick Dias ftw 😀

    Dash
    Reply

  25. Even if it IS 52 episodes now; doesn’t it seem a bit… slow considering the manga (in Japan) has gotten to volume 10 or so?

    Although, if I had never read the manga, I guess I wouldn’t have cared… *shrugs*

    cbhl
    Reply

  28. actually they are progressing rather quickly on the manga material. if the anime is losing steam, it is because the manga was. it follows pretty closely right now, and i don’t think there was so much to work with in the first place. they are doing a very good adaptation.

    xau
    Reply

  31. maybe but i wish the manga would come out sooner man … the anime is exactly like the manga lol that is just lame seeing this again but each time i watch it is so funny loooool this show owns…. hayate the combat butler all the way :X

    ShakuganNoShanaROX
    Reply

  34. I’ve done some searching and I need some help on references.

    1) The giant robot the Student Council Trio does the Super Sentai pose in front of — is that from a specific Giant Robot anime or from a Super Sentai Series?
    2) Ka**kabe Defense Force — not finding anything.
    3) Ditto Ya**naka Seisho.
    4) Was Eight’s giant robot form a tribute to a specific Giant Robot title?

    AstroNerdBoy
    Reply

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