Hayate the Combat Butler! [TV]

Hayate Ayasaki is an unfortunate young boy whose parents have a serious gambling addiction. Despite working really hard and trying to make ends meet, Hayate was abandoned by his parents and left him an overwhelming 150 million yen of debt to the Yakuza. It was then decided that Hayate’s organs will be harvested in order to compensate for what his family owes.
During his escape from his terrible fate, Hayate encounters Nagi, heir to one of Japan’s wealthiest families. He decides to kidnap her for ransom, hoping that he will be able to pay off his debt. But due to a string of unexpected events and misunderstanding, Nagi falls in love with Hayate, who she later hired as butler after being saved from her kidnappers.
Aside from performing his tasks as a regular butler, Hayate must protect Nagi from the people who wants to steal her fortune. As Hayate gives his best to attend to his duties, he unintentionally attracts the attention of many girls, making his chaotic life as butler even more interesting.

About the Show

Hayate the Combat Butler is the anime adaptation for the action, harem, romantic comedy manga series under the same name, written and illustrated by Kenjiro Hata. Produced by the studios SynergySP, J.C. Staff, and Manglobe, the anime series aired a total of 101 episodes (divided into 4 season), between April 1, 2007 and July 1, 2013. Along with light novels and anime films, a videogame was also created based on the series.

Characters

Hayate Ayasaki
Since his childhood, Hayate is shown to be a very unfortunate individual. With his father refusing to work and his mother’s compulsive gambling behavior, he had to make money on his own to make ends meet. He moved from one job to another until he was found to be underage, where he gained much of his experience and understanding of how the world works. After accumulating a massive debt of 150 million yen, his parents decided to leave him to the Yakuza as payment. However, he was given a ray of hope, after being hired by Nagi as butler.
Hayate is very efficient in butler work and household chores, thanks to the experiences he gained from previous jobs. Although, his jobs are not limited to the mansion’s management. Since his boss requires constant protection, Hayate’s excellent combat skills are utilized, being able to repel many attacks and earning him the name of “combat butler”.
Despite appearing to be feminine at times, Hayate attracts the attention of many women around him, especially that of his boss, Nagi.

Nagi Sanzenin
Nagi is a 13 years old heir to the Sanzenin family fortune, which makes her prone to being a target for kidnapping and other attacks. She quickly grew tired of getting attacked whenever she is outdoors, and thus preferred to stay inside her mansion, obsessing over manga and videogames. Due to her regal pedigree and being pampered most of the time, she is oblivious to how the world really works, and cannot be left out without supervision. Her maid Maria is seen with her most of the time, who she views as an older sister.
She adores Hayate very much, and becomes jealous when he gives good remarks regarding other girls. Initially, she was immature and short tempered, but everything gradually changed after meeting Hayate.

Maria
Maria has no surname, after the fact that she was found as an orphan baby. There are no records of her biological parents, and was adopted by Mikado, Nagi’s grandfather.
Maria is an intelligent and somewhat devious but loyal maid who works for Nagi. Despite proving her capability in physical combat, her sneaking skill is very poor, and always ends up being caught by Hayate and Nagi whenever she tries to spy on them. She is very efficient in her work as maid, and appears to be the one in charge with the other servants, since everyone obeys her with no question.
Like most of the other girls in the manor, Maria is also attracted to Hayate. She has seen Hayate naked multiple times, and Hayate has also seen her naked. They both blush whenever they end up in an awkward situation. Despite her clear infatuation with Hayate, Maria chose to set aside her feelings, as to support Nagi’s love for Hayate.

Quick Review

Hayate the Combat Butler’s outstanding attribute is in its comedy. If you are an anime fan and have watched several other anime series, then you will definitely find yourself laughing with its anime references and parodies. A touch of romance into the mix makes things even more interesting, sometimes ending up in hilariously awkward situations. Although the animation and storyline are not particularly excellent, the funny episodes will surely keep you entertained.

Sneak Peek

Episode 1: In English, ‘Unmei’ means ‘Destiny’
Poor and needy Hayate asks Santa Claus one evening why he never receives any presents like the other kids, to which the dressed-up man responds with a blunt reply “Because you’re poor“. Hayate has been working really hard in order to survive, as his parents are irresponsible and undependable. On Christmas eve, Hayate arrives home and finds that his parents have abandoned him, leaving him an enormous amount of debt. The Yakuza have come to take him as payment, but fortunately he manages to escape. He ends up in a park, where he meets Nagi, heir to a wealthy family. Faced with a desperate situation, Hayate kidnaps Nagi for ransom, but the girl mistook her words as confession for love. A twist of events lead Hayate to saving Nagi from kidnappers, where he was rewarded with a butler job. After sustaining many injuries, Hayate passes out and was carried with a helicopter.

Episode 2: Nagi Sanzenin’s Mansion and a New Journey
Hayate regains consciousness inside Nagi’s enormous mansion, and the ambiance makes him think that he had passed on to heaven. He decides to enjoy his newfound paradise, and accidentally finds a naked Maria inside a bath. His wounds reopen, making him pass out again. After a few hours, Hayate awakens, but Nagi and Maria is with him this time. They explain to him that he is in Nagi’s mansion, and that he is to work as their butler. However, the head butler rejects to accept Hayate. In order to prove his aptitude as butler, Hayate performs household tasks around the mansion at an incredible rate. He somehow finds Nagi’s drawings, and was ejected out of the room after he mistook it for a picture diary. Believing he was already fired so soon, Hayate leaves the mansion, where the Yakuza kidnaps him afterwards. Nagi manages to save him by paying his debt, and now Hayate has to work as butler to pay her off.

Episode 3: The Beast, Robot, and Butler Who Kind of but Don’t Really Shout Love at the Center of the World
Hayate wakes Nagi up one morning, where he finds a large white tiger was also sleeping with Nagi. The tiger wakes up, and nabs Hayate and brings him outside the room to fight. Maria finds them fighting in her favorite garden, and she responds with a scary smile. She guesses that it was plotted by Klaus, the head butler who is still upset regarding Hayate’s employment. After having his injuries healed, Hayate speaks with the tiger, who reveals that he can talk in human language, thanks to being raised in luxury. Klaus challenges Hayate with a robot called Eight in order to prove if he has the necessary skills of a good butler. Eight attacks Nagi, and Hayate protects her by using an electrical cord, even with the knowledge that it will also electrocute him. After seeing that Hayate is indeed capable of protecting Nagi, Klaus backs off and accepts Hayate as new butler.