Hayate The Combat Butler Chapter 437: Plans And Expectations Are Nothing But One's Imagination - Review and Synopsis

Maria and Nagi in sync

Synopsis: Hayate wakes up inside his room in the Violet Mansion from his recollection of the past from ten years ago and his original meeting with “Santa Claus” (Sanzen’in Mikado) and remembers that his brother had a King’s Jewel. We also finally learn what Dr. Kurosu said to Hayate about his brother back then. It seems that a man with a cross-shaped scar with sharp eyes was one of Kurosu’s patients and he’s had amnesia and was now working as a lifeguard at a Beachside Restaurant called “Life.” Since Nagi will need a King’s Jewel in order to reclaim her inheritance, Hayate reveals this information to her and Maria and thus, Nagi decides that it’s time for the group to pay Hayate’s brother a visit. Hayate also establishes that only a day has passed since the doujinshi contest with Ruka ended. (time sure passes by slooowly in this manga)

Meanwhile, thanks to Ruka’s over-aggressive approach towards Hayate, Hamster and Hinagiku have a little girly chit-chat and decide that it’s time to end it all with Hayate and have him choose one of them for good. Chiharu overhears this conversation because the walls of the mansion’s rooms are so thin and this sets the little gears spinning in her head for her to have a little fun.

Poor hamster

Outside, little Alice… or actually, Athena, is talking with father Radiostar and it seems she has a little battery meter device that actually measures her magic power and how much she has regained. It seems that she’s been cursed into her current little girl form. Apparently, the land on which the mansion was built once belonged to the Himegami’s (Himegami was Nagi’s butler before Hayate, just in case you didn’t know), and it contains a great power that can only be drawn out by a similar device with great power – in this case, said other device is most likely Hina’s Shirousakura. In any case, now that her “magic batteries” have been recharged, she declares that she can temporarily regain her true form and that she can’t let anyone have the garden palace for some reason  - with super-sharp, determined, almost villainous eyes at that.

Nagi announces the beach trip to everyone and Hina and Hamster have mixed reactions about this… sorta. Hamster is overconfident in her body, which the narrator says is “ungrounded confidence” while Hina is totally insecure about her breast size, which the narrator calls “totally grounded unease.”

Flat chest is a status!

Chiharu sees this as an opportunity to have some fun and suddenly takes Hayate by the hand and asks him to come and help her shop for a swimsuit… which totally pisses off Hina and Hamster, of course.

Review: Holy effin  (insert profane four-letter word of choice here)! madmac! Were you totally right about that LifeSavers theory after all? I mean, I’ve never even touched that other manga by Hata, but it seems that by all appearances, you totally nailed it… anyway, good job, man.

It seems Athena's magic power runs on AA's

Since the canonicity of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You is now unquestionable, this chapter reveals a few more things about the plot which allows it to tie in neatly with the last two episodes of cuties – specifically, why Athena is still in Alice form even though the three months are already up. As explained by Alice herself in this chapter, she’s been cursed by the King’s Jewel and even with her magic powers at maximum, she can only regain her true form temporarily.

Nagi's lines never fail to amuse me

Nagi’s distorted version of Hayate’s story made my day like totally.

Hata also drops some hints of Himegami eventually becoming involved in this story since the Violet Mansion originally belonged to his family.

Hata reminds us readers here that he doesn’t drop all these plot bunnies all over the manga for nothing – in fact, it’s all coming together in this very chapter… amazing how he managed to do all that while also keeping things still light-hearted and funny.  

Lots of new characters rolling in here with Hisui and Housen, Himegami and now Hayate’s brother set to become relevant to the plot real soon.

Chiharu being a troll and loving it.

That said, this chapter was also a setup for the beach chapter that Nagi promised us at the end of the doujinshi arc and it seems we’re all set for some fun in the sun and will get to ogle the girls… and guy, in swimsuits next week.

Speculation time: I have a feeling that this will be the final arc of the manga and that the timeline actually takes place before CTMEOY and Cuties with the last two eps of Cuties being the final mini-arc in this manga. Then we’ll probably get a Christmas ending chapter and then a 10 years later flash-forward.