Hayate The Combat Butler Chapter 477: Late Night Diner <- Effective. Midday Cafe <- Worthless -- Review and Synopsis

Character designs are getting better, methinks.

Synopsis: Hina is minding the Cafe Donguri and Athena is with her. They talk a bit about how the coffee at this cafe is soothing, but Athena mentions that there's no one to serve said coffee to.

At that moment, Saki barges in and asks for some hot milk. She looks troubled, so Hina asks her why and she confesses that she's living with someone she has feelings for and wishes that things could be better between them.

Hina wants to help out, but Athena cautions her that it's her worst area. She's dedicated to playing out her role as the "Soothing Coffee Master" and thus she goes off to give her unsolicited advice to Saki.

Her advice is that everything can be solved through hard work and frills, lots of frills. Saki thinks highly of her advice and says that she'll go ahead and wear more frills.

Hina's groundless confidence amuses me.

After Saki leaves, Chiharu comes in and she looks troubled as well. Athena correctly deduces that she looks like some embarrassing secret has been found out, but Hina is convinced that her troubles are love-related.

She comes up to Chiharu and tells her that she and frills are a perfect match. Chiharu is shocked and thinks that Hina somehow found out about her secret -- which sends her running off.

Everything is better with Frills.

Athena muses that she thinks she knows why this cafe is so unpopular. At that moment, the hamster comes in and looks troubled as well.

Athena once again correctly deduces that she has some love troubles, but Hina is convinced that she's worried about school. She goes up to the Hamster and offers her a math book along with more unsolicited advice which goes, "there are lots of difficult problems, but you must believe that it's all a misunderstanding." 

Ayumu is totally down with this advice and says that she'll keep believing in Hayate.

Thus ends the chapter.


Review: Haha! Athena and Hina are really great together. The contrast between their personalities is extremely hilarious. 

Misunderstandings -- The cornerstone of Hayate The Combat Butler plotlines.

I like how Athena was right with her deductions every single time while Hina was totally off-track but totally confident... and then inadvertently giving out unsolicited advice that actually fits in with the customer's situation.

I found it funny how Hina felt motivated to keep on giving unsolicited advice after she establishes that she is the "Soothing Coffee Master." I think this is a rather refreshing side of her that doesn't come to the surface all too often. Of course, when it all comes down to it, this aspect of her personality is actually related to her basic "I hate to lose" persona, but it really works well for comedic effect when she's interacting with Athena.

Speaking of Chiharu, her reaction was totally priceless as well.

LOL Dat Reaction!

On a tangential note, this short comedy chapter helps to establish how the theme of misunderstandings is often used to comedic effect in this manga. As I've said in a previous review, the characters all have incomplete information regarding each other -- so what may be crystal clear to us readers isn't really that obvious to the characters within the Hayateverse.

Fanart Corner: Looks like we're in for a break and I have no speculations for now. Have some new fanart from me. I thought I'd take a break from drawing Nagi this time and someone from FB gave me the idea to do this one instead.

Never trust someone with a perpetually smiling face... no matter how cute.

Hah! Almost forgot... just think of this as even more leverage for my preferred ship. I'll leave it at that.