New Year Fanart: Hayate x Nagi

Recently, I conducted a poll on facebook to help me determine who  I would be drawing for my New Year Fanart piece. Here's a screenshot of said poll.

Needless to say, I am quite pleased that mai waifu won by an overwhelming majority for once.

Anywayz, the fanart I eventually conceptualized was based partially on recent events in the manga as well as my speculations for the over-all direction the story is taking/will be taking in the near future. Don't worry, I'll try to keep my shipping talk to a minimum while explaining... maybe.


The final chapter (515) for 2015 really struck me as a turning point in the manga -- especially concerning Hayate, Nagi and Maria's relationship. Now both Hayate and Maria have witnessed Nagi doing something amazing without their help and with her own wits and natural talents.

More importantly, Hayate is now beginning to doubt just how much Nagi really needs him. He's not completely wrong if he thinks that Nagi doesn't need him anymore -- but only as her butler. Remember that Nagi thinks of "the bond" between Hayate and herself as a strong source of support. There can be no doubt that she is deeply in love with her butler and really, the emotional drama concerning their relationship has always been centered around her-- that is, until the end of chapter 515. Now we can see that they are both insecure about their relationship (not romantic, mind you) and it's a good thing, IMO. It's time for Hayate to finally address just who Nagi is to him; especially if he insists on being her butler even without any debt to her.

Nagi's Heartbreak WILL Happen


"There is a bomb between them" has been a catch-phrase for their relationship since the beginning of the manga and thus, it's definitely inevitable that Nagi's heart will be broken and Hayate will be the cause of this; this isn't all bad news however since it will finally set the stage for Hayate to realize Nagi's true feelings for him -- how he chooses to address these feelings is still up in the air, but I choose to remain optimistic.

Maria Will Feel Insecure As Well

I get the feeling that it's not just Hayate who is starting to feel insecure with Nagi's latest epic victory. Maria has always treated Nagi as her own surrogate daughter of sorts -- even if there is only a 4-year age gap between them. We've seen how Maria showed a tinge of insecurity when Nagi didn't come crying to her when she was on the verge of giving up on the manga contest against Ruka. Now that Nagi has shown that she can even surpass Maria's apparent invincibility in games, I'm pretty sure that Maria will be shaken up by this development.

It's About Damn Time

I've personally always known that Nagi was capable of doing what she did in chapter 515. It's always been in her personality and her ability to do so -- it's just that Hata has never given her any chance to prove herself. So while some people might see the previous chapter as an abrupt development, I personally feel that it's about damn time.

Two Possibilities About The Future of Hayate and Nagi 

There are two possibilities that I can see coming up very soon in the future of Hayate and Nagi. Now we all know that Hisui Hatsushiba and her King's Jewels business will require Hayate to be still functioning as Nagi's personal knight of sorts because let's face it, Nagi won't just suddenly develop the ability to physically defend herself from harm -- as smart, insightful, CUTE, BEAUTIFUL, and lucky as she might be. Thus, I believe there are two possibilities as to the future of her relationship with Hayate.

1. Their relationship gap is finally resolved early and thus, this leaves the both of them without any emotional burden left as we go into the final Royal Garden war with Hisui Hatsushiba and possibly some new characters in what could be the final arc of the series.

2. Their relationship gap is partially resolved but still left slightly hanging as Hayate makes it uncertain once again as to who he'll be choosing as his "final girl." This leaves room for denouement as their relationship is further developed during the course of the Holy Grail War Royal Garden War.

With that said, here is the fanart. I've used some lyrics from Ko No Me Kaze and text from recently uttered lines by both characters in the manga. I won't explain things too much. Anywayz, this is lordcloudx with one final blog post before the end of 2015.

Have a happy new year, everyone! Welcome 2016!

Year-End Travel: Our Overnight Road Trip to Roxas City

Finally found time to make this entry. I know some of you enjoy my travel posts, so here’s a new one. My mother and I went on an overnight trip to Roxas City on the 28^th-29^th.  Roxas City is about 160-180 kilometers away from Iloilo City via car. It’s on the same island (known as Panay) as my city of Iloilo, but since we never really had any reason to go there, I personally haven’t been there for a decade.

Nagi goes everywhere with me~

Anyway, we booked a room in Urban Manor Hotel online in advance because it was near the city’s big mall. We were just driving there to have a look around the city – and since it’s less-developed and quite a bit smaller than Iloilo City (which is also quite small, by the way), an overnight trip would be sufficient to just see what the place looks like nowadays.

We planned pretty well for this trip, but as you are probably well-aware of, nothing really ever goes as planned. Still, while there were a few hitches along the way, the trip was over-all, quite enjoyable.

In preparation for the long drive, we bought several packed sandwiches from 7-11, good to eat until the 30^th, 2 riter-sport candy bars, a 1l can of pik-nik and about 12 bottles of water which had been frozen overnight. We stuffed our provisions into a styrofoam ice-chest to keep them cold.

Our ice chest... which served as our makeshift fridge for the trip

I also charged my cellphone to full as well as my power bank because we’d need about 2 hours or more of continuous GPS guidance during the drive there. We weren’t very familiar with the road.

The trip began in earnest at about 8:30 AM. We took the new circumferential road that cuts through a good portion of Panay island. It was during this time that we learned that the GPS signal cuts off every few minutes – fortunately, it did turn back on when we were approaching a waypoint.

I set the GPS to take us straight to Urban Manor Hotel and while there was around a 20-minute delay because there was a routine checkpoint near the edge of Roxas City, we still arrived relatively early at around 10:46 AM.

We were delighted to discover that the hotel was just at the corner of the main highway and that it was actually just around 3 blocks away from Robinson’s Place Roxas – a brand-new mall, that, while smaller than our own Robinson’s Place Iloilo on paper, did look quite impressive.

My mother actually knew the manager of the hotel. (being an English teacher for over 20 years yields you many connections)  A “Ma’am Lovelia” who was also my sister’s former teacher. After a brief chat, we settled down into our room and it was quite nice. The wifi was adequate and the room itself seemed freshly renovated. The only thing that was missing was a mini-fridge, but we did have the ice-chest for that. The frozen bottles of water inside actually served to cool down anything else that we placed inside.

 

Inside our hotel room

Anyway, after showering from the long trip and unpacking our stuff, we set out to go to San Antonio Resort for lunch, which was a few kilometers away from our location. We asked for some directions from the hotel but mostly relied on the GPS. After some fumbling around, we finally found the resort. We chose a restaurant located inside the resort which was overlooking the beach.

The food was reasonable, but not really all that special – not that I was all that hungry after I’d downed at least two 7-11 sandwiches and some Pik-Nik shoestring potatoes during the long drive to Roxas. Also, my mother was pissed off that they didn't include the %12 EVAT exemption when computing her 20% senior citizen's discount. Here's the receipt as evidence.

TAKE THAT!

We took some pictures and then took a short walk along the beach with our shoes/sandals off. There were several jellyfish-like things washed up along the shore. My mother warned me that they might sting, but we saw a local picking them up with his bare hands. He said that these were “burol” and that they don’t sting. They can also be sold as edible food and apparently go well together with fish… not that I’m all that interested. I hate seafood.

A local holding some "burol"

After our post-lunch beach walk, we took a little tour around the San Antonio Resort. My impression of it is that it’s a nice resort, but nothing that I haven’t seen in other beach resorts just a stone’s throw away from our house back in Iloilo.

Back to our car, we drove past a mall called “Gaisano” on the way to San Antonio Resort, so we decided to make a stop there. I think my mother regrets doing that based on her facial expression in this pic.

Clearly unimpressed

The mall was relatively small, but that’s ok. What is bad is that it was extremely crowded and dirty inside because it wasn’t very well-maintained. The floors were dirty, some escalators weren’t functioning, and some were functioning, but they roped off the right side of the handrail. Also, the air-conditioning was virtually non-existent. It was quite a let-down because the mall looked nice from the outside. Anyway, “don’t judge a book by its cover” finds much application here.

Only in the Philippines

 We left in a hurry and drove all the way to Robinson’s Place Roxas. While driving, I noticed that there were very few cars around us. It seems the main mode of public transport here was through tricycles – motorcycles with a sidecar that can fit up to four people max… but it’s not rare to see a tricycle driver attempt to squeeze in up to 12 people on his tricycle. It’s common practice no matter where you are in the Philippines. Also, the drivers here are much more considerate and I didn’t see any instance of the constant lane-switching and swerving that I’m accustomed to every single time I’m behind the wheel in Iloilo City. 

We might be miles more progressive than Roxas, but our drivers could take a lesson in civility from them. There was this one tricycle who wanted to enter the intersection but had to cut into my lane to do so, but instead of taking the lane right away, he actually signaled and then waited for me to acknowledge that I would let him pass through instead of just zooming straight into my path.

 

The impressive "Robinson's Place Roxas"

Now Robinson’s Place was light years better than Gaisano. The mall was divided into two floors and had ample parking space. There were several retail shops scattered all around and lots of floor space for visitors so that you don’t feel all cramped up inside. I noticed two stores that we don’t seem to have any retail outlets for in Iloilo just yet, “Res To Run” and “Petrol.”  They also had a bigger “Tokyo Joe’s” restaurant than what we have back at Robinson’s Iloilo. Furthermore, the mall was nice and clean and had working air-conditioning. The experience was like night and day when compared to Gaisano.

Anyway, we weren’t really planning on buying anything inside, so we just took a walk around to see what the mall had to offer and then decided to drive back to our hotel.

We arrived back at the hotel at around 4:40 PM. After showering, we both fell asleep. I suppose the road trip was a bit taxing on the body. I woke up at around  8:00 PM and my mother woke up at 9:00 PM. We had planned to drive to a particular restaurant recommended by the locals there, but my mother is a bit scared to go on a drive at night, so we just decided to have dinner inside the hotel’s restaurant.

Inside Urban Manor Hotel's Restaurant

Fortunately, that wasn’t a bad decision at all. We were the last two customers inside, but the food was excellent! About on par with any of the top-class restaurants from Iloilo, Cebu, Bacolod or Manila, in my own opinion. The servings were pretty large, so we shared a plate of Ox Tongue, some soup and 2 cups of garlic rice.

Excellent Food with Generous Servings

After dinner, it seems that Roxas City still doesn’t have any real “night life,” so we just went outside the hotel and had a chat with the guards and the hotel employees. They taught us a shortcut that would apparently cut off hours from our trip back to Iloilo City on the next day. I snapped a few pictures of this poster advertising a guided tour of the Gigantes Islands -- which I blogged about earlier this year. I had a good chuckle about this.  

Heed My Advice: Don't Go There!

After that, it was time for some sleep after the long day.

Early next morning, we had to prepare to drive back to Iloilo. Fortunately, it wasn’t much of a hassle since we’d brought the car along – so much more convenient than relying on public transport. 

We were surprised to receive a call from the hotel lobby to claim our breakfast before 10 AM. Our reservation didn’t include a complimentary breakfast for two. The front desk operator informed us that it was a favor from Ms. Lovelia.

Breakfast was very nice… since it did come from the same restaurant the night before, after all. I had Vienna sausages with egg and my mother choose the bacon and egg set.  We both chose pineapple juice for our drinks.

Anyway, after breakfast, it was time to drive back home. We took the shortcut that they’d recommended and saw a place called “Christmas Village” along the way. It probably would have been nice to see it all lit up at night – but, those are the breaks.

The drive back home became unnecessarily long because of the shortcut we took. The GPS cut off at an inopportune moment and we found ourselves already 9-10 kilometers along the way to Kalibo, which was even further away from Iloilo City than Roxas.  We asked one of the locals along the road for some directions and got back on track – but we had quite a few miles of uneven, winding roads to traverse before we found ourselves back on the main highway. We started the trip at 9:00 AM, but arrived back at Iloilo at 2:00 PM – that’s a lot of time lost considering that it was supposed to be just a 2-hour drive. Anyway, that concludes our overnight trip to Roxas City.

It's worth noting that Roxas City purports itself to be a "seafood capitol," but that's not gonna do much for someone who hates seafood like me. :) 

Final Impressions of Roxas

Polite Drivers

I am very used to the offensive drivers in Iloilo City and I’ve also witnessed the same behavior in Bacolod City as well as in Manila and Cebu, so it was a really pleasant experience for me driving around Roxas – even if we did get lost a few times while trying to find San Antonio Resort. No one honks their horns unnecessarily and the cars drive fast, but don’t cut in line when they’re in front of you. If they do plan to switch lanes, they actually signal first and then cautiously take the lane – that is very surprising for someone like me who is used to the roughhouse, redneck driving style of Iloilo City’s L337 drivers.

Perhaps a part of that has to do with the type of traffic they get in Roxas, with only tricycles for public transport and the occasional jeepney. There were lots of private cars, but they never felt the need to overtake everyone in front of them from what I saw.

A Throwback To Iloilo From The Early 90s

The buildings in Roxas City gave me a very nostalgic feeling. The architectural style and the lack of any big buildings aside from Gaisano City, CityMall, and Robinson’s Place Roxas reminded me of how Iloilo City was back in the early 90s. It was actually a very calming experience driving inside of Roxas.

Would I Live There?

… of course not! There are no retail videogame establishments nor any trace of anything otaku-ish or anime-ish in the city. As the old saying goes, “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.” It’s undeniable that Iloilo City is so much more progressive than Roxas City with the massive developments in infrastructure we are currently experiencing – but I will say this: progress isn’t always a good thing. Living in a more progressive city does not make anyone superior nor inferior to someone living in a less progressive city – it’s just a different place in a different setting. After all, like I’ve mentioned before: “People really are the same everywhere.”

In any case, this trip was really quite refreshing for me -- although my mother probably found it a bit stressful since I had her holding my phone and guiding me with the GPS -- and she is a bit xenophobic.

Have a Happy New Year and I hope to see you again in my future travels!

Doll Nagi's Christmas Present: Merry Christmas 2015!

Doll Nagi gets a present for Christmas too... ta dah! It's a nice new dress.

Nagi: Hmm... the material is a bit cheap, but more importantly! Is it from Hayate?

Me: Nah, it's just from your regular stalker admirer, Nagi... me!

Nagi: Ugh... that's kinda creepy... well, I suppose a gift does embody the feelings of the giver and I can tell that this dress was lovingly chosen. Fine, I'll wear it.

Nagi: Well? How do you like it? W-What? You think I'm cute and beautiful? Stupid! How am I supposed to take that seriously when you say that about me all the time?

Nagi: With that said, this dress does feel a bit chilly.

Me: How about you put on that cardigan I got you last year?

Nagi: I was thinking about using that coat Hayate gave me at Loser Park, but I suppose that cardigan will do as well.

Me: Better?

Nagi: Yup, nice and warm.

My Nagi Sanzenin Figure Collection + My Niece's Lalaloopsy Littles Collection

Did a little collaborative video with my niece. It's about time I show off my Nagi figures. I have almost all of them except for one really rare figure of her wearing her iconic season 1 outfit and the Busou Shinki Nagi figure -- as well as the limited edition premium versions of the Jun Planning and Cospa figures.

Anyway, here's the video. Enjoy!

Hayate The Combat Butler Chapter 515: Okite Hiroki Utsuwamono - Review and Synopsis

Nagi's sword will pierce your heart and gravity cannot be blamed when you fall in love with her.

Synopsis: Nagi: I'll play against Maria, but I have some conditions.

Yukiji: Conditions? If Nagi-chan loses, how about Hayate gets hit 200 times?

Hayate: What kind of condition is that?

Nagi: First of all, I can't guarantee that I can win this.

There's also such things as a fluke or a miss, but most of all, Maria is the strongest at this game.

Also, this will require great concentration. It's impossible to win 100% with 1 shot.

This panel again... it's definitely important.

Yukiji: Yearh, I get that.

Nagi: 2nd, I want all the winnings for myself

Yukiji: Hah? Wait... Whaddaya mean?

Nagi: The winnings will be used to offset everyone's debt, but I want the remainder for myself -- all OF EET! :)

Winning this thing will be difficult. I can't allow myself to be distracted.

We can't win by just hoping for a miracle. That's why if you can't agree with my conditions: I'm out.

After all, the entire 2 billion debt was all your fault, sensei.

Yukiji: I understand... so let's make it 8 is to 2, instead? Of course my share will be 8...

Nagi: She didn't understand a thing.

Yukiji: (starts bargaining with Nagi for a share in the winnings.)

Miki: This teacher is really the worst.

Nagi: Fine, I'll give you a consumption tax share (?)

Yukiji: Great! Then I'll take 78% ok?

Nagi: WTF! Those kinds of taxes would result in an immediate revolution!

Hayate: But can you really win this?

Nagi: Like I said, right now there's a 100% chance of losing.

But after clearing a few conditions, the odds could improve.

Hayate: Conditions?

Nagi: Like Maria falling for it... I hope... but...

Anywayz, time for a little strategy meeting. Sensei, GET OVER HERE!

Maria: Now then, everyone... didja get the gold coin?

So let's begin! The final phase of this school trip! LEVERAGE ROULETTO!!!

Yukiji: Yah, yah... but would you hear me out first?

Maria: Sure thing. WHat is it?

Gaze upon her beautiful visage and be amazed, Hayate!

Yukiji: Maria, you're not looking at the place where you're throwing the ball, are you?

Maria: Oh no, Sensei... the success rate of that is only 80%

Yukiji: Only...

Yukiji: There's no chance of winning with that!
Maria: There's a chance!

It might be a small chance, but it's a bigger chance of winning than the lottery!

Yukiji: That small chance amounts to 2 billion yen...

That's totally cheating. Can't you loosen up those conditions a bit? Otherwise, it's not even a game?

Maria: Eh? Is that so?

Yukiji: Cheater! Cheater!

Flashback

Nagi: Anyway, this is the condition for winning.

Explains how they might be able win using some kinda loophole in the rules of roulette... that I totally don't get (wait for DKthias' translation lol!) Something like changing positions after the ball is thrown.

Hayate: I get it! (lordcloudx: I don't)

Hina: It's a win-win situation!

Nagi: Nope... don't you believe it.

If we did that, then we'd be leaving it all to luck. Maria can't be beaten with that. We need to do a little bit more...

End of Flashback

Aika: So how about if Maria throws the ball from behind?

Chiharu: Or how about if a different person throws the ball?

Maria: No.. no... (sweatdrop)

Someone: Then, the moment the ball leaves Maria's hand is when we move the coin.

Maria: The moment it leaves my hand? What are they thinking? I can hit the colored tile I'm eyeing 100%. Their strategy must be more complicated than that...

:)...

Maria: Ok, fine... but once you touch the coin, you have to bet on the place where you moved it no matter what.

Narration: Something about the black and red tiles.

Yukiji: Oh, and 0 and 00 are forbidden.

Maria: Don't worry, I won't go for such a boring finale.

Maria: (Anyway, I have to choose the right moment.)

IF the coin is touched, it's black. If it's not touched, it's red!

Maria (serious modo) Then, let us begin!

Red or black?

Nagi: (serious modo too) Moves the coin

Maria: Touch! It's black!

Maria: Such a shame. I'mma win this by throwing it in da RED! I win!

Maria: Wait... 14? SHIIIIII!

Flashback

Nagi: It doesn't matter if we go with black or red at the start. Once we touch the coin, Maria will throw it in red no matter what.

She'll be so focused on her throw that she'll forget to mind the numbers.

Without 0 to 00, there are 36 places in the roulette

With the black tiles gone, there are 18 places left

18 places to aim for but...

Nagi: I break (?)

WOOOW!

Amazing!

Nagi isn't completely flat-chested: confirmed.

It really took just one shot!

Maria and everyone: 0_0

Ruri: Eh We won a lot of money thanks to the convoluted rules of leverage roulette!

Nagi: 36 billion nao, MOFO!

Hayate: 36 billion.

The trajectory of the ball was impossible to read. It wasn't just gimmick... it could have been just luck but...

Nagi x Hayate flashback scene tiem

Hayate: After such a thing... does this person... even need me?

Review: OMG! What a way to end the year! Nagi was amazingly awesome this chapter and it's about time that Hayate took notice of it too. I was glad to see Nagi finally getting a chance to show just how amazing she can be using her brains and not just relying on dumb luck.

You lose, Maria!

I think this is the first time that Hayate has seen Nagi do something truly awe-inspiring by herself, without relying on her friends to bail her out and without thing spiraling down into a gag manga situation. Also, this isn't just any win. It's a win against the ever-omnipotent Maria who was definitely going all out to win this game.

I love his reaction here. Now haters will probably be jumping on Hayate's reaction here with the obvious: "this is where he discovers that it's ok for him to leave her and be with his one true love (who apparently can NEVER be Nagi... screw you, haters!) However, I personally think this is a good thing. Hayate now realizes that Nagi doesn't really need him as her butler to support her or to act as a parental figure. He is taking notice of her -- slowly but surely.

This is great, because now Hayate has shown a type of admiration for his mistress and this could be the start of something great. I'm not going any deeper than that, but you cannot deny that Hayate was visibly impressed by Nagi's feats in this chapter. This is a first! As he always treats her as his somewhat incompetent mistress, but now he's seen that she's not as helpless as he thinks. Where that eventually leads to is still up in the air, but I do acknowledge that he'll be thinking that it's ok to leave her now... of course, he would! He still doesn't realize how much she loves him after all.

This is great! It's juicy! It's intriguing! And I'm all for this development. We are still definitely leading towards a moment of heartbreak for Nagi, but given the way things are developing, things can only start looking up after that.

Anyway, no new fanart this week. I've started a pixiv account, by the way. Check me out there: http://pixiv.me/violent_cloud

This is the last chapter for the year, so  have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we'll see each other again when the new chapter arrives. Also, wait for the pro translator/s and don't rely on my synopsis if you want accuracy.

Hayate The Combat Butler Chapter 514 (Japanese): Everyone's Heart Is In The Money

The series' most beautiful "adult woman" makes the cover.

Synopsis: Nagi: Maria? WTF are ya doin here?

Maria: Why? Coz I was bored.

Maria: Now lemme explain
(Haha! Dun expect me to translate this. I hate technical stuff)

-Ya need a coin to make a bet and you have to find them underground

Maria: By the way, Kayura and Aika are already underground so you'd better hurry~

Hayate: S'up, ojou-sama? Let's go.

Nagi: I've got a bad feeling about this, Hayate

Basically, you gotta beat Maria as the dealer to win this game

Nagi's expressions never fail to amuse me.

Nagi compares the game to being in a swamp... I have no idea why.

Yukiji, Isumi and Yukiji appear. Yukiji says it's wrong not to take up the challenge.

Hayate: Awright everyone, let's go fer it... fu....

Hayate and Nagi make a reference to some anime/manga which escapes me

Tsugumi and Glasses girl appear to save the day!

Chiharu: Who's the glasses girl?

Ruri sees one of those debt-enhancing atm machines and decides to withdraw a wad of cash so they can enter

Anyway, they all run inside led by Nagi... until she runs out of stamina.

That one eyebrow raised up. So cute.

They reach this dome-shaped room with a coin suspended by a rope on top. Kayura, Aika and the Baka-trio are already inside.

I have no idea why either Hina, Hayate or Yukiji can't just leap up to get it.Anyway, the walls can't be climbed according to Hina and there's a machine that spits out bricks in exchange for money. There's also another cowcow card atm machine conveniently located next to it.

Yukiji suckers everyone into investing in the bricks to get the gold coin because she has a secret plan.

Anywayz, they all cooperate somehow and get the coin. Now they can play the game against Maria. The money used to buy the bricks was bought with everyone's help. Anywayz, the racked up a huge amount of debt doing so. 1.82 billion yen

After getting the coin, Yukiji reveals her secret plan... she has Hayate's passport... coz ya know, he lost it on purpose to win the previous game.

Hayate: (whines) Sensei, give it back to me!

Yukiji: Oh, I'll give it back to you alrighty... but this ain't a game.

We're gonna beat that demon (Maria)

Review: Well... a rather inconsequential chapter, although I have to admit that I'm a bit interested in what Yukiji was thinking. Also, Yukiji finding Hayate's passport just goes to show that nothing in this manga ever happens without a reason -- even if Hata hasn't figured out what that reason might be at the point that the happening was first introduced LOL!

Nagi has such a sexy way of running here... seriously.

Anyway, Maria's expressions were pretty cute and funny here. She looked so desperate for attention and I found it amusing when she started throwing her arms around.

Also, Nagi was cute as usual and very expressive. Yeah, in case you haven't figured it out yet, Nagi's appearance is a large part of why I like her so much -- but that's not all, ya know!

Lessee... so apparently, Maria's unbeatable at gambling or something.

What I found really strange in this chapter is how Yukiji got everyone to trust in her so easily... although, I suppose Yukiji always having ulterior motives is known only to a few characters like Hina, Hayate and Nagi(?) even though it's pretty much an open secret to us, the readers. Still, you'd think they'd exercise a little bit more caution after they'd seen how greedy she can be when she was dealing with those terrorists in the hotel.

Anywayz, it looks like everyone's together now and if you were wondering if Hina had joined the competition or not, well, there she is.

Also, no break next week. The way things are going, I really don't think Hayate will be burdened with a new debt.

Fanart Corner: It's Christmas! Therefore, it's Nagi-santa time. A little personal, but I am an atheist, but just because I am, it doesn't mean that I don't like Christmas. I don't need to believe in Christmas' pagan origins nor do I have to make it all about the birth of Christ in order to enjoy the festivities of this season -- that's just narrow-minded thinking, so if that's what you're thinking -- stop! Just stop.

Ok, rant aside. Here's the fanart.

Lookit dat Hayate! You blind, blind man, you!

Hayate The Combat Butler Chapter 513 (Japanese): The Nice Kid's Financial Burden is Heavy -- Review and Synopsis

Why is she posing like that? Not that I am one to
complain about a cute girl sticking her ass out at the audience.

Synopsis: Narration: Why is it that even though the debt was paid

We are still caught in gag manga space?

I am once again in danger of becoming a debt-ridden butler.

Hayate: Isn't that right? This is where it's leading into isn't it?

Nagi: Ah....

That may be so, but it's useless to worry about that now, isn't it?

Hayate: Eh?

Nagi: Common sense would tell you that most 16 year-old boys don't shoulder a debt of 150 million yen, do they?

Hayate: It might be unlikely, but this feeling is the same as what happened to me 11 years ago (breaking the 4th wall?)

Nagi: Well... that may be true.

Hayate: Anyway, the point is not to let our guard down.

Nagi: U-understood!

Hayate: Anywayz, I wonder what Kananiwa has in store for us this time, eh?

Nagi: (says something about debt and waste disposal. Can't make sense of it)

Nagi, y u so pretty?

Sign: To cross this bridge, deposit 10 million yen (I think)

Hayate: Ojou-sama! What do we do about the deposit?

Nagi: Just so you know, all good kids who go out into society are required to make a "deposit"

Hayate: What kind of service is this if you need to make a deposit as payment before you use it?

Nagi: After all, it's money that will be repaid

They talk a bit about the coin locker and how it takes 100 yen coins and stuff

But the problem is that the deposit won't come back

Hayate: Awright, fine let's deposit 10 million yen in this... where do we get 10 million yen...


ATM with sign: You can use this card with this ATM (has lots of those debt enhancing Cow Cow Cards)


Hayate: This smells strongly like gag manga space doesn't it?

Nagi: Yep, a very strong smell

Voice: Heh, when you use this, you should go for the gold, right?

Baka-trio appear and discuss the deposit thing

Narrator: At that moment, Nagi and Hayate finally understood the true essence of this game.

Kananiwa flashback san: This is a game of tactics

Narrator: This is surely a game of tactics

The monetary value comes with a corresponding risk (or something like that)

Izumi: hoookay~ I'mma doin this~ (Takes cow cow card)

Hayate: Ah...

Nagi: :') Wait, Hayate...

Nagi: Thinks about a quote about just stopping if you don't know what to do.

Hayate: But at this rate... Segawa san will...

Izumi: Yay! Here's the 10 million yen! Let's go!

Risa: Hayata! C'mon! Hurry up!

Hayate: Ahh...

Nagi: Let's go, Hayate!

Nagi: Teaching her first-hand about the horrors of the financial system is ok, right?

Hayate: Ojou-sama...

Baka: Huzzah! We made it across

Izumi: Now to take back the deposit...

Bridge explodes

Sign: If the bridge is broken, you can't get your deposit back.

Izumi: Bawwww... my 10 million yen!

Nagi: It's gone, fool! (just having fun with this... she basically said the same thing without the attitude)

Hayate: Or it's down there...

Nagi: Behold! Phear da finance system! This is why you don't part with money easily. Remember this well, everyone!

Risa: Dun worry, Izumi. That 10 million yen will be all worth it if we win this game, right?

Izumi: Right! Right! It's nothing, nothing at all!

Nagi: Observe, Hayate. This is a scam in action.

Hayate: Quite horrible, isn't it?

Risa: I've got good news for ya! Even if we don't win, we'll probably be able to pay back that debt.

Izumi: Good news?

Sign: Binary Option cash times game

Izumi: Suckers herself into another cash game.
 
Hayate: I've seen this thing on the net before.

Nagi: Me too. I've seen a good summary.

Izumi: Oh look! There's another ATM we can use to lose again! (lol)

Hayate: Why is this person so easily swayed by sweet words?

Nagi: Saa... gullible ain't she?

Narrator: Afterwards...

Izumi: Could this be the last straw for me?

Hayate: It's ok. At least this door was opened. Let's continue to those gold coins.

Izumi: Yeah, but I've already got a debt of 20 million yen. Even with a gold coin in hand, I've still got a debt of 10 million yen.

Risa: Dun worry, Izumi. Miracles can happen at any time, ya know.

We might be able to regain even 20 million yen with this next game!

Sign: Leverage roullete

Hayate and Nagi: Uwaa?

Hayate: No, no. This is dangerous, isn't it?

Risa: Wai?

Risa: We can win 10 million yen for just 100,000 yen with this game.

Hayate: That's why I'mma tellin you this game is dangerous.

Miki: I don't get it. What's this leverage roullete?

Nagi: Explains it. You start with 100 hundred thousand yen, but the bet is 10 million yen and with each complete revolution, the debt becomes greater. (something like that)

Miki: I see, that's horrible ain't it?

Nagi: it's horrible

Hayate: Also, unlike a while ago, this roulete isn't even related to the gold.

Izumi: Wait, with 1 million yen, we can win 1 billion in this game, right?

Hayate and Nagi: Ayup

Nagi: You be pinpointing one number out of 36 (explains more stuff about how roulete works)

Izumi: So with 10 million yen

Maria: There's a 50% probability of obtaining a 2 billion yen dividend, right?

Everyone: 0_0

Someone: Wa-wai?

Maria: I'm the last boss, right?

Review: First of all, depending on your timezone, it might still be the birthday of mai waifu in your area: so go greet Nagi Sanzenin (December 3) a happy birthday right now, you!

Third time we've seen this panel so far.

So after all the excitement generated by the "bomb" imminently going off between Nagi and Hayate, the last few chapters seem to have been written specifically to de-escalate the serious implications of this scenario.

This chapter is no different with both Hayate and Nagi agreeing that the plot is steadily spiraling back towards "gag manga space." To add to that, this chapter was definitely geared primarily towards comedy with the inclusion of the Hakuo Baka-trio and a particular emphasis on Izumi's naivete.

Someone has noted this before (and it wasn't me), but unlike Risa and Miki, Izumi is never malicious and is often just a victim of circumstances when Hayate associates her with the cockamamie antics of the other two. In fact, this chapter even goes out of its way to show us just how innocent and gullible Izumi can be when she is easily conned by the allure of winning more money in the cash games in this chapter which ultimately results in her incurring a 20 million yen debt. 

I like how Hayate and Nagi interact in this chapter. There is an implicit trust in-between the two of them. It's almost as if they knew what the other would be thinking in a particular situation -- which is rather ironic considering the fact that both are rather oblivious to the truth concerning their feelings for one another. Before you throw a tantrum, I'm just stating the obvious that Nagi thinks (by no fault of hers at this point in time) that Hayate is head over heels in love with her while Hayate is still totally oblivious to Nagi's feelings. Now this misunderstanding "bomb" between the two of them will need to be resolved in the future and it WILL be resolved as Hata has already laid out all the foreshadowing necessary to address this problem.

It's also a bit hard to gauge how Hayate really sees Nagi at this point. At times, he treats her like a little kid, especially when she's lazing around at home, but he does treat her with a little more respect and actually listens to what she has to say when it comes to matters requiring intellect and knowledge such as in this chapter. Don't forget that he also seems to have some degree of blind faith in her hacking skills back when he infiltrated Mikado's mansion to steal his King's Jewel. Yes, Yes, I know, naysayer-kun... he's just giving her respect that he should as his mistress yada yada~

Of course, I need to admit my mistake because I definitely thought that the "bomb" would be going off soon, but given the pacing of the last few chapters -- it seems we're still quite a ways off from the impending "explosion of negative emotions."

Still, we can't get ahead of ourselves here because this is Hata we are dealing with after all. He throws red herrings around like a last day clearance sale. In fact, it's quite possible that the re-use of that particular panel between Nagi and Hayate is being done intentionally to reiterate the importance of that moment when he suddenly springs the "bomb" on us when we least expect it.

I like how Maria was drawn here. Sparkling!
Also, Hayate, Nagi and Izumi's expressions are awesome!

Now as to Maria's appearance here. It's a bit amusing because I do remember being in a discussion in Doughnut Gunso's blog just a few chapters ago wherein I jokingly stated that Maria might actually be a real assassin. Someone commented that she could be the final boss -- and lo and behold! She declares herself to be exactly that in this chapter and appears from out of nowhere to boot.

Still, to be fair, this is not a totally random development. If you remember how Wataru and Saki were called in to be the judges in that Photo Contest orientation, it's quite possible that Kananiwa is actually acquainted with Maria (since she is a former prominent student of Hakuo) and she simply enlisted her services for this particular orientation to act as the host of sorts for this Leverage Roulette game.

Also, don't place too much faith in my translation of the roulette game. Go wait for the RHS Mangaconda release if you're looking for details and pro-level accuracy.



Fanart Corner: Hey! Check it out! Senpai noticed me again! Thank you for the retweet, Hata-sensei.

Happy Birthday Nagi Sanzenin - December 3

I am more entranced by your smile every year, Ojou-sama!

Just in case no one ever remembered, ya know what day it is? Why, it's only the birthday of my favorite character ever! She gets a fanart and this image using my various figures of her. Thank you for making such quirky, whimsical and ultimately enchanting little kawaii loli twin-tailed otaku, Hata-sensei. 

I've been playing "Child of Light" recently.