Hayate The Combat Butler Chapter 521: The End Of The Long Journey -- Synopsis And Review

Today is Hina Geeky's birthday, so... happy birthday! You fictional character, you.

Synopsis: Everyone's going home on the same plane and they talk about the happy memories they had during the trip. I couldn't care less what they're talking about.... especially with Aika and her butler-lover.

Hina's afraid of planes as usual. Nagi talks about how fun the trip was and how they went to the Jungle and Las Vegas. Next up will be Hayate's birthday, her birthday and then... Christmas (big smile). Hayate: (sorta sad, meaningful smile).

Everyone's asleep later on, Hayate and Hina have a short chat coz she can't sleep and stuff. Hina congratulates Hayate for being free now since he chose to be a butler all his own. She also says that this is going to be the start of his new life.

Meanwhile, the masterminds behind the King's Jewels plots are placed into dramatic panelization (Mikado, Himegami effin AOI, and Mikoto Tachibana) LOL! Also, the narration says that the end is starting~ or "this is the beginning of the end."

Review: This is really a transition chapter to put closure on the Level 5 School Trip arc more than anything else. We're shown that everyone more or less made good memories during this school trip.

Is it just me or has Nagi grown a little bit taller lately? I know she definitely looks more mature now with the new art style. More teenager than kid, so to speak.

More importantly, Hina is correct in stating that Hayate is now free from debt, so if he has obligated himself to be Nagi's butler again, this time, it's his own free choice. In any case, he chose to get involved with Nagi's world again and thus, he can't blame anyone for anything that might happen to him at this point on as he enters the holy grail war Royal Garden War. You could definitely argue that Mikoto basically forced him into his current role, but then again, whoever said he needed to accept her request? If his main goal is to protect Nagi, then what does she even have to do with the Royal Garden? Nah, man... he dug himself deeper into this on his own.

Anyway, I'm more interested in Nagi's attitude in this chapter. We're shown that she genuinely enjoyed the level 5 school trip arc even though there were a few hitches here and there -- echoing everyone else's sentiments. Furthermore, Hata has used her to specifically name drop several important events that will no doubt be taken up in this manga:
 

1. Hayate's Birthday (remember that she made a promise to buy him a wristwatch with money she earned from her part-time job)
2. Nagi's Birthday
3. Christmas (definitely very significant as this is the day they met)

Of course, we can't forget a certain goddess' birthday as well, even though Nagi failed to mention it since she's not even aware of it. Come to think of it, I don't think Hayate even knows.

It should also be noted that Maria has mentioned that her birthday is on Christmas Eve... although she seemed unsure when she mentioned this. That will definitely be significant later on.

After everything that's happened so far, will you really betray this smile, Hayate-kun?

If the last few panels are to be believed, then Mikado and Himegami (why the fuck is he Aoi?) will definitely play some pivotal roles as we go into the final arc.

It's been a fun many years with Hayate and the gang and now the manga has explicitly stated that this is the beginning of the end. There are definitely still many things to come and things to be excited for including Athena's eventual resurgence into significance and of course, the "bomb" between Hayate and Nagi -- how will it be resolved? 

Naturally, Hayate will inadvertently hurt Nagi's feelings but she'll be able to live through it given all her character developments so far and then Hayate will live happily ever after with A-tan because that's definitely some good storytelling right there, amirite?

Bitter sarcasm aside, I can't help feeling a bit sentimental as I read the last panel of this chapter. Hayate and all its characters have become a huge part of my life ever since I started reading this manga, specifically. Now that things are finally coming together for, what I expect to be a bittersweet yet beautiful finale, I can't help but tear up a little as I type this blog entry.

Liz has mentioned in the comments before that the manga might end at excactly volume 50 given Hata's penchant for long-term planning -- I'm inclined to believe this might be true.


Still... there are still many things to come, so watch out for it and try to keep the anti-Nagi sentiments (because for some reason, other shippers just feel that it's only right to attack Nagi before promoting their own ship) and ship-wars to a minimum, ok?

Fanart Corner: I've been flooded with requests from people asking me to draw them anime style lately (really, I should charge a fee for these) so I haven't been able to color any of the fanart I presented last time. However, here's a video of me speed-doodling Nagi on a mini whiteboard. Also, this is not the most efficient nor correct way to draw her. This is just one way of drawing her... and fast!