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Hayate's first and second seasons are undoubtedly different, and other than the second acknowledging the first in its title, have very little to do with one another. This is fine, since I always had to consider the manga and anime to be separate (but both very good) works.
Now, the first season, which I saw before I really knew anything about the manga, both prompted me to get that manga and be especially excited about this season going in. As much as I love the first season, it's undeniable that it largely skipped on the plot, offering only occasional two-episode plots that always ended with the status quo being restored. It was the type of series that the first was, for better or worse, and I enjoyed it for that. Indeed, I still consider it to be one of the greatest anime comedies of all time, both for the great cast and the irreverence with which it treated them and its glimmers of plot.
But when I got the manga, I saw something more that was not in the first season, its divergence from the plot therein aside. These characters, which I had fallen in love with over the past year, not only had the traits and ability to play off each other that I found appealing in the first place, but actual depth. I wanted to see that depth animated, and was incredibly hopeful to see some variant of the terrific Hinagiku/Ayumu story in the manga animated.
The second season, as news came out, both promised JC Staff taking the reins (a move I was anxious about) and hinted at following the manga much more closely (something I was skeptical of and happy for all at once). And, indeed, the story backed up all the way to the divergence point of the first season, revised the timeline, and went off on the plot thread I (and many other manga readers) wanted to see from the outset.
Now, JC Staff certainly stumbled in their early handling of the series, and there was definitely a disconnect evident from the start. I think this season suffered because they did skip over chapters, both those that Synergy SP did in season one (the Saki Arranged Marriage chapter that was done in S1 was right after the Hinagiku Birthday arc, for example) and ones that remain undone (a rather amusing chapter centering around Hayate getting trapped in a restaurant with the series' money-grubbers and later a robber) in favor of more or less straight plot.
The manga shines because it has a balance between its plot and more humor-centric chapters, especially in this stretch of more melodrama, which had a lot of one-shots scattered throughout to break the tension, but less so here for whatever reason (episode budgeting). In large part, JC Staff was screwed over by the first season and by what they had to accomplish in the time they had. And, considering that they came in just under the wire in getting that plot fed through in a single season...I'll call it a "moderate success" in that regard.
It took JC Staff a while to find their footing on the franchise, but once they did, it was pretty damn good. And even the stuff before that point wasn't awful in my eyes.
Indeed, I found myself enjoying the series for what it was now rather than just wanting more of season one. There was less comedic gold than in the first season by a fair margin, but I still enjoyed myself a lot (in part because the character-driven stuff isn't anything I dislike even if I enjoy the comedy more) and will not mind another go at it by JC Staff.
No, it's not "one of the greatest anime comedies of all time" like the first season was. But I got character development and a decently interesting plot in exchange for less fluff. That's a fair trade in my book and I'm hopeful that JC Staff, having picked up an effective balance between the comedy and drama in the second half, will build on that experience for a third season. I'll be looking forward to it. 9/10
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