Hayate no Gotoku manga (raw discussion only)

[MCAL]

Been re-reading the Athena arc lately to remind me how good Hata-sensei's drama could be. That ending always gets to me (You know the one where Hayate and Athena said they 'loved' each other).

It also makes me hate Manglobe even more now if you get what I am saying...

[AstroNerdBoy]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

I will amend what i said,

Hata will reset everyone but Nagi's relationship with Hayate after the arc is over to the status quote.

Sadly, I can see that happening as well. I'd like Hina and the others to move forward as well, but that kind of thing tends to kill comedy tropes.

Originally Posted by GDB

But the drama is being built up that Nagi might lose Hayate, and that it's a very real risk at this point. Except if we already know the conclusion, which is that she doesn't, then how is there any drama? It's merely a conflict of which we need resolution, but there's no drama.

I know what you are saying. For me, the drama comes from, "How does she NOT lose Hayate?"

Originally Posted by MCAL

It also makes me hate Manglobe even more now if you get what I am saying...

I do indeed.

[madmac]

since the anime is a continuation of the manga after summer, was there anything in the anime that said this is ending soon?

In the anime specifically not as such. It's just the atmosphere I get from it, not feeling like they need to constantly reset everything or keep a balance so they can keep the gags coming.

The manga is a different story. He already had Hayate flat-out say he didn't think it would be long now, (While showing Dec 24 on the calender). and there was an Omake several months back where he has Nagi say she didn't think it would even make it to 50 volumes. It's at 38 now, so that's not as long as you think.

Plus stuff he's said on his blog/twitter in the past. It's just a strong impression I get that he's working towards ending it more then worrying about how he can stretch things out.

Sadly, I can see that happening as well. I'd like Hina and the others to move forward as well, but that kind of thing tends to kill comedy tropes.

Honestly, aside from Ruka (and Nagi obviously) I don't think there's been any progress for other characters in this arc to reset. I think we'll get something like closure for Ruka and then perhaps in the next (last?) big arc the other girls will get a chance to move forward in some way.

But the drama is being built up that Nagi might lose Hayate, and that it's a very real risk at this point. Except if we already know the conclusion, which is that she doesn't, then how is there any drama? It's merely a conflict of which we need resolution, but there's no drama.

I know what you're saying, but it's just a preference thing I think. I'm happy to soak in the drama of the moment without fretting too much that the hero does have a rather lopsided win ratio in his favor over villains and so on.

Granted if the author gets so predictable that there's never any surprises that's a problem, but Hata keeps me on my toes so no issue there.

As for Manglobe, I don't think the Athens Arc was ever on the table with them, if only for time/budget reasons. I do have my (rather long) list of gripes but I don't really think that one was their fault specifically.

[MCAL]

Well now I feel bad for Maria. Damn you Hata! Pulling my emotions all over the place!

[madmac]

Looooove the magazine cover and the color pages this week. It's a great chapter as well and it looks like we're finally jumping to competition day next week. It's been a hell or a ride getting to this point, and I'm looking forward to it.

Well now I feel bad for Maria. Damn you Hata! Pulling my emotions all over the place!

Seriously, that was so unexpected and harsh. It makes sense though. If the day is going to come where Nagi doesn't need Hayate to be her butler then that applies just as much to Maria and she'll need to start preparing for it.

[Seitsuki]

Soooo basically..."fuck logic, progression and good writing, I'm the protagonist! God himself is on my side!"

How meta.

[madmac]

Soooo basically..."fuck logic, progression and good writing, I'm the protagonist! God himself is on my side!"

So meta.

I don't think we read the same chapter.

What Nagi says in the chapter goes all the way back to the beginning of this arc, and arguably even earlier. She doesn't start over because that's just how protagonists roll. She does it because she has something she has to prove to herself, and nobody else.

If she pulls through and manages to put together a good manga I don't think Nagi would even care if she loses to Ruka, because the contest doesn't mean anything. Doing one thing on her own that proves that she's her own unique person and not just a nobody who was lucky enough to be born rich is the only thing she's thinking about right now.

Chiharu was getting awfully meta this chapter but her line of thought has nothing to do with what Nagi was thinking.

Hata (according to tvtropes) supposedly said that a Maria-centric arc would come towards the end, so maybe we've just had a taste of what's to come.

I saw him say it on twitter, it's true. In context someone was asking him about the connection between Maria and Athena (Magic Mirror scene) and he basically said it would be explained but not until near the end of the manga, ect.

[mitsuganae]

Hata (according to tvtropes) supposedly said that a Maria-centric arc would come towards the end, so maybe we've just had a taste of what's to come.

In many ways this was a conventional "getting over a funk" chapter, but it's good to see Nagi saying that she's doing what she's doing for her own sake and not Hayate's. It's a refreshing change from the usual "romantic" blahblah.

And no Hina "service" this time. Woohoo!

[aldw]

This chapter reminded me why I like Athena so much despite having many similarities to Nagi (born rich, dead parents etc.) is how she is able to decide and act on something, which shows her strength of character. This is something Nagi only now realizes for herself here, better late than never I suppose.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by MCAL

Well now I feel bad for Maria. Damn you Hata! Pulling my emotions all over the place!

It's a lucky parent that sees her child grow up. The alternatives are worse.

[GlassesLady]

So what do you think Nagi's chance of finishing the manga by the deadline are? She's still exhausted from all the work that went into the now discarded manuscript, after all. Or is she just going to work at her own pace and not worry about making the competition now?

[madmac]

So what do you think Nagi's chance of finishing the manga by the deadline are? She's still exhausted from all the work that went into the now discarded manuscript, after all. Or is she just going to work at her own pace and not worry about making the competition now?

She'll probably manage. Drawing ~25 pages in three days is extremely rough, especially when she's already tired but not some impossible feat.

Her pace of drawing up until now has been extremely slow in large part because her mind has been so cluttered and distracted. She's also already written and drawn a large part of it so it should be less work to redraw and improve on it then if she was starting from nothing.

For what it's worth, here's one of the flash forward bits from HIAPOE.

Spoiler for Screenie:

(Ignore the subtitles. Apparently I didn't have a picture saved so I just grabbed one from wherever.)

[GlassesLady]

Originally Posted by madmac

HIAPOE

At first I was like "wut" but then I realised you meant the movie. Damn these inordinately long acronyms. :P

... Nagi looks kind of dead in that shot. But it's not from the chapters we just got, since the pages are all neatly hung up rather than ink-splattered, so... ?

[madmac]

In many ways this was a conventional "getting over a funk" chapter, but it's good to see Nagi saying that she's doing what she's doing for her own sake and not Hayate's. It's a refreshing change from the usual "romantic" blahblah.

Agreed. I think Nagi's realization here is given some extra weight by the fact that it's not an ass-pull, but actually true to her character and how this whole ball got rolling to begin with. This entire long summer arc was never about who was going to win Hayate, or beating the nefarious Ruka, it was always about Nagi (and Ruka, to an extent.) finding herself and discovering what she really wanted and what made her "special."

She just let herself get distracted from it all along the way. Thus the title "I Have To Be Me." It's a bit simple, but it works well because of that. Now that the climax is reached, time to see what added surprises await. The more mysterious/magical side of this arc has barely been touched on yet.

... Nagi looks kind of dead in that shot. But it's not from the chapters we just got, since the pages are all neatly hung up rather than ink-splattered, so... ?

It's one of four screens, I just wasn't going to post all of them. We see Nagi working hard, then crashing out/being woken up again by Chiharu, and then selling her doujin at the event. I'm pretty sure it all takes place immediately after this chapter.

[Kakurin]

Little Alice-chan is surprisingly sharp.

[AstroNerdBoy]

Originally Posted by madmac

Seriously, that was so unexpected and harsh. It makes sense though. If the day is going to come where Nagi doesn't need Hayate to be her butler then that applies just as much to Maria and she'll need to start preparing for it.

It is ironic, considering how at one point, Nagi was pondering the day when Maria would meet a guy and leave Nagi's service.

Originally Posted by Seitsuki

Soooo basically..."fuck logic, progression and good writing, I'm the protagonist! God himself is on my side!"

How meta.

Originally Posted by madmac

I don't think we read the same chapter.

That's was what I was thinking. *lol*

Originally Posted by mitsuganae

Hata (according to tvtropes) supposedly said that a Maria-centric arc would come towards the end, so maybe we've just had a taste of what's to come.

I saw him say it on twitter, it's true. In context someone was asking him about the connection between Maria and Athena (Magic Mirror scene) and he basically said it would be explained but not until near the end of the manga, ect.

Considering how Maria was found as an infant on Christmas Eve and pseudo-adopted by the Sanzenin family, it doesn't surprise me that her story will come in late like that. After all, Hayate promised to get her an amazing present for her birthday. ^_^

Originally Posted by aldw

This chapter reminded me why I like Athena so much despite having many similarities to Nagi (born rich, dead parents etc.) is how she is able to decide and act on something, which shows her strength of character. This is something Nagi only now realizes for herself here, better late than never I suppose.

Character growth. ^_^

Originally Posted by GlassesLady

So what do you think Nagi's chance of finishing the manga by the deadline are? She's still exhausted from all the work that went into the now discarded manuscript, after all. Or is she just going to work at her own pace and not worry about making the competition now?

I think I mentioned earlier that I saw a similar "got to make a deadline" story happen in School Rumble. So yeah, I think she'll do it and make the competition by the skin of her teeth. Maria can keep the coffee coming. *nods*

Originally Posted by GlassesLady

... Nagi looks kind of dead in that shot. But it's not from the chapters we just got, since the pages are all neatly hung up rather than ink-splattered, so... ?

It is a flashback in the movie; a flash forward for where we currently are in the manga.

Originally Posted by madmac

It's one of four screens, I just wasn't going to post all of them. We see Nagi working hard, then crashing out/being woken up again by Chiharu, and then selling her doujin at the event. I'm pretty sure it all takes place immediately after this chapter.

That's my impression as well.

[ChampDream]

It look like Maria didn't see that coming, well at least Nagi is better now.

[Shinhwa]

Best end = Ruka vs Nagi = a draw

[GlassesLady]

Originally Posted by madmac

It's one of four screens, I just wasn't going to post all of them. We see Nagi working hard, then crashing out/being woken up again by Chiharu, and then selling her doujin at the event. I'm pretty sure it all takes place immediately after this chapter.

Okay, so she does make the event, then.

... On an unrelated note, I went and totaled up all the King's Jewel/magic circle symbols we've seen before... there's actually 13 of them. Whoops?

[Nochgo]

So, I take a break for about a year from reading the manga (stopped after that mysterious room with the coffin mini-arc), hoping the doujinshi competition is over. Lo and behold, it is not. Has there been any good Hinagiku (or non Nagi/Luka/doujinshi) arcs in the past 50 or so chapters? OR has the doujishi arc become interesting?