HAYATE THE COMBAT BUTLER, VOL. 34
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
MANGAKA: Kenjiro Hata
TRANSLATION: John Werry
LETTERS: John Hunt
EDITOR: Shaenon K. Garrity
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0566-5; paperback (September 2019); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Hayate the Combat Butler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenjiro Hata. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine from October 2004 to April 2017. VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Sunday” imprint since November 2006.
Hayate the Combat Butler focuses on Hayate Ayasaki. He begins working to pay off his degenerate parents' gambling debts when he is nine. Before they disappear, his parents sell their son’s organs to the yakuza to cover their debts. Hayate is working various part-time jobs to pay off the debts when fate brings Hayate to teenage heiress, Nagi Sanzenin a/k/a “Ojô-sama.” She is the frequent target of kidnapping plots and of various schemes by people trying to get her money. Hayate becomes Ojô-sama’s butler, zealously protecting her, while she falls in love with him.
Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 34 finds Nagi declaring that her dedicated maid, Maria Kyobashi a.k.a. Maria-san, is being a nag. Nagi is determined to find some dirt on Maria-san – something she can use against her, so she sends Hayate to do her dirty work. But does Maria have a dark side, and can Hayate find it even if she does?
Next, there is a wave of new residents at the old mansion that Hayate and company have turned into a boarding house. First, learn the story of pop idol, Ruka Suirenji, who wants to be a manga creator. However, her management agency practically owns her, and they don't want their pop star drawing manga as a new career. So to escape them, Ruka moves in with Hayate and friends. That makes Ayumu Nishizawa, who loves Hayate, jealous, as she sees Ruka as a rival. Now, Ayumu wants to move into the boarding house, but can this financially-strapped high school girl afford $400 a month rent?
The need for more rooms leads Hayate and company to a possible “mystery room.” What is this mystery room, and why is it protected by a magical barrier?
[This volume includes a bonus manga, four-panel comics, and art.]
THE LOWDOWN: I have managed to read the Hayate the Combat Butler manga three times this calendar year. There are usually several months or even a year-long gap in my readings of the series, but I am always happy to return.
Hayate the Combat Butler Graphic Novel Volume 34 is the reason I keep coming back. Vol. 34 is one of the series' best entries, and it exemplifies creator Kenjiro Hata's deft touch with magical elements. The “Mystery Room” story arc takes up eight of this volume's 11 chapters. It brings elements of magic and mystery to the narrative, which are a break from the sameness of recent volumes. There are also some allusions to a previous story arc in which regular readers may find delight.
As usual, John Werry provides a sparkling translation which captures the freshness of Vol. 34. Letterer John Hunt's spry fonts capture the fun of magical powers and supernatural characters that abound in this volume. So, let's get to the next volume.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers looking for comedy can find laughs in the “Shonen Sunday” manga, Hayate the Combat Butler.
A
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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