Hayate no Gotoku 24 – At Last! Character humor!

Some days are just worse than others. As are some episodes of this show.

I’m still watching this show? Indeed, I am, mostly out of habit more than anything else. It has been a long while since the humor has been truly inspired, with every decent episode often followed by a mediocre filler one (every single one of the robot ones). Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei also stole the crown of “awesome pomo comedy” this season. Which is why it was a pleasant surprise to find, so late into the season, something of a return to form and what made me hype this show all those months ago when it first began.


Lately I’ve discovered I’m pretty much a sucker for two things–romantic comedic slapstick (see: Zero no Tsukaima and the S&M TSUNDERE WHIP OF HAPPINESS), and character-oriented humor where good character schticks happen over and over again. We get plenty of that here, with most of the principal cast getting enough screen time to do their thing–except, of course, poor Nishizawa, once again relegated to being the obligatory sponsor screencap at the end.

You just do NOT know girls, do you?

The funniest part for me was all the plays on the “suki” and “aishteru” and all the misunderstandings that developed. Predictable? Probably. A wonderful chance to unleash patented Rie Kugiyama tsuntsun jealousy? Absolutely.

And that’s what happens when you don’t.

Though not before we get some ridiculously over-the-top dereness too!

Oh, to be a thirteen year old girl again.

And of course, we get some of what made this show special in the first place: only a show like this would dare to put together Bono and Haruhi-sama. And is that the Gurren-Lagann robot I see in the next episode preview? A lot of this constant referencing was beginning to look rather desperate at one point, and I seem to enjoy it more when it’s mostly kept in the background.

Jeez, they sure made Bono look old.

Manga readers: I take it this is some sort of plot mini-arc that isn’t a filler? I have read elsewhere that it is Hinagiku, not Isumi, who starts the real plot wheels in this story. But this story has, well, actual movement, actual “ugly conflict” as the narrator says. And what’s the deal with the cat story at the end? At first I thought it was a parody of Makoto Shinkai’s “She and Her Cat” but that doesn’t work.

Author: gendomike

Michael lives in the Los Angeles area, and has been into anime since he saw Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1999. Some of his favorite shows include Full Metal Alchemist, Honey and Clover, and Welcome to the NHK!. Since 2003 he has gone to at least one anime convention every year. A public radio junkie, which naturally led to podcasting, he now holds a seminary degree and is looking to become Dr. Rev. Otaku Bible Man any day now. Michael can be reached at mike.huang@animediet.net. You can also find his Twitter account at @gendomike.

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