Hayate no Gotoku!
Hayate the Combat Butler

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In a timeless romance one of the most somber things you’ll realize is that one of you will live to see the death of the other. I was 16 years old when I picked up Hayate and realized, hey, this character is the same age as me. As I grew older I came to my own realization that Hayate will continue to be 16 forever. I will be going through life while Hayate, poor Hayate, will still be attempting to pay off his debt and power through the silliest adventures you can think of. In a world where the parody genre is dominated by Gintama, ... Hayate keeps breathing through the will of its ever aging fanbase.

Unlike recent titles, this manga does not change to bring more fans. It does not take a stab into the food of conformism but ignores and stays pure to its fanbase. Every arc will be a rush of euphoria as you start remembering how you spend your childhood. Maybe you spent your childhood playing B-Daman or watching Pokemon. Hayate reminds you of those precious moments with its own brand of slapstick comedy.

If you want a comedy which has quick paced plot progression this is not for you. This piece is not for those who want to look at something nice, this is for those who want to remember. With constant reminders and fourth-wall busting you’ll find something you can relate to.

Lets start off with the main protagonist: Hayate. Hayate is a happy go-lucky kid who fell in some bad times. This does not deter our protagonist. He will do anything, and I mean anything, to pay off his debt and finally live a normal teenage life. He is not spiteful of the people who have brought him into these bad times either. “Good things come to people who work hard” someone told him.

Nagi is our second main protagonist: a tsundere (yes a tsundere) girl who is the sole heiress to a massive fortune. Hayate recognized her immediately as “having money.” It would be a mistake to say that she's not the median that keeps the waving plot going. After falling in love with a Hayate in his attempt to trick her, he then signs on as her butler.

Can I describe the other characters? Probably not. Not without any bias. Everyone has their own taste in the characters but I found the characters to be the best part of the entire series. You will learn to love, hate, and admire characters as you dive in and become consumed by them. You wish you could meet them in real life and maybe you even go as far as imagining them as your friend. This comes as no surprise as I often wished that I could share a beer Hayate. This does not mean I don't want to strangle him and to knock him out. Those condescending feelings are thoughts you get after experiencing someone for years.

Most people struggle to relate to most shounen characters. The amount of plot armor and asspulls found in shounens are some of its flaws found in the genre. Yes, this is a problem of this manga too as it grows apparent that the author needs popular character relevant. Out of all the crazy and maniacal things that happen, your forehead will scrunch as you realize "Hmm. This isn't right." The manga holds for dear life as you hope that a chapter has relevant plot material.

It becomes increasingly relevant halfway through the manga that the story's worst enemy is not one of the crazy antagonists but the author himself. Every attempt to bring suspense into the story comes to a screeching halt as the suspense is overwritten and the last arc was completely irrelevant to the story itself. You'll also find that the author will begin to force things down your throat and tell you "You better like it. I just cooked it up." The author forcing things became very apparent as Hayate started become aware of the romantic feelings around you. This often happens with the harem genre as the fanbase conducts waifu wars.

As I held for dear life every week I often wondered if this manga will ever end.

Now that I'm here at the end I can't find the courage to close my laptop and say goodbye.

I can't recommend this anime to a 16 year old. I just can't. You'll find that you'll even have to Google some of the references that come up. Even I had to Google a good amount. But to a fellow 26 year old I'll definitely bring up the title with a smile to my face. Remember, art wasn't meant to look nice. Its purpose to make you feel something. I have to say that it definitely made me feel something as I went through schooling, finding a job, and other adult things with Hayate awaiting me every week for another grand story.

This is a very bias review.
Hayate no Gotoku was one of the first manga I've ever read, dated all the way back in 2007, when it only had 100-ish chapters. I didn't read every week, I believe I took a 2 years break just so that I can read all of them at once. Regardless, It's like my child you know.
After 10 odd years with 570 chapters, it ended.

To the actual story, Hayate no Gotoku is about an unlucky guy, with many odd talents (especially with woman), who fall into debt by his parents and was taken in by a super rich lady to ... be her butler. Or something like that.
The sypnopsis really doesn't matter, if you read it, you'll know it eventually. What really matter is that it's a comedy, slice of life, gag manga.

It was fun, a lot of fun. I still remember falling off my chair from laughing, and my dad burst in asking if I'm ok. And like many other long running show, it eventually get off the comedy and be serious at some point (570 chapters of just comedy is impossible after all). The first 2 serious arcs was amazing. But at it core, it's a comedy still, so don't expect an action-pack seri just because the title have "Combat" in it.

Of course, it had it up and down, some arcs are just not that great, some chapters are just not that funny. But at the end of the day, I'm happy with what I got, it was a great ride, and I'm sure I'd read it again someday (570 chapters probably only take 2-3 weeks if I'm taking my time).

If you're deciding whether to read it or not, just read it. It could be a bit of a commitment, but i'm sure you would get something out of it.

On the side note, lot of people complain about the ending. But to me, it's surprisingly adequate. I've seen desasterous endings, and Hayate no Gotoku is nowhere near that. It's quite sufficient in my opinion. Could've expend a bit more, but I don't mind.

Jesus Christ, I finally finished this 500+ manga and it only took me 7 months to do so.
Anyway, I watched the Hayate anime a few years ago which is why I of course decided to check out the manga out of curiosity. I'm not a huge fan of the series like I am with other romance harems like Rosario Vampire and Heaven's Lost Property but I enjoyed the series to a certain extent.

Story: 6
Hayate's story is a very mixed bag. It starts out well with the idea of a Hayate being abandonded by his parents on Christmas Eve and taking on their debt ... which leads to him becoming a butler of the most richest girl in the world. It's a cool and unique idea that works out well. After the first chapter though, its just mixed for about 30-40 chapters. Some of the jokes don't land as well as they do later on and the writing isn't anything great. It gets better as it goes on but the manga does have a noticeable slow/whatever beginning.
Around chapter 100 or so the chapters become much more consistent in terms of quality. The quality however is usually just good/fine. The story isn't the series' strongest point but it works. There are some noteworthy arcs that do stick out as the better ones such as the Golden Week, School Trip Level 5, the final arc. But by far the greatest arc of them all is The End of The World which is honestly just amazing and shocked me by just how well written and enjoyable it was to read. I loved every minute of it, but sadly its only at most 20 chapters out of 570.
One of the stories biggest flaws would have to be its pacing. Again, this is 570 chapters which is also 52 volumes. That is an insane amount of chapters for a romantic comedy. There is a noticeable amount of "filler" within the series and although some of it is enjoyable and could be meaningful, the way in which it is presented just feels like filler most of the time. I would say at least 100 or so chapters could be cut out and the manga would work just as well as it does. This really doesn't have to be 500+ chapters long, and I know I keep complaining and bringing this up but this really is a big problem for me.
This might go in the "Art" section but when referring to pacing, the art/manga itself is also to blame for this. For about half of the manga or about the first 300 chapters or so, the chapters themselves feel longer than they are/should be. There are usually too many panels or text on a page which makes the chapters drag on. This is fixed much later on but the pacing still isn't amazing or anything.
Considering the length of the series, progression is a very important factor and the manga doesn't seem to progress that well. There's character development, story changes, etc. but the filler chapters just really put everything to a sudden stop. I never felt as though I was getting anywhere with the main story at certain points. It isn't nearly as big as a problem as the others I mentioned but its something noteworthy. Mainly a miss opportunity I noticed was Hayate's debt. I would've love to seen his debt go down every once in awhile but it doesn't get resolved until much MUCH later on. Imagine seeing it drop from $150 to something like $120 even. It's just something I really think could've worked well.

Art: 7
Hayate's art isn't anything mind blowing, I'll say that for sure. The series ran for 13+ years and the art actually got better as time went on. The art in the beginning wasn't anything too special but it wasn't bad. The style changes as the series goes on and the change is for the better. Besides the style, the character designs are good, the backgrounds are well drawn, no problems there. Considering it ran for over a decade, the amount of consistent quality it retained is quite impressive. Even mangas such as Dragon Ball which I adore the art of, fell in quality towards the end of its run even though it still looked amazing at its worse.

Characters: 7
The series' strongest point is easily its cast of lovable characters. Hayate may not be great but he's an enjoyable main protagonist. There isn't anything wrong or wind blowing in terms of the characters, they're all just entertaining and enjoyable. Also Hinagiku is best girl, followed by Athena.

Enjoyment: 6
I may have explained some of my enjoyment in the "Story" sectioned but overall I did enjoy Hayate, although I wouldn't say I loved it. Again, this could've easily been 100 chapters less and probably only been maybe 350 at most.
Hayate's comedy is good, I will give it that. I got a decent amount of laughs, and even the filler chapters that I complained about and felt as though they are unnecessary were still enjoyable to a certain extent. It may not be the funniest comedy out there but it does work well and most of the jokes were successes.
As mentioned, I would've enjoyed the manga more if the pacing/manga itself was more organized. The chapters dont fly by as other mangas like Chobits or Elfen Lied which makes them feel longer than they should be.

Overall: 6
If I sound like I dislike Hayate, well I actually don't. I actually enjoyed my time reading this manga. Hayate is a good manga overall, but had the potential to be a solid one at the very least. If the chapters flew by quicker and the material was cut down by half, this could've been a pretty solid manga. But enough with what ifs. Hayate the Combat Butler is a long, but enjoyable manga that I...kind of recommend. I honestly can't recommend this to everyone easily. The length is just way too long with the quality only being just good. If anything I can only recommend this to those who have a large amount of free time and to those who are fans of comedies. This isn't much of a harem or romance honestly. But yeah, Hayate is good, just good.