This is post number eight in a series of posts about story arcs in the Hayate no Gotoku manga.
Arc covered: Hinagiku's Birthday. (Yes, it is a single arc this time, mainly due to the glory and length of this single arc.)
Hinagiku's Birthday: A Long Arc
Includes chapters 87 - 98.
Includes two sub-arcs: Picking a Present for Hinagiku, covering chapters 87 - 89ish, and Hinamatsuri or Hina's Actual Birthday, covering chapters 92 - 98 .
Characters Introduced:
Hayate's Kindergarten Girlfriend (Ch. 88)
Kotetsu Segawa (Ch. 93)
Events/Major
Hayate begins looking for Hinagiku's present and meets Ayumu shopping; Hayate then saves Ayumu on her bike again. (Ch. 87)
Hayate talks about how he learned that he needs money before getting a girlfriend. (Ch. 88)
Hayate asks about Maria's birthday and some of her background is revealed. (Ch. 89)
Wataru, Hayate, and Ayumu realize they need to study for tests; Nagi, Isumi, and Maria are shown to be multilingual. (Ch. 90)
Hinagiku tells Hayate to not worry about a present so he can study; Hayate tries to cheer her up. (Ch. 91)
Sakuya releases the curse of the Hina dolls and Hayate is forced to wear female clothing. (Ch. 92)
Hayate's challenge to Hina is relayed, incorrectly, by Isumi; Hinagiku figures out that she is dissatisfied with the outcome of the marathon with help from Father Regeoster. (Ch. 93)
Nagi is kidnapped by Kotetsu. (Ch. 94)
Hayate cuts through the festival so that he can save Nagi, accepting his punishment of clothes. (Ch. 95)
Hayate finally goes to meet with Hinagiku, a couple hours late. (Ch. 96)
Hinagiku gets angry and fights Hayate, but her emotions get the best of her and she ends up crying. (Ch. 97)
Hayate gives the cookies to Hina and Hinagiku confesses that she is adopted and her original parents abandoned her and Yukiji. (Ch. 98)
Hayate takes Hinagiku out on the terrace and Hinagiku realizes she loves Hayate. (Ch. 98)
Events/Minor
Ayumu dreams about when she first met Hayate. (Ch. 87)
Everybody contemplates what to get Hina. (Ch. 88)
Hinagiku joins everybody in the shopping district. (Ch. 88)
Hayate gives his presents for Nagi and Maria to them. (Ch. 89)
Hayate decides to make biscuits/cookies for Hina's birthday. (Ch. 90)
Hinagiku starts having dreams about Hayate. (Ch. 91)
Hinagiku begins pondering whether she actually likes Hayate. (Ch. 92)
Hayate runs into Kotetsu Segawa. (Ch. 93)
Kotetsu learns from Izumi that Hayate is a guy. (Ch. 94)
Nagi gives a watch to Hinagiku. (Ch. 94)
Maria figures out where Nagi is. (Ch. 95)
Hinagiku's party truly begins with her singing a song. (Ch. 95)
Nagi lectures Kotetsu on why he sucks. (Ch. 96)
Hayate comes for Nagi and Nagi scares the curse away from Hayate. (Ch. 96)
Isumi reveals why she said weapons were allowed in the note and convinces Father that she knows what she is doing. (Ch. 97)
Commentary
This arc is honestly one of my favorite arcs in the manga. This arc is the arc that I consider as the reason I became a fan of this series. The first couple chapters are nice as they cover a variety of topics with Hayate's relationship with Ayumu and hints about some later chapters with Hayate's first girlfriend being the most important. I also like the fact that Hayate and Ayumu come up with better birthday present ideas for Hinagiku than Miki. I also like the chapters that are a preview of how Hayate is going to have to study and the fact that some of Maria's background is addressed after Hayate's shopping trip. The best part of the arc though, is Hinagiku's actual birthday. It begins with Hayate wearing feminine clothing and builds up to the pinnacle of the arc, chapter 98 called "The Heady Feeling of Freedom." That entire chapter is quite fantastic with Hinagiku exploring her abandonment issues with Hayate and Hayate inadvertently causing Hinagiku to realize that she loves him by taking her to see the grounds at night from the top of the clock tower. The time on the balcony also has pretty good dialogue which I will write down here to illustrate a high point in the manga.
Hayate: When we first met, you showed me this view. I do not know the reason, there might not have been one in the first place. Through someone's eyes, they might be very miserable and there might be a deep wound in their heart. But . . . Right here . . . Right now. . . this is not a bad feeling, right?
Hinagiku: (thinking) Ah . . . I . . . understand now. I . . . have fallen in love with him. If I start to love him . . . I might forget. I don't know why, but I was afraid of forgetting it. (speaking) I . . . really am . . . an idiot.
Hayate: Huh?
Hinagiku: There was this view, right beside me, yet I was too afraid to see it. . .
Hayate: Are you still afraid?
Hinagiku: Yes . . . but . . . this feeling isn't so bad.
This is the scene that causes me to fall in love with the series again every time I read it or see it animated, especially because there is a possible double meaning to Hina's second to last line. She could be talking about the actual view from the tower, a romantic view of Hayate, or both the tower and Hayate.
End
(For information about some terms used within refer to the glossary, the first post of April 2013.)
Postscript: So this database entry begins the week of daisies which will feature an episode write-up on Monday, another write-up later and will end with a database entry on Saturday, which will mark my logging of the first 100 chapters. And yes, reader, this arc is definitely in my list of top arcs in the manga and is in contention for being my favorite animated arc so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment