What They Say:
Kenjiro Hata, notable for creating Hayate the Combat Butler, also created the new series Hayate the Combat Butler! Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. In this series, Hayate Ayasaki continues to work alongside Maria at the Nagi Sanzenin’s mansion. Nagi receives a call from “Area 51” inviting her to the universe but will she accept?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While the original series for Hayate the Combat Butler wasn’t something I was a huge fan of, it was a series that I liked well enough and saw what was released from Bandai Entertainment. So I was enthused when I was able to watch the simulcast for the Can’t take My Eyes Off You season that aired in the fall, being able to experience it in smaller doses first hand. Unfortunately, as much as I tried to get into that series, it felt so off key and difficult to get though that it became one of my most disliked series in full of the last few years. So with the announcement, and now broadcast, of the new series subtitled Cuties with mostly the same people behind it, there’s a huge sense of trepidation over it.
Not surprisingly, we only get the briefest of blurbs at the start to highlight the situation that Hayate is in when it comes to how he’s working for Nagi, paying off a huge debt, and is basically one highly capable butler. One that has to deal with an array of women that are in the residence and outside as well. Hayate’s the epitome of a good guy that’s easy to like and as the head maid Maria notes, he’s quite popular with the girls. We get a good run through of several of them early on as he tries to get Nagi up and going, but she’s obviously a pill to get moving in the mornings and some things do not change no matter the season. Though things are kind of light in the first half, we get a basic introduction to several of the girls and the problems Hayate has to deal with, especially when it comes to Nagi and her desire to play games rather than deal with upcoming exams.
With a very laid back feeling for much of it, the show spends its time with everyone essentially hanging out at different time and going through their motions, at least until a wave of “sickness” spreads into the house and they all end up staying home. Hayate, of course, does the right thing and takes care of everyone, but it’s no surprise that he starts to come down with the cold as well and it’s threatening him and his own exams that are coming up. Maria’s the only one that really pays attention to all of this though as the others are mostly oblivious, and it’s good to see that he does have someone like her in the group to make sure that he doesn’t get too extended himself.
In Summary:
After the travesty that the previous series was, Cuties is set up with low expectations on my part. Which is why an episode that is largely about nothing manages to actually come across well since it’s not just a weird and almost insulting piece of work. With Hayate as the main focus here and basic introductions and nods made towards the various girls, we get a story that shows the lengths Hayate goes to in order to make sure everyone is well taken care of, even at his own expense. There are some fun gags along the way and a good smattering of humorous bits, but the opening episode here is pretty mild overall with simple moments, quiet characters for a lot of it and a very laid back and almost realistic approach to things that’s kind of surprising. After the previous series, this one could only go up, and it’s done so, but mostly because I’m afraid of how much lower it could actually sink.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
