Slapstick comedy, girl-girl love, word puns, and cute girls make this a series most comedic fans should be reading.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shizuru Hayashiya
What They Say
When Hayate first arrived at Tenchi Academy, it was just as a temporary fill-in for her injured twin sister Nagi. Now a student in her own right, Hayate and her new sister-in-arms Ayana, are ready to show their dueling prowess and take the Hoshitori by storm! However, things aren’t going quite so well for Hayate’s roommate Momoka, who may be thrown out of Tenchi Academy if she doesn’t defeat her best-friend Riona’s abusive partner Ouka in an officially-sanctioned duel.
Meanwhile, Hayate and Ayana have troubles of their own as they race to save the orphanage where Hayate grew up from a mountain of debt before the yakuza come to collect. Not only that, but as Sports Day approaches, Hayate must learn a vital lesson—that when push comes to shove, even a new friend could turn out to be your worst enemy…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I am very glad to see this volume branch out to explore other characters while maintaining the high-energy comedy seen in the first volume. Hayate’s roommate, Momoka, is the first secondary character to receive some character development. It has thus far been a mystery as to why Momoka has remained a Lone Wolf sword bearer. It seems her childhood friend, Riona, is a year older, so she entered Tenchi Academy before Momoka, but was unable to stay unpaired until Momoka could join her. This would not have been the end of the world if it weren’t for the constant beatings Riona receives from her Sister-in-Arms, Ouka. Momoka swears she will partner with no one until she can defeat Ouka in a duel and take Riona for her own Sister-in-Arms. Can Momoka defeat the underhanded tactics of Ouka and finally rescue her best friend Riona?
Hayate’s hilarious antics aren’t far behind as her new ‘friend’ Sou tries some underhanded tricks. Sou’s Sister-in-Arms, Mizuchi, is the daughter of the gangster trying to steal the land owned by Hayate’s former orphanage. Mizuchi has some mysterious deep-seated hatred for Ayana and is all too happy to follow her mother’s order to destroy Ayana and Hayate. This would affectively nullify their ability to help the orphanage pay the gangsters demands. Sou becomes a mole that befriends Hayate and finds all her weaknesses before giving her a spiked energy drink before her matches. Hayate falls asleep on Ayana during the match, leading to one of this volume’s funniest moments as Ayana swings Hayate around like a human sword to defeat their opponents.
Not to be missed, this volume has plenty of Hayate’s stupid antics and funny puns, enough to keep me laughing through most of the story. Add in plenty of characters, some character development, and plenty of quirky personality traits and we have a thoroughly enjoyable story with yuri undertones for those who prefer that aspect to their manga.
In Summary
Will Hayate be able to defeat her new friend Sou when their inevitable duel comes about? Why does Mizuchi hate Ayana? Will Momoka be able to make Riona her Sister-in-Arms, or will a creepy stalker change Momoka’s plans? Plenty of questions, tons of humor, and good art is making this a great series.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Seven Seas Entertainment
Release Date: February 3rd, 2009
MSRP: $10.99
