Hayate the Combat Butler Part 1 DVD - Bandai

After marathoning through the third box set of Bleach, its two movies and One Piece Season 2 Part 2 I wanted to do one of two things. Either picking up with Chrome Shelled Regios episode 20 or try Hayate the Combat Butler from Bandai. Regios is the more complex series and I'm having withdrawls already. However, despite a questionable release by Bandai, Hayate was certainly the best way to end my three day weekend (got Monday off).

The product itself is something I have to say is somewhat disappointing. I had presumed from the labeling and initial release of the series that this was a full "part" of the series. To be released in sets much like Funimation and TRSI as of late. At the very least something like the release of Towards the Terra and Code Geass Part 1 with two individual volumes packed together. However, it's just a single dvd case with a single dvd. I'm not thrilled Bandai went this route, not to mention changing their mind on doing a dub. *steps off soap box* Now... what was released isn't as bad as my opinion suggests. The cover art is simple and effective featuring Hayate and Nagi, it could have been better but catches your attention never the less. Other than that, it's a standard dvd case but I already swapped everything over to a double disc m-lock case. Since there's no reversible art this will work out just fine for me. I'm watching shelf space lately.

Hayate the Combat Butler looks fantastic on any basic setup to the hd setups. Thankfully Hayate was made in widescreen; this is the best way to watch anime. Character designs are simplistic but fresh at the same time. It's not as if any character reminds you of any other series. Take Hayate, for example, he looks like a scrawny little kid without being out of place. At the same time he's not as detailed as he could have been. I just feel there's not as much depth to the minor details as you see in other series. This could change as it develops further in. It's not really a con, it's more of a passing thought. The quality of the animation in the action scenes is nothing short of spectacular and very fluid. I've never personally heard of SyngerySP as the production company, but good solid effort.

The audio is both the biggest pro and the biggest con to this review. I think it's borderline criminal that Bandai rescinded their decision to dub this series. Hayate the Combat Butler would have benefited greatly from an english dub audio track, much like Lucky Star did. I go on record saying I definitely prefer the japanese dub, all the va's did an excellent job and fit their characters very well. The subs are alright but in certain scenes there's 3-4 lines running fast through it to keep up with the audio. I can't exactly watch an anime when trying to read several lines of subtitles. Even though the original language track is amazing, atleast for me, it wasn't so easy to keep up.

The premise of Hayate no Gotoku is also simple and definitely primed for crazy hijinks. I like the way we are introduced to the world of the rich and famous through the eyes of Hayate. He's very down to earth but also has learned alot through the first portion of life. Nagi, herself, isn't exactly typical either. She's not as spoiled and bratty as other anime would showcase the main female as more extreme. Each character is not so typical as you would first assume, which is an excellent trait for have. Not to mention that Hayate no Gotoku is heavy on the comedy, I would compare this to Lucky Star in terms of overall atmosphere. There's some nice commentary and excellent humor that sent me into laughing fits, just add a little romance and a little more science-fiction to it.

Hayate the Combat Butler, despite some of my opinions on how Bandai released it is a complete riot. It's funny, it's cute and it's the perfect escape. I would not hesitate to recommend this anime to anyone. If you're a dub fan, I don't know what to say beyond it sucks there isn't one. You're going to want to watch more after the 7 episodes end. Hayate is a very addictive series that grows on you the more you watch. Thus far I give Hayate the Combat Butler 4 and 1/2 Isumi blushes out of 5.

However...Bandai gets 2 out of 5 stars for the effort they put into the release. I'm disappointed, I will not being buying "Parts" like these beyond Hayate and Code Geass R2. The days of singles release are over in my eyes.