Is there no tradition of butlery in Japan or something? Between this and BLACK BUTLER, I can’t help but suspect that the Japanese find Jeeves, Hobson and Alfred to be as exotic as Westerners find Zatoichi, Yoshimitsu and Ogami Itto. Creative license is all well and good, but I almost want to lean into this thing and tell everybody that “butler” ain’t a synonym for “bodyguard.” The only thingsa butler’s going to protect is your tea from getting cold and your shirt from getting wrinkled. I suppose I’m seeing the other end of the mistranslated cross-cultural exchange that’s led so many Westerns to romanticize ninjas when they’re looked at it as deplorable cowards overseas. Maybe that’ll be addressed in some later episode; maybe I missed it in the wordplay because this is subbed? I mean, the episode is titled "In English, 'Unmei' Means 'Destiny'" and that isn’t even true in Little Tokyo.
Rant aside, this episode was fun. Falling snow and a Christmastime setting are sure-fire ingredients to set the mood for me and make any criticism I’d have melt under the warmth of so much holiday cheer. Santa even shows up (although I’m not sure if he's intentionally off-script or if this is another “lost in translation” moment. If it’s that latter, than I’ll have to group this with the Mexican SANTA CLAUS movie in the category of bizarre foreign interpretations of Saint Nick.) Hayate might as well be an ass-kicking Tiny Tim for the amount of misfortunes they put on him to win your sympathy. For crying out loud, the kid’s parents steal from him and then cut out of town! That might actually be worse than getting orphaned.
Like I said, slapstick shenanigans and a yuletide atmosphere get me interested in coming along for more - -especially when the end teaser's goofing on TV regulations. Actually, I’m most amused by the incredibly awkward and ambiguous mixing of criminal tough talk and aggressive romantic advances Hayate spouts when he’s “propositioning” the rich girl. She seems to go along with it because of his, shall we say, animal magnetism, but I’m morbidly curious to see what kind of riff on Stockholm syndrome this might turn into.
Watch this episode "In English, ‘Unmei’ Means "Destiny" here and decide for yourself.
Previous series I've watched for this extend sampling...
- SLAYERS
- GUNSLINGER GIRL
- RIDEBACK
- FULL METAL PANIC!
- SCHOOL DAYS
- OTOME YOKAI ZAKURO
- GIANT KILLING
- CLANNAD
- HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD
- PANTY & STOCKING
- GUIN SAGA
- PRINCESS TUTU
- TATAMI GALAXY
- MONSTER
- CLAYMORE
- HIKARU NO GO
- MUSHI-SHI
Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of HYBRID BASTARDS! & UNIMAGINABLE. Order them on Amazon here & here. Follow him on Twitter: @tompinchuk
