Hayate X Blade Vol 1
by Shizuru Hayashiya
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Book Summary Information
Author: Shizuru HayashiyaIllustrator: Shizuru Hayashiya
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-28
ISBN: 0765321815
Number of pages: 192
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publisher: Tor/Seven Seas
Book Reviews of Hayate X Blade Vol 1
Book Review: I've seen this before, and yet....
Summary: 5 Stars
In a short summary, Hayate goes in place of her injured twin sister to Tenchi Academy, a school where she is enrolled as a swordswoman, and must compete in occasional free-for-all bouts to gain status and prizes. Initially planning on being a mere place-marker, Hayate decides to help some friends in dire need and plans to rise in the ranks as soon as possible, leading her to coerce/seduce?/annoy older classmate Ayana into joining her cause.
Let this be known right meow, this manga actually had me in a steady state of giggling.
Hayate is your standard hyperactive, clueless protaganist who has to be told the premise of her own story but possesses the agency to get things started. Ayana is the "tsundere" character, all thorns but with a mushy heart.
But those tropes fail to convey the sheer comedy genius that is this graphic novel. I had a chuckle practically every page.
"I need to do a flashback!"
"Uh, sure, go ahead."
Self-referential jokes like these occasionally pop up, and much of the comedy is written in the tiny comments made by the characters or the omnipotent author/narrator. The visual gags are so prevalent that I would call this a 'physical' comedy, despite it being in a static, print format, due to the sheer energy in Hayate's actions.
In terms of art, I have no complaints. The panels are very kinetic, energetially moving you from place to place as Hayate sprints to her next destination. The uniforms are simple and bold, and I applaud Hayashiya's coloring and shading, particularly in differentiating Ayana's black hair and black uniform. In fact, I find Hiyahishiya's work very pleasing to the eye, with just enough details to understand the setting and lots of attention paid to motion lines.
The plot wastes no time, jumping right in--as Hayate tends to do--so fast that an immediate reread was enjoyable in covering small, hilarious tidbits I had missed the first time.
The manga is being marketed as a Yuri comic, but in the first volume there isn't too much romance, though the couples have obviously been established. Though if what I've read elsewhere is true, the romances will pick up in the next volumes anyhow, and I'll enjoy this book as the groundwork for even better chapters in the future.
To top it all off, there's plenty of unanswered, urgent questions that leave me impatiently waiting for the February release of Volume 2.
For maturity rating, I give this a T for Teen. I say this only because of the violence inherent in a manga about sword fighting, as well as the fact that Ayana beats Hayate up whenever she is annoyed with her, which is approximately every five and a half pages. And occasional curse words, but nothing anyone hasn't heard before.
Seven Seas very helpfully included a guide to the different ways of addressing people, as well as translation notes. There are a few gags, however, that might require previous knowledge of manga motifs, but they don't distract from the story, so newbies should feel welcome.
I highly, highly recommend this manga to anybody. It's funny, cute, lends itself well to multiple readings, and buying it will support this underappreciated genre of comic. Of course, maybe some rampant popularity would also get some more of Hayashiya's work over here--oooh, Strawberry Shake Sweet--hint hint.
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