Hayate no Gotoku! Can’t Take My Eyes off You Episode 2

This is not helping at all.

At the end of the last episode review, I threw out two (completely opposite) theories on whether Tsugumi (and of course, Ruri) is the surname or given name. I was hoping that this “mystery” would be solved in this episode, but I was wrong.

Yes, Hayate calls her “Tsugumi-san”, but this doesn’t prove anything at all, as Hayate doesn’t always call girls by their given names. With “Hinagiku-san”, “Chiharu-san”and “Ruka-san”, there come “Nishizawa-san”, “Segawa-san” and “Hanabishi-san”.

But at least I now have the idea on how to address Tsugumi Ruri: I will just follow Hayate. As Hayate calls her “Tsugumi-san”, I will call her “Tsugumi”. If Hayate starts calling her “Ruri-san”, I will call her “Ruri”.

So, with this matter solved (for now), let’s go over Episode 2!

One thing: YOU CAN’T DO THIS WITH UMBRELLAS!

We might start with the OP, in which only Hayate and Nagi are present. And then there is the apple: the apple with a rain drop, the apple in the box, the apple turned into feathers, the apple on the tree, the apple falling from the sky, the apple in the box and the apple with a rain drop. If you check out the ED again, you could see that there is an apple with Ruka as well. It is unknown what the apple stands for (other than just a fresh fruit), but if it is a metaphor of something, it certainly has something in common to do with Nagi and Ruka.

The lyrics of the OP are written by Hata himself, so translators could do some work making out the English version. One might question if Hata should have devoted his time on his manga rather than the lyrics, so that he can save himself from crying that he is too tired to work on the manga… Still, the OP has a rather nice tune, I would say.

Honestly, what is this for?

Tsugumi’s revelation that she is Nagi’s younger sister might be shocking to us, but Maria doesn’t even give her a damn. Without even saying “goodbye”, Maria slams the door shut, and pays no attention to Tsugumi’s plea to just listen to her. Poor Tsugumi is having an extremely hard day with the Sanzen’in household…

The next morning, Nagi (for some reason) opens the door and finds Tsugumi sitting outside. It means that she has stayed at the door overnight, without food or shelter. As she is cold and weak, Tsugumi’s body is shaking furiously. Yet, Hayate and Nagi are still ignoring her, and they slam the door shut again. A while later, Maria returns from shopping. This time, Tsugumi grabs Maria’s legs and begs for her listening, and it works: Maria grants Tsugumi entrance, and lectures Hayate and Nagi for being so mean to a small child – wait, it was you who first slammed the door shut, Maria.

Pun intended.

Finally, Tsugumi is able to bring her case to Nagi, who is reading. Nagi doesn’t really believe Tsugumi’s claim to be her younger sister, by calling her younger sister (self-professed) and then younger sister (LOL). It is one thing to make fun of Tsugumi, but Nagi makes a very good point: so what if she believes that Tsugumi is her younger sister? What does Tsugumi want by visiting her elder sister? What is her agenda?

Tsugumi somehow finds this question very hard to answer. Things don’t get any better for her as Nagi warns her to choose her words carefully, or Hayate will break her neck… As Nagi’s interrogation goes on, Tsugumi reveals that she hasn’t any proof that she is Nagi’s younger sister: she has never met her father, her mother is dead, and she has no other relatives or even a photo. She has only heard about Nagi, but then she has come here out of love, to meet her family… In the end, Nagi promises to arrange a place for Tsugumi to live, and she sends her younger sister (self-professed) to the hall before she passes her verdict.

Nagi concludes that there is 3% chance that Tsugumi could really be her younger sister. It could be that Nagi’s father has had an affair – so that Tsugumi was conceived – before he died. To make things more embarrassing, there probably was something that had led to the affair…

A vase is the last place I would hide my treasures.

In the hall, Tsugumi is not exactly behaving herself, as she starts searching for something. She begins by putting her hand in a nearby vase. However, her attempt is cut short as Nagi calls her. Now Nagi understands Tsugumi’s agenda: she is here to look for something in the Sanzen’in Mansion.

Yet, Nagi is not taking her words back, so she will still find a room for Tsugumi. As the Sanzen’in Mansion is no longer an option, Nagi takes Tsugumi to the Violet Mansion.

Ayumu: “I forgot the lyrics…”

They are not alone in the Violet Mansion. Ayumu is singing horribly, and Chiharu is having a good laugh at her. This is all interrupted as Nagi introduces Tsugumi as a “new tenant”. It seems that the Violet Mansion is still open to tenants, so it becomes unclear why Nagi thought of the Mansion when Chiharu was talking about “losing something important” in the last episode. Well, perhaps it is only Nagi who is not allowed to live in the Violet Mansion anymore?

In any case, by allowing Tsugumi a room at the Violet Mansion, Nagi thinks all things are settled. Tsugumi thinks that they are not done here though, but as she voices out her objections, Nagi turns and walks away. Getting desperate, Tsugumi suddenly shouts: “Onee-chan!”

Something hits home. Maybe it’s the thrill of being called a big sister (Nagi is mostly regarded as the little sister, after all), or it’s the warmth of being addressed by a family member. Embarrassed, Nagi again turns away and leaves.

I certainly hope so.

CM Time: Fumi discusses with Sharna about growing up. Fumi’s weird ideas are not going to help her grow up, really. By the way, their steps are really heavy…

Ruka’s stage drama is incomprehensible as ever. The thing is, she really has a HUGE stage. Maria goes through Nagi’s photos as a child, but she really cannot find any single photo of Tsugumi. Somehow the girl is not lying…

That means we should just accept any twist?

While Nagi is still refusing to accept that Tsugumi is her younger sister, Kayura appears and lectures her. To Kayura, what happens to Nagi now is a “delicious new development”. She cannot imagine that Nagi, a mangaka who aims at selling trillions of copies, would not take (full) advantage of the twist. It sounds weird, but Nagi accepts it anyway.

So Nagi decides to give Tsugumi a chance to prove herself. As Nagi is a perfect superhuman (self-professed) with tremendous skills, surely her younger sister should have some skills under her belt as well.

It’s just a gust of wind…

This has suddenly turned into Tsugumi Has Got Talents. The skill she possesses is Systema. While Hayate and Nagi don’t know what it is, Chiharu and Kayura do. According to Wikipedia, Systema is “a Russian martial art”, which “ocuses mainly on controlling the six body levers (elbows, neck, knees, waist, ankles, and shoulders) through pressure point application, striking and weapon applications”. In short, Systema is real. One might wonder why Kayura and Chiharu know about Systema, but whatever.

In any case, Tsugumi starts demonstrating her Systema arts by beating up Hayate. Of course she has to show her skills to prove her worth, but more importantly she is seeking revenge on Hayate, who trolled her the previous day. In both ways, it really is “chance” for Tsugumi.

Excellent team-work.

Ayumu seems to be the only one who is worried about Hayate’s safety. Nagi, as always, thinks that Hayate is invincible, so she thinks he would not be defeated by Tsugumi’s Systema. Kayura and Chiharu, as the ones who know about the martial art, eagerly take up the positions as commentator and play-by-play respectively (although the play-by-play is doing a rather lame job).

A few rounds later Hayate is knocked into the garden. As he points out in his own head, this is a mortal peril he has not faced for some while. Soon Tsugumi decides that it is time for the final blow, but Hayate finally finds the way to fight back: ketaguri. A trip in the foot and a hit at the back of the neck send Tsugumi to the ground, face down. Out of nowhere, Hayate wins this fight.

It’s just one kid tripping another over…

As Tsugumi gets up and cries, the other girls begin criticizing Hayate for using excessive force on a small girl. Man, there is just one lesson for boys to learn: never fight with girls or children younger than you. If you win, you are damned; if you lose, you are damned.

Hayate, who is rather sorry for beating Tsugumi, goes to comfort her. But then, Tsugumi suddenly stands up and sends Hayate flying again. This trick gives her the final laugh over the fight, but it also gives her a double-footed challenge from behind by Nagi. Red card!

Nagi insists that Tsugumi has no place to call her “Onee-chan”, but she allows Tsugumi to stay at the Violet Mansion. A certain room now has the name tag “Tsugumi Ruri” on the door. The best of all: Nagi, Chiharu and Kayura all ask her to teach them in Systema. No matter how they think of Tsugumi as Nagi’s younger sister, they are impressed by her skills, and that is an honour for Tsugumi herself.

REAL MEN!

One more thing: Klaus and Tama look absolutely gorgeous.