Hayate the Combat Butler continues with more hilarity in volume 14. We start out with a birthday party for Nagi's cousin, Sakuya, with Wataru, and eventually Hayate, forced  into a comedy routine as a party favor. Then we head over to Hinagiku as she stumbles upon Ayumu, who is closing up the shop she and Nagi worked at earlier; Hinagiku uses this encounter to finally confess her feelings for Hayate. Finally, a new term starts out with a bunch of masked characters in Hayate's class, and the class ends up hiking what should be a straight forward and leisurely path (elementary school kids walk the path), only to get lost. As if that wasn't enough, they're attacked by a killer bear.

While the plot ends there, the book finally ends with a bonus chapter; a short 4-page story about Maria's white day gift to Hayate. (The White Day storylines took place in Volume 12).

Overview:
This volume really had a bunch of loosely-connected chapters. While they all tied in with one another  in some way, except the bonus chapter, they were for the most part single- or double-chapter stories which makes the description a lot more complex that it really is. However, while there wasn't a lot of straight-forward plot advancement, it did come in the major theme for the volume, character re-evaluations. Many of the relationships and feelings that various characters had been hiding came out in this volume, such as Hinagaku finally being able to confront Ayumu about her feelings for Hayate. Also, the volume has decided to start with making Hayate's feelings unknown and revealing them over time; the first one was revealed shortly thereafter as a minor character from near the beginning of the series who ends up becoming a main character in the final chapter. I expect future volumes will have similar type of revelations in future volumes.

Kenjiro Hata does a great job at weaving the short storylines together into a structured narrative that advances the overall subplots of the characters further in humorous, but still meaningful ways. It is these subplots, not any major overarching plot, that Hayate the Combat Butler relies upon, although some foreshadowing of future events has begun to seep into the storyline. Usually it is about this time in comedy manga that they begin to hit a slump in writing, such as in some School Rumble volumes. Although the humor is still great, the art quality, and the situations still humorous, it becomes harder for a comedy-driven series to continue forward without rehashing the same plot. Hayate the Combat Butler is not immune to this either. However, like School Rumble, it is able to re-invent each new situation in a way that one doesn't mind re-reading what is essentially the same thing over again because they add enough twists to make it entertaining.

Hata continues to do great artwork for the series of its stature. Hayate the Combat Butler doesn't require the same level of detail as manga like Bleach and instead relies on its simple, clean style to get across the points. That said, the art, especially the backgrounds, can be quite detailed when they need to be and the chapter covers are always exceptionally well drawn. In addition the bonus chapter is of the same quality as the rest of the volume. This is something quite unusual as oftentimes these chapters are not required to be up to the same standards. About the only thing I can fault Hata on is the drawing of the bear. Even for a killer bear in a comedy series, it just doesn't look much like a bear and could be drawn a bit better, especially when he is still the menacing figure.

In all, Hayate the Combat Butler continues to be a great read. While volume 14 has some specific gags that may be difficult to understand for new readers there is enough humor that no one will feel left out. For anyone who is at least somewhat familiar with the series, including those who watch the anime, this volume should have no problem.

ComicsOnline gives Hayate the Combat Butler volume 14 4 out of 5 masked classmates.

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Previous Hayate the Combat Butler Reviews:
Volume 13
Volume 12