What I like about the finale:
- the focus was on Hayate and Nagi's relationship, as it should be. We all have our things we like about the manga, but those are mostly stuff that came later. From the very beginning HnG was about these two and their misunderstanding and their growth. So it makes perfect sense to book-end with the same main theme.
- I also really like they didn't get a predictable romantic ending - Nagi was rejected, had to get over that and she grew up, matured, became more independent... and then Hayate appears before her. They can now be friends on an equal footing, no more toxic dependency. I know everyone is claiming Nagi "won", because she "ended up with Hayate", but it really seems clear to me that whether they're great friends or they could become something more is still very much in the air. And I'm not saying that because I "ship otherwise" - it's just clear that Hayate still feels very much the same about Nagi he's always felt. Namely, he wishes for her happiness, he's thankful and he wants to protect her. Whether or not it qualifies as romantic interest (and whether or not he's realized that) is not yet known. I like that, I like to see "love" portrayed as a combination of multiple complex feelings, motivations and wishes, instead of a bland "this person is now what my life revolves around for some reason" thing.
- Hinagiku got exposed. And by that I mean the finale stayed true to her character and made sure not to give her any role of emotional support. She fought a bad guy, physically - but unlike Hayate, Ayumu, A-tan, Nagi or Maria, Hina cannot help others with their issues. The others have issues of their own they had to work through, but they still helped support other characters. Hina can only fight. She got over her own fear of heights with the power of her own unrequited "love". She's still defined by "having feelings for a guy", there's nothing else to her outside maybe her stupid pride. Heck, even she doesn't seem to know anything else about herself, her "love" for Hayate is all she ever thinks about, it's what seems to drive all her actions. Must have been hell for Hata-sensei to constantly put focus on such a non-character because of popularity polls.
- Hayate's parents are scum. It's fascinating to see that in the presence of Hisui and Himegami - super-powered villains with beyond-extreme evil schemes - it is Hayate's greedy, selfish parents that make you want to strangle someone. Like, what they tried to do here was the most awful thing ever! Extremely fascinating characters that seem beyond help.
- Maria disappears and stays that way. She played her role perfectly and her being gone was clearly part of that role. Any other manga would probably have her show up again by the end because "You grew up, Nagi, I can now return for some reason". Cop-out much? No, Maria was absolutely awesome in this finale, showing the best parts of her character and being essential to the ending being what it was. Beautifully done.
- Holy crap Ayumu. For a second there I actually thought she'd end up romantically involved with Hayate, that's how strong her role in the finale was. She even got acknowledged by A-tan herself to have stronger connection to Hayate. In a way, Ayumu would have been the best match for Hayate in the sense that she's a regular girl who has to work for herself. No riches, no superpowers, no tragic backstory, no larger-than-life dreams - just a teenage girl, normal to the bone. I think Hayate could have been drawn to such normalcy, he's never really experienced it in his life. Of course Nagi ended up without any riches or powers either and she now works hard herself, even taking care of others, so it's not like that relationship feels forced either. Still, props to Hata-sensei for how essential Ayumu turned out to be - and, once again, Hina's complete opposite, because even without any legendary sword or extreme combat skills, she did more to help just by being more mature about her feelings and way less egocentric.
What I don't like about the finale:
Just one thing - Hayate's parents get smacked around. That's severely disappointing. Not because I wanted to see them die in a gruesome way, because of how awful and irredeemable they are... Quite the opposite. I wanted Hayate to confront them one last time and forgive them. Or at least promise to try to forgive them. Scum of the Earth or not, it is because of their awful actions he's met Nagi and everyone else (A-tan too, previously) and while he can't justify their actions, he can't even consider not hating them - he's going to try forgiving. Or maybe do a different thing - show them severely wounded and broke and lost after they got beat up in the end... and then have them stumble upon Isumi's ditzy mom. She takes these two poor souls in and hires them as butler and maid. A new story begins as they try to exploit their new comfy situation, but are constantly interrupted and freaked out by evil spirits, magic spells and the like - all the while Isumi and her mom are clueless as always, yet all the more selflessly kind for the two. They begin to see how helping others can make people happy, simple as that, and they ever so slowly begin to change for the better. Or, you know, do anything to make them more complex than "evil beyond help". Again, that aspect of their characters is freakin' fascinatingly rage-inducing, in a good way, but without anything more, it becomes shallow and disappointing.
Can't wait for more from Hata-sensei. Time to dive deeper into that monthly series of his. It starts slow, but I have high hopes.
