Hayate the Combat Butler, Volume 3 Book

If there's a prize out there for the most over-the-top manga in the world, I might recommend this one. Nothing in Hayate is done by half measures. So, our main character Hayate doesn't just have bad parents, he has parents who steal money from him, then sell him to the mob to pay off their other debts. Our main female character , Nagi, isn't just rich, she's Scrooge McDuck-style loaded and buys companies on a whim just to make some trivial pursuit simpler. Her friend doesn't just have a bad sense of direction, she can get lost just standing around. No one can just have a misunderstanding, it has to be a protracted, awkward misunderstanding exacerbated by both sides. And so it goes.

So if that doesn't sound like a good time, turn around right now. A lot of the humor in this book is in the absurdity of its very premise - Hayate, sold by his parents to pay off their debts, ends up being saved by Nagi and serving as her Butler. This involves not only cleaning and generally helping around the house, but also combat to the death, dealing with in-home tigers, and death robots with vendettas.

In book 3, we have a duel for Nagi's affections, a trip to an amusement park on the grounds of Nagi's home, and a lesson learned for Nagi.

Really, there is a bit of poignancy when Nagi, who mistakenly believes Hayate and her best friend Izumi are in love, tells Izumi she'll sell Hayate to him for the original price she paid the mob. It's telling that because of the tone of the book, it comes across as childish and silly, but there's that undercurrent of discomfort as you realize just how awful a thing she did - and in the moment when she realizes it too.

Overall, though, there's nothing deep here. It's generally a light read, and you'll know pretty quick whether it's for you or not.