Othello (manga)

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For other uses, see Othello (disambiguation).

Othello

オセロ

Genre

romance

Manga

Author

Satomi Ikezawa

Publisher

Kodansha

Del Rey

Other publishers:
Editions Star Comics Egmont

Demographic

Shōjo

Magazine

Bessatsu Friend
Starlight

Original run

August 8, 2001 – September 13, 2004

Volumes

Othello (オセロ, Othello^?) is a shōjo manga series by Satomi Ikezawa. It was originally serialized in by Kodansha Bessatsu Friend and collected in seven tankobon volumes. It is distributed by Del Rey Manga in North America. The story is about a shy, naïve Japanese teenager with a split personality.

The manga is titled after the board game Othello, and not the Shakespearian play. The game involves a lot of switching back and forth between black and white pieces, representing Yaya and Nana's constant flip-flop.

1 Plot
2 Characters
3 External links

[edit] Plot

Yaya is a shy, quiet teen with a passion for singing, J-rock, gothic lolita, cosplay and music in general. But she has a secret: When she looks in a mirror or hits her head, Yaya's second personality, aptly named Nana, takes over her body and puts the wrong-doers in their places, shouting her catchphrase "Justice is done!"

The series chronicles Yaya and Nana's somewhat episodic adventures against bullies, perverts, and generally mean people. The manga also has a lot to do with music, as several of the characters have connections to the music industry or play in a band.

[edit] Characters

Yaya Higuchi: Yaya is an innocent and timid teenager who, because of her personality, is constantly attacked and ridiculed by people who claim to be her friends. She likes to do gothic cosplay on Sundays, and likes Japanese rock groups, but noone knows about it and she considers it her "true self". As a result of her being unable to do anything but go along with people who treat her badly, she develops an alter-ego named Nana. Yaya becomes fearful that she may be going insane, because she is not aware of her Nana personality, and doesn't remember large chunks of time because of it. Nana often appears if Yaya looks in a mirror, hits her head or falls asleep, but also comes out if Yaya really needs help. When she finds out about her alter-ego, Yaya gets scared and locks herself up inside, so Nana is always out. She comes to terms with it later, though, and the two girls are able to happily share one body, and even change on command. Eventually, as Yaya becomes stronger, Nana's interventions are no longer needed and she apparently fades away for good. However, it is later revealed that the two personalities have merely come together, with both Yaya and Nana's personality traits present within one conscious body.

Yaya has a interest in a J-Rock Make-up band called, Juliet and looks up to the lead singer of Juliet, even though the make-up band disappeared a while ago.

Nana: Unlike the very shy Yaya, Nana is tough, cunning, sarcastic, and bold. She comes out whenever Yaya needs help because of her inability to stand up for herself. Nana kicks butt throughout the series, and reveals several people as fakes. Her phrase, whenever she accomplishes her goal, is "Justice is done!" Nana becomes a guest singer for the group "Black Dog" a few times, and later has Yaya sing with them. She gets to be out for a long while when Yaya locks herself up. Nana eventually goes away when Yaya no longer needs her to fix her messes.

Moriyama: Yaya's handsome classmate and talented guitarist who begins a tentative romantic relationship with her. At the beginning of the series, Yaya feels that he is somewhat unkind, but in time she realizes that he is a caring person. He is one of the few people who are genuinely kind to Yaya, and helps her when Nana's existence becomes more than she can handle. He is the lead singer of the popular rock group, Black Dog. He lets yaya become the Black dog's manager.He then also realizes that he loves Yaya as much as she loves him.

Seri and Moe: Yaya's classmates and alleged friends who actually take pleasure in tormenting her. They call her names and treat her like their servant. They are the first ones to discover Yaya is into gothic-lolita cosplay but fail to actually reveal it to anyone, as Nana stops them.

Shōhei: Moriyama's adult friend who has taken an interest in Nana's voice and may also be trying to pursue a more intimate relationship with her. Yaya idolizes him because he is the former singer of the band 'Juliet', a rock band created by the music industry. Shōhei says that he is done with Juliet.

Megumi Hano (Hano-chan): A bright and optimistic transfer student who turns out to be a sadistic, jealous, and selfish manipulator and fangirl of Moriyama's. She sets her sights on Yaya when she discovers how close she is to Moriyama. Hano pressures Yaya into signing a contract that would supposedly get her into the music industry and meet Shōhei. But, in actuality, Hano nearly forces Yaya into prostitution to profit off her. Nana "defeats" her during a sky diving challenge Hano instigates.

Shūko: Moriyama's strong-willed ex-girlfriend, who suddenly appears and tries to take Moriyama back, just as he is getting closer with Yaya. Shūko reveals to Yaya her alter-ego when she records her becoming Nana on her phone's camera. When Shūko realizes how much Moriyama cares for Yaya, she backs off and leaves them to develop their relationship.

Black Dog: Moriyama's band, of which he is the lead singer and lead guitarist. The other three members, Furuta, Ukon and Awane, are all college age. Their name comes from the Led Zeppelin song "Black Dog".