.gif)
Othello (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo manga
series by Satomi Ikezawa
. It was originally serialized by Kodansha
in Bessatsu Friend
and collected in seven tankōbon
volumes. It is distributed by Del Rey Manga
in North America. The story is about a shy, naive 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.
, 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 "Heavenly Punishment!" and once the damage is dealt, "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.
Though this is a different manga, Pon-chan (another manga, Guru-Guru Pon Chan, by the same author) shows up.
Yaya has an interest in a visual kei
band called Juliet and looks up to the lead singer of Juliet, even though the make-up band disappeared a while ago.
Nana
Moriyama
Seri and Moe
Shōhei Shinyoji
Megumi Hano (Hano-chan)
Shūko
Black Dog
, the chapters of Othello were serialized
in the Japanese magazine Bessatsu Friend
and collected into seven tankōbon
volumes by Kodansha
. The volumes were published from August 6, 2001 to September 13, 2004.
Del Rey
licensed Othello for an English-language release in North America and published the seven volumes from October 12, 2004 to February 28, 2006. In the United Kingdom, Tanoshimi
published Othello from May 3, 2007 to November 1, 2007. The series is also licensed in Germany by Egmont Manga & Anime
, and in France by Pika Édition
.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Satomi Ikezawa
Satomi Ikezawa
is a Japanese manga artist. Her works include Guru Guru Pon-chan, Othello, and Sue-chan wa Himitsu. In 2000, she received the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for Guru Guru Pon-chan.-Works:*Anatomy of a Seventeen-Year-Old*Kattobi New Yorker...
. It was originally serialized by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
in Bessatsu Friend
Bessatsu Friend
is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at teenage girls. It was originally conceived as a bessatsu, or companion magazine, to Shōjo Friend, which is no longer published...
and collected in seven tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes. It is distributed by Del Rey Manga
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
in North America. The story is about a shy, naive Japanese teenager with a split personality.
The manga is titled after the board game Othello
Reversi
Reversi is a board game involving abstract strategy and played by two players on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of distinct pieces for each side. Pieces typically are disks with a light and a dark face, each face belonging to one player...
, and not the Shakespearian play
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
. The game involves a lot of switching back and forth between black and white pieces, representing Yaya and Nana's constant flip-flop.
Plot
Yaya is a shy, quiet teen with a passion for singing, Japanese rock musicRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, gothic lolita, cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
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 "Heavenly Punishment!" and once the damage is dealt, "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.
Though this is a different manga, Pon-chan (another manga, Guru-Guru Pon Chan, by the same author) shows up.
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 wear gothic lolita on Sundays, and likes Japanese rock groups, but no one 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 an interest in a visual kei
Visual Kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics. Some sources state that visual kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of Japanese rock, with its...
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 but fail to actually reveal it to anyone, as Nana stops them.
Shōhei Shinyoji
- 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 bandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
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. Megumi has an older brother, Keisuke, who was the drummer for Juliet. Keisuke holds a grudge against Shōhei for leaving the band, which caused the band to fall apart.
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 ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
song "Black DogBlack dogBlack dog may refer to:* Black dog , a ghostly dog in the folklores of the British Isles* Black dog , a coin in the Caribbean, starting under the reign of Queen Anne* Black Dog , a 1998 film...
".
Release
Written and illustrated by Satomi IkezawaSatomi Ikezawa
is a Japanese manga artist. Her works include Guru Guru Pon-chan, Othello, and Sue-chan wa Himitsu. In 2000, she received the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for Guru Guru Pon-chan.-Works:*Anatomy of a Seventeen-Year-Old*Kattobi New Yorker...
, the chapters of Othello were serialized
Serial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
in the Japanese magazine Bessatsu Friend
Bessatsu Friend
is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at teenage girls. It was originally conceived as a bessatsu, or companion magazine, to Shōjo Friend, which is no longer published...
and collected into seven tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
. The volumes were published from August 6, 2001 to September 13, 2004.
Del Rey
Del Rey Books
Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn since 1998, by Bertelsmann AG. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It specializes in science fiction and fantasy...
licensed Othello for an English-language release in North America and published the seven volumes from October 12, 2004 to February 28, 2006. In the United Kingdom, Tanoshimi
Tanoshimi
Tanoshimi is a part of Random House a US based publisher. Tanoshimi is an arm of the United Kingdom branch of the company and is used for the publication of new English Language Manga titles...
published Othello from May 3, 2007 to November 1, 2007. The series is also licensed in Germany by Egmont Manga & Anime
Egmont Manga & Anime
Egmont Manga & Anime is one of the largest publishers of manga in Germany. It was founded in the year 2000 as a daughter company of Egmont Ehapa, after the manga boom in Germany became apparent around the turn of the millennium. Since 2003, EMA has been part of Egmont vgs in Cologne.- History :In...
, and in France by Pika Édition
Pika Édition
Pika Édition is a French publisher headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, specializing in manga. Founded as a daughter company of Media System Editions, it was taken over by Hachette Livre in 2007.-Distribution:...
.