Othello

Review Date: 2007 October 28 18:45

Reviewed by: Azure

Released by: Tanoshimi

Publishing Country: UK

Author: Satomi Ikezawa

Age Rating: 16+

Page Count: 208

ISBN-13: 978009950672

ISBN-10: 99506726

Summary

Hano-chan is at the end of her tether, she’s discovered that Yaya and Nana are the same person. She’s angry at the Yaya personality for betraying her, and at Nana for showing her up. What better way to get her own back than placing Nana/Yaya in mortal peril

Review

Volume five of Othello sees the continues reign of master manipulator Hano-chan. After figuring out Nana/Yaya’s split personality problem she goes out of her way to exploit it, she has Yaya kidnapped and forced into a plane with her knowing full well that Yaya is afraid of heights. Yaya’s only hope is that Nana will emerge and save her, the trouble is Yaya is still unaware of Nana’s existence. The constant black outs and time gaps are leading Yaya to think that she might be linked to Nana, the trouble is every time she thinks about it too much she changes, which leads clued-in love interest Moriyama to suggest she doesn’t think too hard on it just yet.

This volume sees the introduction of yet another potential love rival, this time it’s a dark haired rock chick. Like Hano she initially seems like seems like she’s finally becomes the kind of friend Yaya. Since this girl appears right at the end of the volume its hard to say what kind of impact she will have, but since Shohei has been absent this volume it looks like potentially there will be some interesting relationship developments next issue.

Othello is packed full of over the top action, from Hano’s over the top schemes to Nana’s superhuman athletic skills. This is mixed in with Yaya and Moriyama’s quiet and slow developing romance.

Othello is a surprisingly decent manga, it’s hard not to cheer when Nana appears and punishes wrong doers and it’s hard not to cheer Yaya on. It’s just that it so easily settles into routine, and at book five of a seven book series there’s no need to repeat ideas.
Hopefully in volume six justice will be done and some real plot developments will take place.

Rating: 7/10