The best of ths best of the best of yuri manga

This manga is look like my love life story. I dnt like the ending. No happy or sadnes. I think this manga beside frm true story. So i understand the writer of this manga cant decided to write happy end. Becouse in reality love in same gender do not have happy end.. The end is like this manga..

Not sure where you are going with this but I think it had an optimistic ending. Also, "in reality love in same gender do not have happy end"?? What. The. Hell.?? o_O...

Just re-read the whole thing. Still one of the best yuri mangas ever written. Would've liked to see it get another volume or even just another chapter where Kamo apologizes for being an idiot and Yukino comes out to her family.

I know how you feel fellow Dynasty reader I know.

really can't stand the author slap in the face....

Ahhh... Just re-read the whole thing... Definitely, I'm enjoying more the adult life stories... The one where reality kicks in... This one really got me, somehow had some "similar" experience on it... Arrrgggh, now this thing made me remember some things in the past... Whatever, moving on... I really prefer Setsuko over Yukino (actually I even like Mika or Shiori more over Yukino)... The least on the list would be Kamo (meh~ I just hate that prejudiced kind of personality, and a bit of "talking behind your back" thing... Especially if its someone your dearly trust)... I just go gaga over Setsuko all over again... Definitely, this one's on the favorites list...

This is the first time I've ever finished this manga. I tried before, but just couldn't get into it, but this time I had nothing better to do so I read everything in like 2 days.

Maybe I'm not mature enough (<-- I doubt that line of reasoning), but there's just something off about this manga. Like...everything about this manga just rubbed me the wrong way.

1. Yukino. I emphasize with her, I really do, but I feel like I would have emphasized with her waaaaay more if the author did a better job of highlighting her personality outside of her insecurities. My opinion on this could just be a mute point tho considering the fact that your personality does tend to get drowned out when you're insecure about it, but still.

2. Setsuko. She had more personality and appeared to be mature and "cool", but throughout the manga everything about her just struck me as odd and lightweight stupid. That's why I can't agree with the people who says she's so much more mature and able then Yukino...it just never came out to me like that. I saw her character more as just a person who got herself into some shit, felt kinda bad about it, and then couldn't control herself when she began to realize that her egoistic attempts at making it better weren't the end all be all.

Again, just my (very rough) opinion.

I'll explain better later...maybe I just have to think about it more. I did root for them as a couple, but of course I'm going to do that when the whole story revolves around them being together...otherwise no story.

one of the best masterpiece. Can't wait for the next story. Thank you author for such wonderful real story plot.

I literally pressed for the next button on my phone way too much.
I hope it didn't break my phone. I want MORE! Ahaha.
I guess I am glad that I read this manga. It really shows the reality of yuri love, an adult life unlike most yuri manga nowadays which focused in girls school. Not that I am against those manga centered in girls school, but this manga really shows the complication of being in a relationship especially the same sex. Really sad it ended just like that. I was hoping the author would have showed just an extra chapter showing what happen to all the characters but last chapter ended pretty good regardless.
Well, hoping I could read more from this author or finding manga that as good as this one.

Finally finished the re-read of this...still an excellent story ^_^
...hmm, now what? Lol :p jkjk

I (almost) never leave messages but this time I just had to… This story was quite exhausting (emotionally).

this comment is just right,
sometimes one needs to read something easy and sweet, like the one-shoots where characters fall in love and end in bed together in 2 pages, but there are times when you feel to make an effort to stand the exhausting up and down of emotions, and to stand characters that are very different from you, or too difficult to empathize with.
like mature and adult people that find manga like girlfriens or sasameki koto too aaangst, but they can't say they aren't good manga

I'm conflicted about Octave. Although I can empathize with the characters, I'm not even sure it's about a woman loving another woman.

It's more about Yukino's growth as a person able to stand on her own two feet and not depending on others to fawn on her to exist. If Setsuko had been a man, most of the story could have been the same. The social stigma of "being a lesbian" is never really adressed.

And the Shiori character is just bleh. I didn't understand her purpose or her attitude when Yukino tells her she's living with her girlfriend. She seem to be jealous of Yukino's happiness and resent the fact that she didn't really suffer. So she calls her "boring" and hurt her. I found Shiori came accross as a bitch. The only genuinely strong female character is Mika.

So, praise to Octave for bringing us a grown up story for grown ups, but some of it look unclear to me. The motivations of some of the characters are muddy at best and never really explained.

last edited at Jun 26, 2015 4:56AM

Maybe, like Yukino, the story itself can be flawed, we see some things that we don't agree with in the flow of the story, but that's okay. What's important is that we were able to understand the concept that the author was trying to get across, which is growing up and maturing into a better person. Yukino managed to grow up a bit, if not fully, and she will still make mistakes, no doubt about it. However, this time, she won't easily back down because she once again has something to fight for.

When I was reading this, I kept thinking.. 'It's a pretty unrealistic story, but what makes it feel so real?'

//oops

about grown up women who like grown up women

Wat. Yukino isn't grown up, emotionally she is a whiny immature girl who runs away from her problems, be it physically, shifting blame on others, seeking affection from others or wallowing in self-pity. Her slowly growing up into an adult is the whole point of Octave.

lol what. That is an amazing harsh and judgmental thing to say, and I say that as someone who is normally pretty judgmental myself! Sure, Octave is about Yukino emerging into her own and she matures in many ways over the course of the series, but I would not even remotely describe her as "whiny." She gets chewed up and spit out by the entertainment industry as a teenager, just like a lot of people do in real life.

Predatory men creep on her as a teenager, she and her group are manipulated, she's alienated from her classmates, she's ostracized socially, bullied, and people call her a slut and start false rumors abut her because they're jealous and ignorant. She's preyed upon and used. She is emotionally scarred and starved for affection. At the beginning of the manga I wanted to reach out and hug the poor girl. She's needy and has some issues (understandably) but I don't remotely see her as "whiny" or "immature." She had a lot of harsh things happen to her and very few good things.

In fact, I don't see the story being about her maturing per se, but more about her emerging from her emotional shell and learning to love and trust. I'd also say its an adult story. It treats problems a lot of women have to deal with, primarily sexism and sexual harassment, in a way that I thought was frank, mature, and relatable. I would definitely describe it as an adult story about adult women.

last edited at Aug 30, 2015 11:13PM

I'm conflicted about Octave. Although I can empathize with the characters, I'm not even sure it's about a woman loving another woman.

It's more about Yukino's growth as a person able to stand on her own two feet and not depending on others to fawn on her to exist. If Setsuko had been a man, most of the story could have been the same. The social stigma of "being a lesbian" is never really adressed.

And the Shiori character is just bleh. I didn't understand her purpose or her attitude when Yukino tells her she's living with her girlfriend. She seem to be jealous of Yukino's happiness and resent the fact that she didn't really suffer. So she calls her "boring" and hurt her. I found Shiori came accross as a bitch. The only genuinely strong female character is Mika.

So, praise to Octave for bringing us a grown up story for grown ups, but some of it look unclear to me. The motivations of some of the characters are muddy at best and never really explained.

How have I missed this post?! You nailed it Nya.

The whole story is a masterpiece. I really love this. This story review the cruel reality world yet beautiful love among themselve. Keep coming back to re read whenever I got time. Setsuko really love Yukino can forgive for what she did to tarnish their relationship. I still hope for continious of this story like how they future look like. People might see they have a hard life cus they still young only 18 and 22. If both of them try hard to keep the family I don't think there will be any problem in cost living when they grow older. As for the author Akiyama Haru, really thank you for this great story.

Read it for the 5th time..this is so beautiful..and I still don't know what to feel with the ending..xD

I was really shocked and excited all the same time with that slap tho. The feeeels~~~~

This is the best yuri manga I've ever read. It's the second time I'm reading this and now I fully understand it!
I've started to read it 5 years ago but I dropped because it wasn't finished. so now, being a little bit older (22), I can say that this is a great piece of art! It hurts so much because it is nothing more than the crude reality. The real struggles, the constant fight to be with the person we love... The artist deals with the fragility that exists between two people and also individually...
Beautiful story! very moving!
my english isn't very good so.. sorry about that I wish I knew how to express myself more!

ps: If you didn't like it it's because you haven't seen it but superficially! give it a thought!

I really love this manga! I've stopped reading manga years ago but when i saw this, i got addicted to reading again. I like the plot of the story. it's not the usual girl to girl stories in highschool but it was more realistic and relatable. I can relate somehow to Yukino - her relationship with Setsuko, her aspirations, her job issues.. Oh well I hope they can add more chapters since I think somethings missing in the story. What happened to the guy who had one night stand with yukino? will setsuko know the person who did that to yukino? also i hope they can release the anime version of this also! :D

This was a really good story. Flawed protagonists are the best, and I love the way it ends.

This was great. Deeply satisfying to read, to see the growth of the relationship (dating-wise) for once

really can't stand the author slap in the face....

Can I ask what this slap in the face was?

One of the best Yuri ever.
A very mature story. Words do not come to me, there are so many things to say about Octave..
I feel appeased after reading this. To my opinion, this is a very realistic and beautiful story, that avoids cliché.

A masterpiece, and a must read, definitely.

last edited at Dec 30, 2015 3:08PM

One of the best Yuri ever.
A very mature story. Words do not come to me, there are so many things to say about Octave..
I feel appeased after reading this. To my opinion, this is a very realistic and beautiful story, that avoids cliché.

A masterpiece, and a must read, definitely.

Very mature story indeed!

I love this with all my heart, such a decent and well talented manga, it can show the closest feelings that people can experience to real life feelings...
SO unique and SO well done!!! I demand for more mangas like this... Very realistic and I can somehow relate my experience to yukino's. Still not similar to everything but most of it...!

Truly a masterpiece. I spent two days straight to read whole chapter. It's a little bit surprising that I didn't know such a great piece existed. I really want to see this author's other works.