There's not so much about the other main character.
There are no serious and lengthy conflicts.
It's mostly smooth sailing.
Good for starter.

While this is not my favorite Yuri story out there, (that honor goes to Poor Poor Lips ultimately) I do consider this the "best" Yuri series I've read. It was moving, the characters felt real (not like crazy anime characters, actual people) and the romance felt honest and earned. Our main couple have some hurdles they need to overcome, and they mess up a few times along the way but the drama doesn't feel artificial or forced. Sometimes people need to work out their problems to get closer.

Some minor issues are present here, like others have mentioned. The ending could be just a little more fleshed out, it does end just a bit abruptly to the point where you wish there would be a bonus epilogue chapter. Then there's the main character, most of the story she's fine but there's a couple times where she acts so dumb you just wanna slap her. I understand WHY she does what she does but it might make you mad

Neither of those things should stop you from reading this. It has a lot of heart and doesn't get overly cutesy like other yuri stories tend to do. Don't come into this story expecting your usual shoujo-ai kind of relationship, things aren't all kisses and blushing. The story actually acknowledges things like social stigmas against same sex couples and how your friends and family will react upon hearing the news. It doesn't shy away from characters having sex, yet it doesn't go overboard with it as well. This is a nice story about two older girls, worn down a bit by life, who come together and build a relationship. I found myself enjoying it a lot, and it's one of the reasons I got into yuri manga to begin with.

... Last updated on November 12th, 2016, 8:07pm

Octave is a treasure trove of angst and confusing emotions of the human life. The part with the infidelity of the main character was just heart wrenching as many angst yuri stories do to one. I felt like taking a lightsaber and start slashing at an invisible opponent to vent out my unbearable frustration. It's a lesson learned and to be shown and taught to people who want guidance- the lesson being to not make those mistakes that will always be permanent if you wish to walk the purer path of happiness. To make mistakes and realize one's foolishness in acting that way is something very common in human history. I myself shall be doing whatever I can to avoid these sort of acts or any need of them so that I can try finding a purer and happier path to my own utopia without strong impurities.

... Last updated on May 15th, 2014, 8:30pm

The first time I read through it I found the main character unbearable. The second time I read through it I still found her irritating at parts but I was able to really dwell on what was happening and absorb Yukino's feelings. This manga definitely takes a moment to make you adjust yourself to see just how realistic it is when it comes to a person's THOUGHTS and thought process. The author takes you deep into the mind of Yukino, who is unsure of anything, and walks you through each little idea that passes through her mind - revealing everything she's thinking even when those thoughts may be disturbing or annoying at times. But that's where the realism really shines. If we were to pry into our own minds and someone were to document each of our thoughts then there would be some things we'd definitely regret thinking. All in all this romance for me can be seen as the dynamic between a girl who can't make up her mind and a woman who's mind barely ventures outside the realm of "here and now" what's "too much trouble" and what you want at your very core. In the end this is a manga that takes a bit of patience and maturity as it questions the confusing themes of love, sex, and dreams.

Tl;dr I recommend this for the patient and mature readers, you can appreciate it only if you go into it knowing you won't be proud of the main character 100% of the time.

... Last updated on July 10th, 2012, 4:37pm

I found the story to be really sweet, and with just enough drama to give it a mature and realistic feeling without trashing the story. In fact would have been perfect if not for 2 points... the first being the only severe problem.
1) main char is REALLLLY annoying, she constantly whines, f's up all the time, has the gall to get jealous over stupid stuff, and to top it all off she screws over her friends just to have her little pityparties..... she truly doesn't deserve setsuko, whose sweet, dependable, and loyal character was responsible for most of the high rating.
2)low amounts of closure... the ending wasn't particularly bad but I would have liked to see more resolved. Nothing bad enough to knock off points tho.

A wonderful somewhat mature romance story, with its fair share of sweetness. Don't pass it up if ur a romance lover.

... Last updated on January 10th, 2012, 2:11am

I haven't read many yuri manga, or many manga at all, with a real sense of what life is like. This series doesn't hold punches, and while it addresses realistic hurdles in a relationship, it doesn't do it with the over-dramatism that is often associated with romance stories or usually shoujo (not all).

What I appreciate most about this series is the overall growth of the main character. While real life doesn't go as (relatively) smoothly in someone's personal growth as did Yukino's, it was realistic and believable.

It's great. Realistic. Like there are actually guys in the story. Although you may find Yukino kind of pissing at some parts, you can really relate to her problems. Or at least I did.

Only complaint is that the ending was somewhat boring compared to the rest of it.

... Last updated on October 25th, 2011, 1:57am

If you want to read a manga about BA's doing awesome s*** you should read a shonen manga or something. If you want to read about a main character that you like and you can relate to and that they do what you want them to do and feel all happy inside you should read something else. This story is about a girl who was chewed up and spit out by life in her teenage years and has nothing to be proud of. Her chance meeting with another girl and the events that play around their romance is an interesting experience and you get to watch her make more mistakes and mature. And to those who said that she didn't mature you were more worried about the fact that it was a manga that you didn't like with a main character you didn't like to even observe the massive amounts of character development that happened. If you are mad that the main character didn't change into a BA at the end you should not read this type of manga.

As much as I love to rant I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was very realistic and I was happy to see at the end Anyways for you that don't want to read spoilers just remember what I said at the beginning. If you want to read a story about optomistic BA's who can do anything, and the mistakes that they make are superficial, don't read this story.

... Last updated on August 19th, 2011, 11:39am

... Last updated on July 16th, 2011, 9:08pm

This is my favorite yuri that I've read so far. I don't like the usual yuri that much because it either tries to be too cutesy or too sexy. I love that it was a realistic depiction of a girl growing up and coming to understand herself and her relationships. In general I like stories that allow you to see character growth. I've always been wanting to find a yuri that tries to be realistic and relatable and this one does that