オクターヴ

OCTAVE

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
6
RELEASE
December 25, 2010
CHAPTERS
36

DESCRIPTION

This story revolves around 18 year old Miyashita Yukino and her life as a former idol.

As a child, Yukino had always been fascinated with TV. And before she knew it, she wanted to be one of those idols behind the screen. At 15, she entered the entertainment industry and debuted as a member of the four-person group "She'sN". However the group wasn't very successful and they broke up shortly afterwards. Returning home in disgrace, Yukino was welcomed with people’s curious looks and hurtful words.

Wanting to find herself, regain her pride, and perhaps experience love, Yukino decides to move back to Tokyo. There she meets a certain woman, former composer Iwai Setsuko. Together they embark on a very interesting and mysterious relationship.

CAST

Setsuko Iwai
Yukino Miyashita
Oosawa
Murakoshi
Shiori
Mari Iwai
Ryouko Kamoda
Chisato Kurusu

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

swagdotcom
76/100
my god these bitches gay..............good for them! good for them.
CW: mild spoilers below

Octave was a one of a kind and down to earth coming-of-age romance that I especially enjoyed due to it's excellent characters and semi-realistic representation of same-sex relationships. Our heroine, Yukino Miyashita, had debuted in idol group "She'sN" at just 15 years old. Like many of us at some point, Yukino longed for the attention and stardom that idol life would grant her. Unfortunately the group ended up disbanding, causing Yukino to return to her small town where she ultimately drops out of school due to the harassment and ridicule she endures.

It honestly subverted some of my expectations in that it's not packed to the brim full of cliche or trope-y elements I often see in a lot of yuri manga. It's a refreshing read and I really recommend it if you're not really one for highschool romance. To me it is definitely romance focused but it does dip it's toes into heavier themes. OH ALSO I just wanna say the sex scenes are like....everywhere. They're not really male gaze-y or meant to be objectifying, which i quite liked. They're very sweet! If that's not your cup of tea, you can easily enjoy the series by skipping over them as the story doesn't really hinge on the sex too much except for when it's regarding things like infidelity and Yukino's exploration of her bisexuality.

Our heroine Yukino Miyashita, is in my opinion one of the best characters. A lot of the time she is insufferable, mainly due to the constant cloud of melodrama hovering around her every thought, but her flaws and struggles are so human and relatable that I found myself truly rooting for her. She is deeply flawed and has barely any self-esteem to cling to, pride damaged from her lack of success as an idol, with an immense proclivity for crying all the damn time— but that's simply what made her so enjoyable to me. Watching this messy, emotional young girl navigate her turbulent emotions and slowly but gradually come to stand on her own two feet is so satisfying. I think because of our closeness in age (Yukino being 18 and me being 19), I felt a sort of kinship with her.

The same goes for her girlfriend, Setsuko Iwai. The start of Yukino and Setsuko's relationship is sexually charged; a one night stand that, in a rush of touch-starvation and desire, quickly becomes something so much more complicated. If Yukino is the constantly undulating sea, Setsuko is absolutely the stable rock by the shore. She is this cool-headed and mature beauty that Yukino admires, 4 years older with an already nearly well-rounded character. Despite being level-headed and frank with her values, she has difficulty communicating emotionally, especially at the start of the relationship. She takes Yukino's virginity and the next day she treats her like she's nothing to her, when really she simply didn't know what she was supposed to say. It's frustrating at times when the two of them simply don't communicate enough. Setsuko is charming in the way she starts off almost cold but as she and Yukino grow in their relationship she begins to allow herself to be more open despite her fears of vulnerability.

Their relationship is lovely, and although I feel like it started off almost a little unhealthy in the way Yukino seemed so dependent on Setsuko to give her a sort of purpose, I think that in the story they had a lot of room to grow and really understand and love one another. They go through lots of trials and tribulations especially regarding Yukino's newly explored bisexuality as a young woman being in a relationship with a woman for the first time, jealousy, as well as handling the homophobia of Yukino's once close friend towards their relationship.

I feel like I'm kinda rambling right now but another thing I enjoyed about Octave was definitely the glimpse into the idol entertainment industry. Through Yukino's lense as a former idol still working in the industry, we see the impact it has had on herself as well as her former idol group members and the way she is treated. The chapter where Yukino meets up with all her old group mates is honestly so depressing but it's not at all unrealistic, one of her old members jealously talking shit about one of She'sN's former members' immense success as a solo singer. This depiction of internalized misogyny as well as the effect of exploitation in the idol industry, pornography industry, and even gravure modeling was refreshing.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did <3
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