A romance of convenience between two college women soon becomes the real thing.
Shy Miwa has always dreamed of finding love, but living in small-town Japan made finding the right match difficult—especially since she likes girls! Even going away to college didn’t seem to help, until one day her outgoing classmate Saeko suggests they might as well start dating each other since it’s not like either of them has other options.
Real life is coming at Saeko and Miwa hard as they prepare for their upcoming graduation and the accompanying stress of looking for a job. Miwa’s glad her relationship with Saeko has finally healed, but the more time they spend together, the more she realizes friendship isn’t the only thing she wants. Trouble is, Saeko doesn’t seem interested in anything else!
Final Volume! [We got a 10 years later..Final Chapter so it must be]
I will miss Saeko and Miwa and their challenging same sex relationship. Both funny and emotional at times..and they didn't overstay their welcome.
The ironic thing here...as the creator points out...is that at the time of completion same sex marriage hadnt been legalized in Japan...so the ending had to take on a slightly different form.
" I think living a normal life with the person I love..is the greatest happiness I can imagine"
College graduation is looming, giving more urgency to questions about the future. Where to work? Where to live? And with whom?
A consistently good romance series comes to its inevitable and pleasant ending.
Contents: Chapter 124. The Skill to Live -- Chapter 125. Seeker -- Chapter 126. The Worst Love Confession Ever -- Chapter 127. The Theory of Happiness -- Chapter 128. Goal and Reset -- Chapter 129. A Lover's Quarrel -- Chapter 130. A Hymn of Eternal Youth -- Chapter 131. Partner -- Chapter 132. Walking Together -- Chapter 133. Ten Years Later . . . -- Bonus Manga -- Commentary Track -- Afterword
It was the ending I was expecting but I wouldn't want it any other way. This series delivered to the very end and has become one of my favorite romance Manga of all time.
University, for me, was a time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and who, precisely, I was (it turns out that ‘geek’ was still the answer, which I probably mentioned ages ago). I think this series nails that vibe while telling a great story of a complicated romance.
Saeko and Miwa’s story has been their story, their own separate stories, and then it finally ended as… wherever we find them at the start of this final volume. Mostly with graduation looming and no idea what that means.
I also think this volume drops a lot of truths that are universal, or at least ones that I have felt in my ancient bones over the years. There are two separate ones that felt important, but they both dealt with acceptance that things aren’t always perfect.
Interestingly, both of them come from Saeko, who struggles with choosing to do one thing over the other. She initially resists joining the workforce because, to her, that means becoming boring and giving up on your dreams.
What happens, however, is that this leads her to something better, even if that also includes a regular old job. There are still ways to express yourself and feel fulfilled even within the lines of regular life and this makes a good case for that.
The other issue is the reality that relationships always tend to burn hot and then settle into a baseline as life goes on. That’s just… how it goes, for most people. Learning to recognize that is something else that I think has been essential in forming healthy relationships in my own life.
With life lessons out of the way, let’s discuss this final volume in terms of Miwa and Saeko figuring themselves out yet again. I like that Saeko is ‘once bitten, twice shy’, but Miwa is able to correctly recognize that both of them have grown up over the years since they separated.
Sure, some of that was hard learning - Miwa’s depression phase was one of the roughest I have ever seen depicted - but it has absolutely changed things for them. Except for one crucial point - they still love one another a whole bunch.
Getting them back to realizing that involves a lot of flirting, some sex, and even a couple of great arguments. But by the time they have a couple of truly awkward confessions, no shojo standards here, they’ve already become a running joke with their friends over their relationship status.
Despite any misgivings on their part, the truth is that Miwa and Saeko are better together and this has been a long, wonderful series about them coming around to that fact. It nails the university vibe and all the drama that comes with it, plus all the learning and life experience.
The denouement is very strong, a nice trip through the most important players in the story and some who were… less so… If I had a quibble it would be with the resolution of Usshi’s story. I know asexual people who went pretty much this exact route, but I liked her ace representation as it was. That’s a minor point though.
And we get a little into the issues of same sex couples in Japan, just a smidgen, to remind us that a happy ending for a real world series like this doesn’t come completely free of any complications. Fantastic coming out scene though.
I loved this series. It went on a rollercoaster of a story and it was never because it didn’t make sense or just wanted to come up with some ridiculous twist. It felt grounded and real in a way a lot of yuri are not. It’s one of those stories where I feel the term yuri barely does it justice.
5 stars - great ending, great series, absolutely killed it and fourteen volumes was the perfect amount. For actual lesbian manga I’d put this up there with Even Though We’re Adults, which was another one I felt did it right. And both of them are top tier series in my personal favourites list.
University, for me, was a time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and who, precisely, I was (it turns out that ‘geek’ was still the answer, which I probably mentioned ages ago). I think this series nails that vibe while telling a great story of a complicated romance.
Saeko and Miwa’s story has been their story, their own separate stories, and then it finally ended as… wherever we find them at the start of this final volume. Mostly with graduation looming and no idea what that means.
I also think this volume drops a lot of truths that are universal, or at least ones that I have felt in my ancient bones over the years. There are two separate ones that felt important, but they both dealt with acceptance that things aren’t always perfect.
Interestingly, both of them come from Saeko, who struggles with choosing to do one thing over the other. She initially resists joining the workforce because, to her, that means becoming boring and giving up on your dreams.
What happens, however, is that this leads her to something better, even if that also includes a regular old job. There are still ways to express yourself and feel fulfilled even within the lines of regular life and this makes a good case for that.
The other issue is the reality that relationships always tend to burn hot and then settle into a baseline as life goes on. That’s just… how it goes, for most people. Learning to recognize that is something else that I think has been essential in forming healthy relationships in my own life.
With life lessons out of the way, let’s discuss this final volume in terms of Miwa and Saeko figuring themselves out yet again. I like that Saeko is ‘once bitten, twice shy’, but Miwa is able to correctly recognize that both of them have grown up over the years since they separated.
Sure, some of that was hard learning - Miwa’s depression phase was one of the roughest I have ever seen depicted - but it has absolutely changed things for them. Except for one crucial point - they still love one another a whole bunch.
Getting them back to realizing that involves a lot of flirting, some sex, and even a couple of great arguments. But by the time they have a couple of truly awkward confessions, no shojo standards here, they’ve already become a running joke with their friends over their relationship status.
Despite any misgivings on their part, the truth is that Miwa and Saeko are better together and this has been a long, wonderful series about them coming around to that fact. It nails the university vibe and all the drama that comes with it, plus all the learning and life experience.
The denouement is very strong, a nice trip through the most important players in the story and some who were… less so… If I had a quibble it would be with the resolution of Usshi’s story. I know asexual people who went pretty much this exact route, but I liked her ace representation as it was. That’s a minor point though.
And we get a little into the issues of same sex couples in Japan, just a smidgen, to remind us that a happy ending for a real world series like this doesn’t come completely free of any complications. Fantastic coming out scene though.
I loved this series. It went on a rollercoaster of a story and it was never because it didn’t make sense or just wanted to come up with some ridiculous twist. It felt grounded and real in a way a lot of yuri are not. It’s one of those stories where I feel the term yuri barely does it justice.
5 stars - great ending, great series, absolutely killed it and fourteen volumes was the perfect amount. For actual lesbian manga I’d put this up there with Even Though We’re Adults, which was another one I felt did it right. And both of them are top tier series in my personal favourites list.
August edit: yeah i think trying to find a yuri in any medium better than this is a fools errand like holy freak. Smth i just wanna touch on is how good sexuality in general is portrayed. like obviously its about two queer people and specifically theyre both lesbians, but tamifull understands it So well. like sexuality is fluid irl and while they both only like girls saeko had a struggle in finding that out and forced herself to sleep with guys on account of her trauma of being harassed for being masculine, she supposes she can date a guy if she pressed herself but admits she only gets excited when she thinks about a girl she finds attractive as opposed to a guy. it doesnt feel like being dismissive of what lesbianism is while still having complex and interesting sexualities and experiences for both of them individually. and other sapphic characters have complex views of their sapphicism that arent one note (oh i decided one day i like girls) and its really cool and interesting, for example tamaki primarily likes guys but miwa is her one exception, and yuria has only dated women but feels unfulfilled and a lack of independence in a relationship. all of that is amazing and really interesting but like upon a reread theres actually more aroace spec content than i thought???? like this shit was actually made for me primarily i was reading usshi as on the aroace spectrum, i dont think its a stretch to call her just aroace. she has trouble relating to her peers who talk about love, and isnt repulsed by the idea but finds she has more fun doing things independently and feels her friends are more than enough. like her bsf is super sexually active and theres never any nasty unneeded content w that lol shes just supportive of her. And shes happy!!!! a lot of aroace spectrum characters are cold or uncaring stereotypes but usshi’s supportive, chill, and passionate, she just happens to feel detached from an environment that tries to push romance onto her. and she ends up married with a kid which is also a very cool subversion of the stereotype, just because she’s aroace doesnt mean she cant fall in love and be happy :) some of us want partners but dont want to commit to stereotypical dating or relationship structures. on top of usshi i think i can definitely see yuria as being aroace coded also, specifically i think aromantic. her whole issue with saeko is that she just cant be happy in a longterm partnership, and while she feels love its ultimately stunted by her personal goals, and longterm dating makes her tired. saeko describes her as a “romantic and an idealist”, but i think shes moreso attracted to the honeymoon phase and the idea, and prefers her own freedom. Also kinda crazy how i had to find out thru tamifull’s final author note that same sex marriage STILL isnt legal in japan yall have so much published yaoi and yuri the fuck do you mean 😭😭😭😭😭
Ugh its so good its actually so good. i think this is the volume from this series i revisit the most, this is my first time rereading the whole way through bcs i used to just reread vol 14 over and over bc ifs so Good. the way they come to terms with their relationship and the way it doesnt fully develop until the last two is So fucking genius. i think this is the best romance piece of media ive ever consumed its actually so good. framing a relationship through not only 4 yrs of college but 4 yrs of self discovery and different relationships only to find your true partner again ugh… soulmates are so Real and its really easy to make it cliché and cringe but just developing it slowly and authentically like this is the proper way to do it. i feel like i related to miwa more at the beginning and saeko more by the end. they kind of become each other, and learn to adopt and love each other’s traits. for me at least if i really really love and trust you ill let myself be angry at you and express it. if i can tell you anything even my distaste or anger i truly love you and i Get that with miwa/saeko, they can only live their true selves fully through one another and miwa lets herself take on saeko’s authenticity and sense of expression. saeko meanwhile really does take miwa’s gentleness and passion to heart and it is GENIUS that tamifull decided saeko begins to have actual feelings of love before miwa does. its around vol 2 or 3 that saeko admits shes beginning to despite maybe miwa being the most obvious pick. in this volume in particular theres a panel where miwa says something like: “it’s horrible. it feels like my heart is on fire. i adore her so much.” And ughhhhhhhhhhtfgh shes so me guys it takes her so damn long to label and feel things like theres impulsivity and theres actually genuine love and their relationship was exactly like mine with my ex with the exception of the end of it. i still do really want a partner and art like this series does help formulate my thoughts on that im just really #single rn 💔 But yeah one of the best romance medias period. Just ignore the lesbian sex if u hate it lol pokemon theme this series sounds like: bianca’s theme from pokemon black 2/white 2: https://youtu.be/4_sKFhAf3E4 OR how about a song? jubilife city from pokemon xy (underrated as fuck btw) https://youtu.be/vb9jUoENxRw
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In the end, both Miwa and Saeko successfully secure jobs, and the two decide to start dating once again. When I read volume 1, I never imagined the story would arrive at a conclusion like this, which makes the ending feel especially moving.
Throughout the series, they repeatedly grew close, drifted apart, became involved with other people, and even fell into emotionally heavy situations. Yet the finale delivers a wonderfully happy and satisfying resolution.
I also loved the mirrored dialogue: in volume 1, Miwa says, “I guess I could go out with you,” while in the final volume, Saeko is the one who says that line. It’s a small but meaningful touch that beautifully closes the circle of their story.
Having followed them through four years of college life, it almost feels as if I spent that time alongside them. A deeply satisfying conclusion to the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
a somewhat disappointing ending for me, but I still think this is one of the best yuri manga that's ever been written. there's a lot of good in this volume, and its frankness in dealing with adulthood is always refreshing. the characters are so fleshed out and real that I'm sad to let them go. I would happily read twenty more volumes, but I'm just grateful this series got the conclusion the creator wanted and was able to reach as far as it did.
ostatni tom takie 3/5 bo zakończenie pospiesznie zrobione. niektóre tomy mocniejsze inne słabsze, ale cała seria mocne 4/5. o czym to wszystko? lesbijska drama o budowaniu pierwszych poważnych relacji. sporo różnych wątków i postaci które pokazują życia nieheteronormatywnych młodych kobiet z różnej strony. także mamy pierwsze coming outy, zawody miłosne, strach przed przyszłością, reakcją otoczenia i takie tam. na początku miałam wątpliwości czy to taka dobra seria bo konflikty między postaciami wydawały mi się strasznie niedojrzałe xD ale potem zdałam sobie sprawę że po pierwsze są na studiach=młode, a po drugie kto nie miał relacji gdzie sie pokłócił o jakieś gówno? po tej realizacji pochłaniałam resztę z przyjemnością, śledząc każdą kolejną rozterkę i zamiany jakie przechodziły bohaterki. bardzo też mi się podobało że ich wyglądy były naturalne i również się zmieniały, począwszy od ubrań po fryzury, a wyglądając dalej jak one. fajna lekturka, nie wiem czy najlepsza lesbijska seria 10 lecia, ale myślę że warto se dać
An epic, beautiful romantic drama for the ages. I dragged out beginning, then ending, this volume as I would never be able to read it for the first time again. If you read manga, this is one to cherish.
I’ m so sad it’s over but so happy it happened. This is by far my favourite manga and I loved seeing the characters grow over these past 6 years. One of the best yuri out there, with characters so diverse and complex and relatable it made me feel like they were my companions getting over my own stuff and it felt so nice because because I started this when I was finishing collage and I am finishing it as an adult, just the way they did it felt so good. I need more adult, post-collage, young adult yuri like this. I have only prises for this author, Tamifull, she did a great job capturing the process of adulting and how messy and scary it is but also how when you surround yourself with the right people it’s bearable. I’ll always carry Miwa and Saeko close to my heart because they are my babies and deserve all the love.
Not generally a romance reader, but this series pulverized me like a Maxim machine gun. So much so I had to puzzle back the shattered pieces of my flesh to re-read it with the proper respect it deserved. Like any great work of narrative art, a re-read is your first read with both eyes open. Drink every time a character fakes an emotion now that you're on top of their shit. All the usual narrative and visual cliches are there, and they somehow only serve to make the story more true-to-life.
Hits home and stays there, like a bullet in the heart.
This series was amazing from start to finish. It felt like it was meant for me and keeping up with it the past 5 years has been so meaningful for me. If I had read it yesterday it would have actually been exactly 5 years from when I read the first volume lol. It navigates so many emotions and situations I rarely see portrayed this realistically, if at all. There's a lot of tension, but a lot of learned lessons and finding yourself that make it a very satisfying read.
Esta debe ser una de las mejores historias de romance que he leído en general, está tan bien construida, literalmente ojalá tener algo así en mi vida. Ya no solo hablando de las protagonistas, si no que el desarrollo del resto de personajes al final de la obra es totalmente coherente, no sorprende a nadie pero tampoco te deja indiferente, los ves a todos con mucho cariño porque a lo largo de toda esta trayectoria, este pedazo de viaje son los 14 volúmenes de manga hemos visto crecer a todos los personajes en mayor o menor medida, pero todos aportan algo a la vida de los otros y ese aspecto hace que la historia sea muchísimos más verosimil ( que no tiene por qué o no serlo), le aporta esa esencia que caracteriza a la realidad de un grupo de amigos que se distancia al crecer porque cada uno se va a un sitio distinto y no coinciden tanto en el espacio y aún así mantienen relación.
Ahora bien, centrándonos más en las protagonistas, se siente todo tan real y natural a la vez que una invitación a conocer su historia de forma tan íntima que a veces resulta tan acogedor como una invasión a su propia privacidad
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This series was so good. I'm going to miss these characters!! ;-; I love how real and raw these characters are and how this series never shied away from dealing with difficult topics. Definitely one of the best romance manga I've read. I began reading this series in my final year of college two years ago, so the job hunting and graduation aspects of this volume were relatable. Though I only began reading this series in its last two years of publication, it really feels like I have grown alongside Saeko and Miwa too, which is a testament to how alive and developed these characters feel. I can't believe their story is over! I'll definitely be rereading soon. 5 stars for the whole series.
I followed this series for 6.5 years and it has now come to its final conclusion. It felt rushed and blurry where we’re not sure if the characters truly have changed and learned from their past relationship then we’re blown into the future of this is what happened and this is all that’s come of it. I love these characters but I’m not I love their ending. It was still definitely worth the read though.
I was not expecting a final volume, I thought it was only going to be 13 total. It kinda feels like this was added just to show them get back together and then time skip to their future. I'm still not sure they are really meant to be together with all of the relationship problems they've had this entire series.
I was also disappointed to see Usshi with a family, which sounds funny I know, but she was my relatable anti-relationship girl lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I had so much fun reading this manga. The author explores the characters sexuality so well by demonstrating how fluid sexuality can be. I read this at the perfect time since I’m taking a human sexuality class this semester :)
I’m gonna miss saeko and miwa introspective convos, banters, and love!!
This series has taken me for a ride for the last few years. I feel like my heart has been pushed and pulled in so many different directions, and while part of me wishes that we got a bit more of the post confession life, I'm happy with the ending we got. It was sweet and very Saeko and Miwa.
This last volume actually felt a little weak compared to the rest of the series, but maybe that’s kind of unavoidable when something you loved so much is ending. Still my favourite yuri series, and I’m not mad about the way things ended, but do I wish it could’ve gone on forever instead? Kinda.
I really appreciate what this series did. I liked that it wasn’t your typical GL romance, that it tackled difficult topics, that the characters were very far from perfect. I had my moments when I wasn’t super connected to certain story arcs, but overall I’m glad I read it. The conclusion was satisfying - I’m glad I got to know Miwa and Saeko, to watch them grow and mature through many wins and hardships.