Escape – Miyamoto Kano

Jun hates his boring, lonely high-school life. Kouji hates being a penniless thug. Even though they have absolutely nothing in common, Kouji ends up getting roped into taking Jun on a roadtrip, and they realize maybe their lives aren’t as bad as they think.

Escape is about a small-time thug, Kouji who was latched on to by a lonely high schooler, Jun. Try as he might, Kouji couldn’t get rid of Jun but it doesn’t stop him from treating the young boy with kindness. Kouji’s gruff but gentle treatment was the heart of the story as it gave Jun a measure of happiness.

This is a sweet story about two people who found a deep connection. This was made more precious because they knew time was fleeting and they had to eventually go their separate ways.

The manga was short but the story was presented well. This melancholy one-shot packed a punch with an ending that breaks your heart into tiny pieces.