"Kuraki has a dark and possessive side that Shouta unwittingly brings to the surface..." It was hidden, ever? Kuraki has great hair but he's a total @$$|-|013 throughout.

As expected from Kyuugo the art is great and the story is engaging, neat, well told, and just the right length. I wouldn't want this dark little domestic violence story to be a page longer, but I would like a bright little sequel. Can Kuraki change? Why is he so torqued? Is there any possibility of Shouta and Shiraishi ever getting together?

I'm always impressed when a mangaka takes character types I don't like and a plot conceit I don't find sexy and wraps them into a great story. Escape is just that. I haven't read it three times just for Kuraki's cute haircut. Really.

Kyuugou is definitely one of my favorite bl mangakas, right up there with Ono Natsume and Yoneda Kou. The art is beautiful and the story really makes you think (while your stomach churns). Kuraki is a self-loathing cesspool of violence and anger who beats the crap out of Shouta, the person he apparently "loves". Shouta seems like a sweet guy, and he definitely deserves a much happier ending. To say I felt a lot of anger towards Kuraki would be an understatement, but what Kyuugou has portrayed is a classic relationship which has domestic violence. Shouta can't escape Kuraki because of Kuraki's psychological hold on Shouta and that's what makes it so heartbreaking. You can see that Kuraki feels bad about what he's doing, but that does not in any way redeem him - the man needs major psychological help.

The ending for me was ambiguous. Before reading other comments, I actually thought that Shouta was referring to Shiraishi and Kuraki referring to Shouta, but everyone has their own opinion. It's up to you to decide what's going on there.

I really do wish Kyuugou would write a sequel to this, be it a happy ending or even just a bit more character development and background story as to how Shouta ended up with Kuraki in the first place. Overall, a nice read if you want to see an abusive relationship be portrayed realistically. If you're looking for the ridiculous overused storyline of the uke falling in love with his abusive seem look elsewhere.

This really the end? Either way, it was brilliantly written. I actually read this a long time ago, but didn't really give a second notice to it. Not until recently did I re-read it, then I finally "got it," or something in me clicked to make me love it. For those that have already read it but didn't take a liking to it the first round, give it another try. This story really, REALLY sticks with you (throughout the years LOL). The mangaka is truly superb.

There's something about this that makes me read it over and over.I can understand why people have said it feels incomplete and rushed, however I think it's perfect the way it is. It has left me wanting to know more and I really want to understand the characters, if it continued or was longer I think it wouldn't have been as interesting. Their relationship is more complicated and much more real then the usual bl and yaoi, it isn't something I'll fangirl over but I cannot express how much I love this. I feel that this isn't as sad or tragic as everyone says it. When Shouta says they're both in love with someone either way, I believe that both Shouta and Kuraki can't help but fall for each other in some form. The way Kuraki looked at Shouta and the way Shouta began to only think of Kuraki. The way it's shown is good, I'm more than satisfied with the ending, great short story.

... Last updated on September 26th, 2012, 4:44pm

Felt incomplete, like there should be a sequel somewhere. The story is too short to give Kuraki any redeeming qualities, so I dislike him D: abusive @$#@% and Shouta should just get away from that guy >_< and at the end Love? really? "I love you <3 so I'm gonna beat you up and rape you" O_O what? Although that seems to be the theme in most Yaoi mangas, which is quite disappointing since theres so many different subjects that could be used instead. But I guess it was good in general, I though it had a sad ending tho' really uncertain.

I first read this one-shot a long time ago but on every single one of my revisits, even until now, it still manages to shake me up with the maximum forceful impact that I experienced the first time. I feel that despite its length, the story had truly captured the core essence of the theme presented, which is usually very tough to achieve, especially with the issue of abuse being laid on the table here. Yes there's violence, there's blood, there's even rape, but all for their rightful purposes. The crude and somewhat brutal way of portraying the characters here is only the author's deliberate act to bring out their most inner thoughts and feelings. I must admit Kyuugou's style of artwork isn't exactly my cup of tea, but plot-wise speaking, up until now this is still my favourite work from her, one that I could come back from time to time just to savour the bittersweet taste.

This is my favorite one shot! the story feels real, like how it would normally happen, as samanthaknd said, violence happens. pluss, im a sucker for the angsty kind of stories.

.....I’m sorry, but that story had no point to it.. I’ve read plenty of manga about abusive relationships and personally had to help someone who struggled with that.. and these relationships don’t just magically turn into love just because someone got a little jealous. Stories like these shouldn’t be written in one chapter because there needs to be sufficient time to develop the characters. Also, there wasn’t even any background as to why he fell for him in the first place? This is my second time reading it because I was surprised to see that I gave a 1/10 to something by Kyuugou when I pretty much like most of their other manga.. and now I see why.

Really hooked me into the story but way way too short and with such an abrupt ending too. Somehow it feels more like the mangaka ran out of space than thats how it was meant to end...

Lovely art, believable characters and and angsthy plot. Great one-shot, but I always thought there was a continuation? The ending is a little open-ended, but otherwise, I loved it.