Ano Yoru no Pool

Ano Yoru no Pool (lit. The Pool That Night) is a beautifully profound story of human connection and adolescence, packing so much care and meaning into a short chapter. It follows two teenage boys who attend high school together—one popular, one not—who bond with each other over the fact that they're both outsiders. Koizumi is bullied by his classmates for being awkward and frail, but despite this, he forms a connection with the popular Hayato, who is something of an outcast within his own friend group due to his disinterest in romance and relationships (which, as I'm sure anyone who once attended high school will remember,seems to be the only thing on the mind of so many people that age). The friendship these two strike up is such a caring, empathetic portrayal of the value of friendship and kindness, showing how we should be treating the people in our lives, even if they're "different." Its portrayal of both bullying and the resulting mental illness as well as the aromantic experience are, from my personal perspective, very respectful and accurate to life. The art style—leaning towards the more realistic, gritty look as far as manga go—is perfect for telling a story as grounded as this one, and it's very nice to look at. I was disappointed to see that apparently this author hadn't published anything else, and a large part of that was because I liked the art style so much. For as short as it is, there is literally no reason not to read this, ever.