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Dated 11 April 2023: I wasn't expecting to like BokuYaba this much

Anna
You sure seem pleased about your incredibly ineffective attempt at hiding.

I don't remember how I first encountered Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu (The Dangers in My Heart), but summaries of the manga set it up for failure. First of all, it's a middle school romance depicted from the male protagonist's point of view, and he seems obsessed with murder fantasies? That ought to be three strikes right there. Nevertheless, I'm really glad I gave it a chance and trusted in the strength of its reputation. Appropriately, the series is about subverting expectations and not rushing to judgment based on one's superficial impressions of others. There's no small irony here that the anime may fall victim to this very practice among potential viewers who might turn away too quickly.

Kyoutarou
This turned to be a lot funnier than I was expecting.

BokuYaba is also about not letting insecurity limit one's own potential. As it turns out, the male lead is not some Potato-kun. Nor is he some sort of mental case. Rather, Kyoutarou pumps up his chuuni levels and tries to role play as a psycho. However, he does this internally. He tells himself these things as a defense mechanism to explain why he's a pariah at school. But he's not outwardly different enough to actually be an outcast. His classmates haven't rejected him; he's merely withdrawn from them. He's not an edgelord; he's a cringelord who's too self-critical. Anna's inadvertent intrusion into his self-described sanctuary away from other people is the catalyst for the changes in how he perceives himself and others.

Kyoutarou and Anna
I like how Yamada popped into this scene seemingly out of nowhere like an actual ghost.

Here, too, is where I was afraid Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu would stumble. There is no shortage of anime and manga involving some TOP FUEL GENKI beauty who, for no clear reason, takes an aggressive liking to a painfully introverted and cowardly schmuck who ends up being an incredibly irritating point-of-view character. Thankfully, The Dangers in My Heart is not one of this lot. The friendship that develops between Kyoutarou and Anna feels natural and relies heavily on interactions that are shown rather than described. The characters in this series are insightful and often intuit that what those around them say (or are unable to say) and what they mean don't always align. The series refreshingly avoids plots based on stupid misunderstandings.

Anna and Kyoutarou
Tiny pictures are the way of love.

I'm not sure how far the BokuYaba anime will advance, but I expect it would require a two-cours run to catch up to with the manga. After all, there are more than 100 chapters already. The first two episodes of the anime covered the first 11 of these, so maybe the anime will adapt about half or two-thirds of what's out so far? I suppose that's not a bad amount. It certainly includes a number of highlights where characters have revelations about things they suddenly see with more clarity. I'm consistently impressed by how good the manga is at depicting these types of moments. I also like the anime adaptation so far, so I'm hopeful it will prove adept in these specific areas as well.

Dated 2 January 2024: The End of 2023 ~Air/My Purest Heart for Tired Evangelion Jokes~

Suletta
I don't mention Witch Gundam until the end.

I started out thinking about doing a "Best Anime of 2023" summary, considered a "Favorite Anime of 2023" post would be better instead, then briefly contemplated an "Underrated Anime of 2023" write-up next before settling on just highlighting a few series I enjoyed without constraining myself to any particular category. And here we are. Don't be afraid of your freedom.

Yamada
This is the face Anna makes when she overhears people speaking from the heart.

Foremost is BokuYaba (Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu | The Dangers in My Heart), which I'm front-loading because its second season begins on January 7th. Get on it, if you haven't already. This has been a hard sell on occasion because summaries describing it are so misleading. The irony is not lost on me that a series I praise for its authenticity deceives the audience at the outset with misdirection. As I've previously advised, Kyoutarou is not an "edgelord," he's a cringelord. BokuYaba is about the mistakes that occur when people make bad assumptions about themselves and others. Likewise, it's a mistake to make assumptions about BokuYaba.

Soyo, Raana, and Taki
MVP.

Second, I got to BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! late, but better late than never, eh. I had initially written it off as some sort of Cute Girls Doing Cute Thing show cobbled together as a vehicle for yuri 'shipping, but it turns out to be about DRAMA. Probably, technically, it's melodrama, but that bit when Best Girl Rāna starts backing up the singer (whose pockets may still be filled with rolly pollies) while she's forcing herself to bleed out on stage instead of packing up so everyone can get the Hell out of there? And then Rāna seamlessly transitions to The Forbidden Song that causes the Begging Bassist to go completely mental as The Quitter quits the venue and nearly banishes herself from the hero's party by piling down some stairs? That is some Good Shit right there.

Ganta and Isaki
Especially if the entire story includes telescopic sex.

Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (Insomniacs After School) was a lot better than I was expecting. It's not much of a stretch to imagine a couple of teenagers who spend a lot of time napping together might also fall in love, so, spoilers, I guess. Mostly I'm glad neither of them tragically dropped dead at the end of the anime or some bullshit like that. The manga did end recently, but the U.S. release is still 10 volumes behind, so I'm on the fence about reading it before it's caught up, considering how many other titles I'm still following. What they ought to do is make more of the anime and cover the entire story.

Umi
Not one Like!

The IDOLM@STER Million Live! was entirely too short considering how many idols it featured, but at least we got an Umi episode. If y'all ain't heard, I do love me some Umimi.

Frieren
I enjoyed how nonchalantly Frieren made this decision.

Beyond this list, there are a lot of really good shows that I watched in 2023 that you probably already know about. Like, is it necessary to say I'm enjoying Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End), or that Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury) was fuckin' great? The former is hugely popular and is continuing into the Winter 2024 anime season, and the latter is frickin' Gundam, so it's not as if anyone is going to forget about it. I certainly won't. Honestly, there is entirely too much capital-G Good anime each year, and 2024 doesn't seem as if it will be any different.

Dated 13 February 2024: In re Yamada's friends in BokuYaba

Serina, Kyoutarou, Chihiro, and Moeko
They're leaving Bayashiko in the dark on purpose, right?

Midway through Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu 2nd Season (The Dangers in My Heart Season 2), three of Yamada Anna's friends should be familiar faces to the viewer. Anna does have other friends throughout the school, but three classmates in particular form a regular group—one that has increasingly integrated Ichikawa Kyoutarou into the circle over time. So who are these three?

Kyoutarou and Moeko
I like that apron.

Sekine Moeko is the one who unabashedly claimed physical attractiveness was the most important quality she considered in prospective boyfriends. Kyoutarou took an immediate disliking to her. However, with Anna serving as their initial mutual "friend of a friend" nexus, Kyoutarou and Moeko have since advanced to the stage where they're also friends with each other, independent of Anna, even if Kyoutarou doesn't necessarily realize it himself.

Serina and Anna
It's fine, just roll with it.

Yoshida Serina gets the least amount of attention of the three as far as the story goes, but she's observant and insightful even though she doesn't always reveal what she knows. Serina is the one who was uncomfortable with Moeko's casual lie to Anna's mother. She's also the one who noticed Kyoutarou knew which elevator button to press, and where the bathroom was.

Moeko, Serina, Anna, and Chihiro
It's not easy being Bayashiko.

Kobayashi Chihiro is the focal point for a lot of Yamada-based antics and reaction gags. Of these three friends, Chihiro is the one who is slowest at realizing why Anna and Kyoutarou seem to spend so much time together. I'm not quite ready to call her the dumb one, but I'm certainly not going to characterize her as the smart one either. Also, it doesn't seem to come up often enough, but I'd like to acknowledge that "Bayashiko" is a fantastic nickname. Sure, people refer to Anna as "Dayama" too, but that doesn't quite have the same ring to it.