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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 His classmates haven't rejected him; he's merely withdrawn from them.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.