The Dangers in my Heart (BokuYaba) might be the biggest subversion of expectations that I've had the pleasure of witnessing in all my years of watching anime. I had initially watched this series on a whim, viewing it as another fun, brain-off romcom to pass the time. Considering the amount of romcoms that the anime industry is already littered with, I didn't really have too many expectations for it other than what I've heard from other people. Despite that, BokuYaba ended up being so much more than what I had initially anticipated. At its core, BokuYaba is an incredibly sweet and touching anime filled with its share of comedic and romantic moments, things you would expect in the genre, but beyond that is an thorough exploration of the internal conflicts that is well-associated with adolescence, an complicated yet important time of life where people learn to grow and mature. It tells a heartfelt story of the somewhat awkward, yet all the more heartwarming relationship between Kyoutarou and Anna, two characters that I've grown very attached to over time.

Too often will a romance anime meander around aimlessly. Real progression seldom occurs and interactions only happen for the sake of being cute or wholesome. This show goes well beyond that and serves as a massive breath of fresh air for those that have become weary of these tropes. All the subtleties that the show puts great effort in displaying, whether it be the internal conflicts that Kyoutarou deals with or the small steps he takes to grow out of his comfort zone, serve as a foundation in order to make the characters and their relationship feel actually genuine.

Speaking of Kyoutarou, his characterization and development is one that exceeded any expectations that I had initially had. Kyoutaro's thoughts and actions were reminiscent of myself when I was around his age. I'll admit, and I'm sure many others can relate, that much of the "cringe" that he has exhibited, especially early on in the series, was something that I've been through. He's edgy, insecure, and even borderline creepy at times, all of which are qualities you might expect from an angsty teenager around his age. But beyond that shell is just a kid who maintains a strong inclination to avoid other people, originating from his feelings of self-doubt and inferiority that he has developed over the years. The restoration of his self-esteem and willingness to interact with others serves as the basis of his development. Throughout the anime, we slowly but surely see him break out of his shell. As he confronts his feelings of falling in love for the first time, we begin to see him exhibit the "human" side of him that others have not seen. He starts to walks down a path that is unfamiliar to him, filled with many unknown factors. Kyoutarou will feel afraid, rightfully so, and consequently he begins to struggle in new ways, and will continue to struggle, but that is the proof of his change over the course of the anime. His development is done subtly, but that makes it all the more pronounced and rewarding.

And Anna, the other half of the relationship, is as multifaceted as Kyoutarou is. On the exterior, she seems like the perfect girl—she's beautiful, she's charismatic, she's optimistic, and everybody seems to look up to and admire her. But as the relationship between her and Kyoutarou deepens, her imperfections begin to leak out. She's constantly stressed because of her work, she deals with issues of self-confidence as she constantly compares herself to others who are seemingly superior to her, and she constantly has to worry about her personal presentation to Kyoutaro as she copes with her burgeoning feelings for him. That's not to say these flaws work against her from a viewer standpoint—in fact, it's quite the opposite. At the end of the day, Anna is just a 14-year girl facing internal problems and struggles just like any other normal teenager would be. These flaws humanize her, and make her all the more appreciable.

It's precisely these aforementioned traits that makes the relationship building between Kyoutarou and Anna feel so gratifying for the viewer. Conflicts such as insecurity and regret, feelings that define these troubling years of the two individuals, are closely interwoven into this tale as both Kyoutarou and Anna begin to discover who they are. In their own ways, they learn to understand each other and find further meaning in their relationship. Neither of them left the person that they once were, it's just that they've both evolved beyond their old selves. That's not to say that they won't face any more doubts or other roadblocks in the future, it's two young teenagers experiencing love for the first time after all. However, what stands is that they are more open-minded in facing these conflicts and ready to grow as individuals, a stark contract to what these characters were like in episode 1 of the anime.

___ That's all to say, I absolutely adore this series. So much of the anime spoke to me in a personal way, and every episode was more than enjoyable for me—I could not stop smiling like a doofus at so many different moments. I understand thinking that the anime is somewhat wish-fulfilling or whatnot, and I don't necessarily disagree with that take. However, everything about this show is so faithfully and realistically portrayed that I don't really care (and some wish-fulfillment isn't a bad thing, it's a romcom after all).