Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu
The Dangers in My Heart

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Story:

Starts off on a weird note and no telling where it'll go. Is it a romance between an unpopular guy and most popular girl in school? A chuuni-edge lord living his life? A SOL about an awkward kid? It didn't know what it wanted to be at first, but the chapters are too amusing for it to be a huge rain-on-a-parade. It definitely does shift towards a romance tone, though largely remains a subtle-comedy SOL.

Art:

A goofy art-style that'd you expect from a SOL school-life comedy. This series has a great "show-not-tell"-style of comedy. The characters' expressions & the background never fail to ... crack a smirk on my mug, it's not blatant but subtle. Overall, a very fun art style that does its job.

Characters:

If you've read WataMote, you'll likely enjoy our protagonist, though his awkwardness is much more comedic and light-hearted than Tomoko. You might wildly cringe or adore Ichikawa. At the start, his character was purely an edge-lord chuuni, which has toned-down over the progression of the story. Now, he's an awkward kid that doesn't know how to interact with girls (aka every middle-school guy). His narration is hilarious, couldn't ask for a better MC. As for our heroine, Yamada, she's the exact opposite. Bright, cheery and extroverted; her character allows for amusing interactions with Ichikawa. Though sometimes an airhead, she has some self-awareness and tact that doesn't make her an annoying bubbly character. The side-characters are also great for amusing scenes, that also help bring the two MCs together.

Enjoyment:

Though this series isn't entirely transparent with what it wants to be, it's nonetheless a very amusing and casual read with its wandering plot with its subtle comedy and romance. Very epic enjoyment.

Overall, I reward this an 8/10.

First off, I feel like the synopsis for this manga is painfully inaccurate. The first 4 or 5 chapters touch on the themes of murderous impulses, but after that it's a fluffy school romance story and definitely not a "fearsome psycho-thriller". However, I didn't really mind this switch in themes because I'm personally weak for sweet school romances, but if you wanted a thriller examining the complexities of adolescent feelings then this isn't for you.

Story - 5
There's not much to say. The story involves Ichikawa, a loner at school, and his crush on Yamada, a model who has a sweet tooth. There's nothing particularly revolutionary ... about the story, but it doesn't fail in any areas. It's perfectly average, no more and no less. This hasn't been completed yet so the story could get really bad or really good, but in its current state it's a simple yet vaguely pleasant read.

Art - 7
The art is good. I can't say much more about it. It's appealing, but it doesn't try to break from the mold.

Character - 6
Once again, I don't have much to say. The characters aren't incredibly deep, but they aren't annoying and break past tropes enough for them not to feel entirely stale. I did like how the protag's ignorance of Yamada's affections towards him actually seemed realistic and his thought process makes sense, although I didn't really like how the series dropped his murderous impulses after a few chapters.

Enjoyment - 6
It's not spectacular, but it's definitely not bad. I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy other manga I hold dear, but I never found myself wanting to close it. It's solidly average and a good manga to read in between longer and more action-packed series.

Overall - 5
I felt like Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu is average, and that's not a bad thing. If you feel like the description of a sweet middle school romance between an outgoing girl and a shy boy has you hooked, then I recommend you read it. If not, search elsewhere.

It was fun… at first. "Psychological thriller" quickly turned oddball romantic comedy was a welcome change for most, and the series quickly found its place among modern rom-coms with a relatable protagonist and steady relationship growth. At some point, I figured they'd soon acknowledge their relationship and start dating, with the series establishing itself as one of the few well-paced romance manga out there.

That point was two years ago.

Now, the manga feels like Zeno's paradox in practice: every two weeks a new chapter comes out and their relationship makes half as much progress as last week's, getting so close to but never actually reaching ... any sort of cathartic release. We're constantly being reminded of how close the two are– and how little that means as every new batch of chapters finds a new excuse for the gridlock of 'will-they-won't they' that has become the norm for the series. Ichikawa's hesitation and lack of self-confidence goes from endearing to just plain annoying as he continues to find new reasons not to press forward with his relationship, and eventually my ability to empathize with him was thrown out the window..

The series seems to be part of a larger trend of romcom manga where the characters, aware (or at least semi-aware) of each other's feelings, behave like they're dating without ever actually crossing that line. This style, admittedly, seems to have worked out in BokuYaba's favor given its sheer popularity (both the manga itself, and the horny art of Yamada that keeps being posted to the author's Twitter). Personally, I don't enjoy this type of romcom– I like the satisfaction of more conventional romance milestones much more. Unfortunately, BokuYaba takes an even uglier middle ground, where the unchanging nature of the series is combined with the emotional urgency of wanting to take that next step. I quickly went from rooting for them, to getting frustrated at the lack of progression, to finding it all meaningless in the end.

I'm aware I'm in the minority opinion here and if you want to see for yourself how the series is, don't let me stop you– just be aware that the brisk pace set by the series' early chapters will soon become much, much slower.