Season 1 |
Episode Guide
Episode #1: I Was Stolen Away -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode #2: I Died -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode #3: I Want To Hug You -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode #4: I Have A Problem -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode #5: We Got Split Up -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode #6: I Melted It -| Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode #7: We Swapped Places -| Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode #8: I Had A Dream -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode #9: I Hate Yamada -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode #10: We Walked Slowly -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode #11: We’re A Bit Alike -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode #12: I Wanted To Be Seen-| Review Score – 4.5/5
With a new anime season comes more romantic comedies and slice-of-life anime for people to watch. The Dangers In My Heart had stiff competition during the Spring 2023 season with My Clueless First Friend and Skip and Loafer. Although The Danger In My Heart is not a masterpiece and has its share of flaws, the anime is starting to shape into a magical work of art.
The Dangers In My Heart centers around a junior high student named Kyotaro Ichikawa. He adores the concept of murder and wants his first victim to be his school’s popular student Anna Yamada. After a brief encounter with her in the library, Kyotaro learns of Yamada’s ditzy side, enticing him to support her from the sidelines. As the two interact with each other on a daily basis, Kyotaro develops feelings for Yamada that are far from devious.
This anime’s plot got off to a rocky start, with its characters demonstrating weird gestures and engaging in cringe-worthy interactions. This turned many anime fans away from the series. While the story doesn’t outright remove some of its weird jokes and sensual themes, it does steer toward a more enjoyable spectrum after its third episode. From episode four and up, fans receive a tale with spectacular slice-of-life components, heart-pumping drama, and charming themes that will keep them invested.
The slice-of-life segments are down-to-earth and a joy to sit through. Whether fans are giggling at Yamada and her quirky impersonation of Santa Claus or are enthused by her and Kyotaro holding hands, this series features enough comforting interactions between the two that it would be difficult for any fan not to find their conversations and meetings adorable. On the other hand, there were moments in season one’s plot that was never fully realized, like Haruya failing to address Yamada hugging incident with Kyotaro in the library.
That moment was intense and made viewers feel like Haruya would confront Kyotaro about it during their exchange in the eleventh episode. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen, and we receive a scenario where Haruya attempts to persuade Kyotaro to give him Yamada’s LINE information. It’s missed opportunities like that that will make fans feel slightly bummed out. While the story has its highs and subtle lows, the characters shine brightly, especially Kyotaro, who receives the best development from everyone present.
When we get introduced to Kyotaro, he comes off as a loner. He wants nothing to do with the world and his classmates. However, by spending time with Yamada, he breaks free from his murder-crazed phase and opens up to her about his life. This leads to revelations concerning Kyotaro’s past that will help the audience understand why he turned out the way he did. These revelations will entice fans to empathize with Kyotaro and praise him for his remarkable growth by the season’s conclusion.
Unfortunately, Yamada remains stagnant throughout the course of season one. Although she’s the anime’s beacon of sunshine who has her moments of grief and sorrow, she receives very little depth and development compared to Kyotaro. While the anime introduces some noteworthy traits about her model career and hints at a possible conflict with her family, those matters aren’t explored to the same wavelength as Kyotaro’s mental dilemmas.
With season two, it’d be great to explore Yamada’s modeling career issues and her ongoing relationship with Kyotaro. That way, she won’t fall into the same niche as other cookie-cutter cinnamon roll female characters in other romantic comedies.
The supporting cast serves their roles in the narrative well. Kana, Sekine, Adachi, and Haruya were stand-outs among them. While some can interfere with the plot’s charming atmosphere, they don’t overstay their welcome.
Shin-Ei Animations worked on The Dangers In My Heart’s animation and visuals. They’re not a well-known studio like Mappa or Ufotable, but they brought their A-game with this adaptation. Everything looks colorful and breathtaking in this show. However, the animation piques significantly whenever we delve into intimate scenes between Kyotaro and Yamada. These moments will make people feel like they’re watching a feature film at times with the level of detail that went into each scene. It’s astonishing what this studio achieved with this season’s animation.
The Dangers In My Heart’s success will put Shin-Ei Animations on many viewers’ radars. The soundtrack is just as impeccable as the visuals. Kensuke Ushio, Yorushika, Kohanaramu, and everyone else who worked on the music for this series deserves a pat on the back for their incredible work. The music helped make the close-knit encounters feel impactful and unforgettable. On top of the excellent voice acting from Hina Youmiya (Yamada) and Shou Horie (Kyotaro), this season delivers a stellar musical performance.
For an anime that started off feeling tacky and unbearable, there were many legitimate reasons for people to abandon the anime. However, those who stuck with it received something beautiful and memorable by the end of it all. While it’s not a perfect romantic comedy, the next season gives it a chance to improve. Whether or not it conquers its fallacies is up in the air. Regardless, this is truly an anime too wholesomely dangerous to ignore.
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Verdict - - 8/10
8/10