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Two strange but adorable characters trying to understand each other.

Imagine this: You’re a young man – teenager to be precise – who likes all things macabre, including thoughts about the death of those around you. But, as life would have it, someone comes crashing into your orbit and changes your view on the world AND your opinion of them. Bam! Now your feelings are spiraling into the madness called self-reflection and pondering that your worldview may not always be the healthiest.

It sounds something straight out of a school life manga series. To be fair, the archetype of the troubled guy with a chip on his shoulder never gets old because many of us relate to a character like this. Most of us have felt the same way, cursing the world for its unfair treatment and harboring a bravado to put up with it. That, “I-don’t-care-what-anyone-thinks-of-me” attitude. It feels good and strong and powerful in the face of adversity. Like wearing maxed out armor with all the defensive points during a heated battle.

When I clicked on “The Dangers in My Heart” by SAKURAI Norio while scrolling mindlessly through HIDIVE, I was in the mood for something silly and light. But what I got was a show close to “Komi Can’t Communicate” with characters that aren’t completely oblivious to each other’s feelings (No offense Komi and Tadano). The dark, gloomy boy who hates the bubbly, outgoing popular girl enough to want her dead. A girl who can’t stop snacking and tries to hide it by seeking solstice among silent observers. Bits and pieces of plot that threatened to snap my heart strings. “Dangers” is a fun, flirty, sad and fulfilling story that shows the beauty of difference in perspectives and power of personal growth.

Ichikawa is an interesting main character. Resembling Atushi from Lovely Complex, he is short but, unlike Atushi, hardly athletic. He spends a lot of his time reading and thinking about death and despair. Although these are not original character quirks and done before in other series, what makes Ichikawa special is his ability to grow from fear of rejection and self-loathing to a teen who is able to show his deep pool of empathy, kindness and consideration of others. His dour, sour attitude is contrasted with his desire for people to care about one another’s feelings to the point that he feels his own presence to be a bother to others.

I really enjoy Yamada, his hate-love interest, as she resembles what he does not have. She’s easy-going, struggles to read the room and is described as an ‘airhead’. In my opinion, this ‘airheadness’ is her vibe towards life rather than something to do with her intelligence levels. While Ichikawa overthinks and stresses and worries, Yamada snacks, plays and otherwise tries to have fun during her days. Both learn the importance of their individual strengths and weaknesses, and by the end of the series, it’s clear that they find strength in each other.

Overall, “The Dangers In My Heart” is a 12-episode series worth the watch. I thoroughly enjoyed the freshness of both characters and plot line. This could have easily been a show focused solely on the differences between the two characters was a sprinkle of predictable romance and a dash of exaggerated humor. Thankfully, the manga artist and author created a beautiful tory line depicting real emotions, teenage awkwardness and sweet moments of acceptance. I definitely plan to rewatch in the future. What can I say: I’m a sucker for dangers in my own heart.

Read a Summary: https://myanimelist.net/anime/52578/Boku_no_Kokoro_no_Yabai_Yatsu