I'm a simple man with simple tastes - if I see a generic romance/comedy in the season, I'll watch it. Even if it's the same copy and pasted show that I've seen a million times before. I'll watch it. As for why... well that's a whole can of worms. But when I saw this airing I thought "well, guess this another one of those". I read the synopsis, saw a tall girl and a goofy looking edgy MC and thought, "okay, this is gonna be a another gag comedy with only one overused joke and appealing to people with a tall girl fetish."

I had it all figured out.  

So I watched the first episode, and I was right. He wants to kill her, but she's hot so he ends up falling in love with her, bla bla bla. Fell right into my low expectations. But eh, it was fine so I decided to watch the next episode. Admittedly, it was a little funnier but still what I expected. So, I watched the next episode. It seemed like they forgot about the initial gag with him wanting to kill her. Sure, but it was still a generic romcom. I watched the next episode. I guess it might be an okay romance...? They aren't reusing the gag at all and I think I'm starting to like it for some reason... I watched the next episode. And the next one. And the next. Suddenly, I realised that I was dying for the next episode to release, thinking about it all the time and replaying scenes over and over again. Then it hit me. Crap, this might be one of my favourite romance anime ever. Now, how the hell did that happen?

The Dangers in My Heart is one of the most surprising anime I've seen. Not because of any crazy plot twist or incredible subversion, but because I was tricked into thinking it was a basic gag comedy anime. The synopsis of the MC wanting to kill her is blasted through the window and out of the stratosphere. Gone and never to be seen again.

With shocking contrast to the initial premise, the atmosphere and tone of the anime is the complete opposite. It emphasises quiet moments and mundane situations, like sharing sweets in the library or walking back from school together and popping into the convenience store for food.

All of the significant scenes involve the two main characters, Yamada and Ichikawa, talking alone together casually. I actually love how you can sometimes feel awkward silences between them because so many other anime always have a specific intention for a scene, exaggerating interactions and it never just feels like two people talking. Instead, they feel somewhat plastic, reminding you that there is someone writing a script for them to follow behind it all.

The drama is also executed very differently to other anime. There are no emotional outbursts with screaming and crying and so on. Nor are there any absurd and unrealistic misunderstandings for the sake of drama. Instead, every conflict is carefully woven into the subtext, and understood by the characters and the viewer without a big scene to confirm it.

But even beyond that, the drama isn't the best part. The anime captures the feeling of two normal high schoolers naturally falling in love over time. There is no unlikely circumstance forcing them together or some random one-off incident that makes the heroine fall in love. It's just two students that take an interest in each other, gradually talk more over time and eventually grow closer. Their interactions develop from infrequently exchanging words to each other, to only greeting each other by the school entrance, to texting and then to walking home together. Anna goes from being slightly stand-offish to nudging him and bumping his shoulder, while Ichikawa begins to open up a little and ask her more questions instead of being on the receiving end all the time. Something I recently noticed is how in so many romance anime, all that the characters talk about is the romance itself. It's always them saying something super flirty, doing something lovey-dovey like holding hands and making that a big deal, or something along those lines. And it makes the romance feel so unnatural because couples don't do that the entire time. They talk about mundane things too. A good chunk of the dialogue in this anime falls outside of lovey-dovey moments and is just two friends hanging out, which is such a breathe of fresh air in this genre. 

It might have the most realistic romantic development I've seen in an anime. And the realistic interactions really do stand out among the rest. I feel like so many romance anime try to spice it up with some unique premise but the ones that really stand out to me are the ones that don't try to. 

Now, give me a moment to appreciate the angelic soundtrack. The score has the ability to make scenes feel special. It's hard to explain but it really encapsulates the beauty of two people falling in love and how wonderful of a thing that is. There are scenes when the two characters are just looking into each other's eyes or take a second longer to think about what the other said, and the music will give it this sentimental tone that really pulls you in. You know, I think a decent comparison is unironically the minecraft soundtrack. Growing up, minecraft was always just there as a game that I knew of, sometimes played and enjoyed but never really appreciated. But recently, I starting listening to the soundtrack that I've heard a million times but in isolation, I realised that it's really beautiful. It has this nostalgic and tender feeling to it that makes you sit back and think: Man... 

Strange comparison, I know, but the soundtrack of this anime gives me a similar feeling where I have to sit back and think, "damn, that's beautiful". It really makes this romance anime stand out for me because with other anime I'll think, oh that's cute or aw that's nice, but it's rare for one to make me genuinely be in awe. It's hard to convey how you feel about music when you don't know much about music but that's what I think anyway. 

On top of the high quality animation, I think the colour palette also has a significant impact. It uses a lot of grays and dull colours to give it a sort of winter feeling. Living in England, it feels just like home (in a good and bad way). It makes the ambience calm and serene, matching the romantic element of the show.

Now, even though I've made it sound pretty serious so far, the comedy is actually great. It mixes up jokes related to Yamada being an airhead or Ichikawa being shy really well, so most of it comes from the quirkiness of the characters. There are a few silly situations or even horny jokes here and there but the majority of it involves the characters bouncing off of each other, making them more likeable. 

Although, the characters are what make the show. I've talked about how realistic the show is and that comes from the cast. Unlike other romance anime characters, they won't panic over the tiniest things and aren't super dense. They're mature enough to realise that they somewhat like each other, even if not fully convinced that it's romantic, so they don't overreact to every little thing. This means they can hang out together and walk home together without it being weird or some big event. 

Anna is an airhead and a lot of the comedy comes from her being goofy and doing stupid things. But she's surprisingly perceptive. There are many moments where, over time, she learns about Ichikawa and it shows through her actions. I noticed that she never teases him for being shy or socially anxious but instead subtly helps him through it. For example, whenever he's too shy to say something, she'll patiently be quiet wait for him to get ready and say it - instead of interrupting. There are plenty of times when Ichikawa is too nervous to say something in a social situation in front of a bunch of classmates but she can tell how he's feeling or what he's trying to say by just looking at him. She makes him feel normal and I think that's why they work so well together. The anime makes an effort to portray her as very empathetic and caring, like a person with an authentic and big heart. She's unapologetically herself and likable through and through.

Also, she's hot. I absolutely have a thing for tall girls so she immediately gets a lot of points in my book.

Ichikawa is somewhat a self-insert protagonist, but definitely has ample individuality. He's relatable by being socially inept and cynical, but branches out into a full character as the story progresses. He thinks more critically about his relationship with Anna and how to work through certain situations. But something I really like about him is how he constantly pushes through the barriers made from his anxiety or embarrassment when it counts. When he realises that it's something important, he fights through that part of him. And I think that makes him very likable and admirable as a character. Also, the story has his first-person narration so it's fun to see his honesty in regards to his doubts, insecurities and feelings.

Something I think a lot of people, and sometimes I, struggle with in romance anime is the feeling of envy. Despite it being escapism, we can't help but feel bitter about not having a romance like that ourselves. So when there's a protagonist who's bland, boring and all that but the heroines fall in love with them so easily, it's frustrating. But with this anime, there isn't a drop of that feeling at all. Every moment with these two characters is sweet like honey and makes me squeal like a little girl. The main character is genuinely a great guy who absolutely deserves her love, without it feeling unjustified or forced at all. And Anna feels like an actual girl who falls in love with a guy for who he is and not any silly reason like him saving her or being super hot when he pulls back his hair or something. The show makes you empathize with the characters all the way through, making each interaction heartwarming to your core.

This show is one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in anime because of how I thought it would be in the beginning and how it gradually changed my mind. It's such a beautiful and fresh take on the romance genre. Despite how corny it sounds, with the music, the writing and the empathetic characters, it really makes love seem like a beautiful thing. And I think that's what the romance genre should be all about. 

This review isn't that in-depth because it's in retrospect. Season two just started airing but I got the sudden urge to make a review about the first season before I watch it. So I haven't watched the anime for about half a year. Still, I remember how it made me felt and I hope I could convey that in this review. It's now one of my favourite romances and I'm excited for the next season.

PS:

(Santa please give me a tall girlfriend to tower over me and hold me as a late Christmas present).