The Dangers in My Heart is uncomfortable not due to its subject matter but because of its effective satirization of the inherent creepiness often found in maleled romance anime. It cleverly critiques the recent wave of school romcoms featuring generic boys who mystically attract conventionally attractive girls through exaggerated narratives and voyeuristic direction. Kyoutarou Ichikawa the average male protagonist embodies the creepiness to the extreme with his lurking antisocial behavior and disturbing thoughts. However the series takes an unexpected turn by juxtaposing his unsettling tendencies with moments of genuine kindness. These anime tend to follow men who narrate about their love interests while staring at them longingly usually as the animes director ogles her leeringly. Is Kazuya a creep for staring at Chizuru and thinking about her? Yes obviously. Kyoutarou Ichikawa the average maleled romcom protagonist with the creepiness cranked to eleven. He lurks in the dark library avoids socializing carries a box cutter at all times and loves to ponder murdering his classmates. Oh yeah hes also fivefootnothing and shatters at the slightest confrontation. Initially I had assumed this would be your average loner guy gets hot girlfriend because she sees he has a beautiful heart. And it seemed that way at first. Ichikawas private sanctum the library is threatened when his model classmate Anna Yamada comes to secretly snack in private. Rather than announcing himself he hides a foot away from her behind a bookshelf and narrates his frustration and murderous desire to the viewers. But seemingly Ichikawa cant help himself when shes in need. Like when shes crying he kindly leaves her tissues or readily defends her when shes in trouble with teachers. Its almost like the anime is attempting to make us overlook his stalker tendencies because hes a nice guy except she doesnt actually need him. Everytime he attempts to help its clear shed be fine on her own or has already solved the problem herself. What keeps this formula refreshing is how Ichikawas plans tend to fail in unpredictable ways. Early on Ichikawa witnesses a boy harassing Anna as he is stalking her of coursebut rather than step in to help he throws his bike down a hill landing it in a river but effectively getting the attention of other students to draw away the harasser. Despite epicly failing to be suave he helped Annaat a major expense to himself. Hes not smooth in any way but his sincerity is earnest. Watching the series blindly I worried Ichikawa would successfully rescue Anna at every turn and make her fall in love with him. A cliche tried and true romance trope. In fact its the opposite. Ichikawas wellmeaning failures and adorable awkwardness are what endear Anna to him. Their relationship slowly develops into friendship hinting at something more and the ball is always in Annas field. She has more power in their relationship but not in an manipulative abusive Nagatorosan kind of way. Considering shes an athlete and like a foot taller than him capable on her own. Other anime about generic cringeworthy teenage boys who somehow attract the hottest girl in their life usually treat their heroines like objects of desire. Theyre to be looked at but entirely devoid of personality conflict and depth Anna is the antithesis of them. The recent trend of maleled romcom heroines may have flaws that make them not like other girls such as sadism inability to speak teasing but these supposed flaws fulfill a desire for some viewers. Anna is just a personher idiosyncrasies arent attractive qualities they simply make her unique. Yamada does some funny things occasionally that made me laugh out loud. Such as pulling a pound of candy out of her pocket randomly and covering other magazines with her own at the store. Sometimes shes a little ridiculously stupid. How dont you question why a random dude is always hiding in the library behind you or wonder why he just has a box cutter on him? However her foolishness never exists to make Ichikawa appear smarter. Theyre both dunces in their own ways. The perfect example of this is in a later episode when the two catch colds trying to care for one another Ichikawa chases after Anna in the rain to return her forgotten belongings then Anna visits his home after school bringing him ice cream and showing her concern for his wellbeing. When Ichikawa passes out from a fever Anna helps him and in her genuine worry cannot resist hugging him during his delirium. Unbeknownst to Ichikawa Anna caught a cold from their heartfelt hug highlighting her selfless and caring nature. Although I found it cute and accurate to his personality his obliviousness to her affection may come off as frustrating for some viewers. Ichikawas insecurities and fear of rejection are vividly depicted leading to his edgy behavior and rejection of Yamadas sincere care. In episode nine Yamadas efforts to obtain Ichikawas number go unnoticed until he realizes her intentions but a series of misunderstandings further strains their relationship. Ichikawas distorted belief that Yamada has been using him causes him to ignore her until a heartfelt confrontation reveals Yamadas vulnerability and genuine affection. Their emotional connection deepens as they begin to bridge the gap between Ichikawas fears and Yamadas unwavering support setting the stage for a potentially transformative chapter in their relationship. Notably he sees Anna as above himself however it causes him insecurities rather than as a means to make her an ethereal otherworldly being. The viewers see both of them as equals mostly due to Annas abundant screen time in the latter half and hearing her inner monologue. Also theres virtually no fan service. Even though Ichikawa is a normal hormonal teenage boy the animators never sexualize Annaand it PAINS ME to say this is refreshing. The Dangers in My Heart anime seems uncomfortable at first then the series takes an unexpected turn by juxtaposing Ichikawas unsettling tendencies with moments of genuine kindness. Anna Yamada the center of his infatuation proves to be a welldeveloped character with agency and depth contrasting with the typical onedimensional heroines in similar anime. Yamadas flaws make her unique while her caring and selfless nature shine through even as Ichikawa remains oblivious to her affection. Their relationship evolves into a friendship where Yamada holds the power challenging the usual power dynamics seen in maleled romcoms. The absence of objectification and fanservice in the anime is refreshing emphasizing their equal footing and focusing on their personal growth. Despite its discomforting premise The Dangers in My Heart highlighting the importance of genuine connection and mutual respect between characters.