We’re finally tackling a series close to Enzo’s own heart: The Dangers in My Heart by Norio Sakurai - a junior high rom-com and coming-of-age story of an introverted boy with sinister thoughts and the extraverted and most popular girl in the class; an unlikely but adorable pairing which has gotten even more popular thanks to well-received anime adaptation.. It’s finally time to get into it and see just how much we differ in our takes.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - finally covering one of Enzo’s favourite titles

7:40 An unvarnished depiction of puberty

10:00 Kyoutarou as a romcom protagonist: chuuni, twisted, introverted

16:32 Anna and her role in the story: seemingly ditzy girl who is in on the joke, depictions of her sexuality

21:20 Anime vs manga comparisons

23:15 Supporting cast shout-outs: Moeko, Kana, Adachi, Kenta, Honoka, Hanzawa, Yukina

30:00 Spoiler discussion begins

30:32 Pre-relationship and post-relationship - comparing our feelings on both 

34:25 Kyoutarou’s strong relationships with other girls in the series

40:15 Moeko’s character, her relationship with Kyoutarou and getting her own boyfriend

47:52 Our favourite moments of the series so far

54:08 The absence of Kyoutarou’s parents in the narrative

55:44 The sexualisation of Anna throughout the series and depiction of their physical relationship

1:10:58 High school entrance exams - how long will the series last + the anime adaptation?

1:17:28 Enzo’s Recommendation: Mysterious Girlfriend X by Ueshiba Riichi

1:19:18 Samu’s Recommendation: My Perverted Youth by Hata Takashi

1:21:03 Overview and final scores