The winter 2024 anime season has officially begun. As usual, I’m already scrambling to keep up with the flood of new series. One show I made sure to watch is season 2 of Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu, aka The Dangers In My Heart, which made a splash by dropping its first episode along with a bonus episode from last season. Let’s examine why this is such a great show!
The Dangers In My Heart Overview
In case you missed it, The Dangers In My Heart is the story of Ichikawa, a junior high student with a strong case of chuunibyou, and Anna Yamada, a tall and beautiful girl who works as a model and regularly appears on TV. Although she towers over him height-wise, Yamada is inexplicably in love with Ichikawa, and the two of them flirt in the cutest way possible.
Oh, and Yamada loves to eat. The perfect girlfriend, in other words.
Is it yet another wish-fulfillment anime in which viewers can escape their hum-drum lives and experience love through fictional characters? Is it a ridiculous set-up in which the viewer can self-insert into MC-kun and feel joy when the famous model Yamada shows her feelings to him? Sure, but I love it!
The Age of Romance Anime is Here
As I wrote last year, the anime industry seems to have realized the potential of romance anime to deliver stories that really enthrall fans, allowing us to experience love through interesting characters. Pretty much every major manga focusing on the subject of love gets an anime these days, and this is a trend I will never complain about.
Some reasons these anime series are popular include:
- It’s fun to root for two people to find love together. And to rejoice when they connect romantically.
- There are infinite ways to tell love stories. Depending on their target audience, creators can use comedy and slice-of-life situations, cater to female readers of different ages (shoujo or josei), appeal to male viewers with harem stories, or incorporate fantasy or sci-fi elements.
- They often focus on introverted male and female characters trying to get over social awkwardness. This is highly relatable to many of us.
- These stories can offer both kinds of fan service: the sexy kind, as well as uplifting moments when two characters finally become a couple, making our hearts soar.
- We all need a little escapism in our lives. There’s nothing wrong with admitting it!
What’s Your Blood Type?
In one scene, Yamada asks Ichikawa if he can guess her blood type. He considers it — she seems like a stereotypical type O, but what if she were type A, in opposition to her personality? Could she even be type B? Of course not. No B-gata ever draws attention to the subject because that’s the “worst” blood type.
Japan’s odd belief that a person’s blood type affects their personality dates back to the 1930s, when the country was trying to “scientifically” research which blood type would make the best solder for their empire. (The answer back then was type O.) In the 1970s, an influential book called Understanding Affinity Through Blood Types came out, describing how a person’s blood type tended to influence your personality. It stated that certain pairings of blood types made for good relationships.
If you’re curious, here’s the break-down of the four blood types:
- Type A: responsible, organized, stubborn, and a neat freak. The best blood type for accountants.
- Type B: passionate, good imagination, is “my-pace” (lives life at their own pace) and “KY” (kuuki ga yomenai, e.g. bad at reading social situations). They are widely viewed as selfish and sloppy.
- Type O: optimistic, outgoing, adaptable, usually a natural leader.
- Type AB: mysterious, inquisitive, and often geniuses. They are described as having dual personalities and don’t show their true feelings.
The most incompatible two blood types for a marriage are A and B together. Naturally, Mrs. J-List is type A and I am type B, meaning she’s doomed to always be driven crazy by my creative sloppiness.
Of course, there’s no scientific basis showing that blood types influence personalities, the same way astrology isn’t based on science, and fortune cookies don’t actually tell your future. But it still can be fun to ask someone’s blood type and see if it meshes with their personality. Although to avoid “blood-type bashing” (especially against us B types), employers asking the blood types of prospective employees is highly frowned upon.
Are you watching The Dangers In My Heart? What are your thoughts on blood type?
Let’s Chat
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We have great news for everyone: a big sale on all 2024 anime, traditional photo, and sexy JAV calendars! You can get 25-60% off all the calendars you want on your wall or desk in 2024, but be aware that we are down to a single copy of many of the calendars, and they’ll be removed from the site as soon as they sell out. Browse all our calendars here!
