©Norio Sakurai(AKITASHOTEN)/The Dangers in My Heart Committee
This episode had so much tension. Meeting your friend’s parents can be awkward sometimes, but meeting your potential girlfriend’s parents for the first time is a whole other issue. I love the setup of this episode where Kyotaro goes over to Anna’s house to make Valentine’s Day chocolates. Still, there’s such a disconnect between him and her friends that it isn’t explicitly clear if he was even supposed to be there. I have to hand it to Moe because not only is she exactly the type of friend I think Kyotaro needs, but she inadvertently led to major emotional development between our two leads. I have to wonder what Anna’s other friends think about Kyotaro. I think Serina is, at the very least, suspicious about Anna and Kyotaro’s relationship. In contrast, Chi is so detached that she doesn’t even remotely suspect anything is going on. Maybe there will be an arc about how Anna’s friends will get involved or if Kyotaro will have to go through a trial to earn their acceptance.
But before the friends, he has to deal with the parents. Anna mentioned that her parents treat her well, but you can also see where some of that strictness might come from. At the very least, Anna’s parents have a bit of an intimidating factor, which does wonders for Kyotaro’s already existing anxieties and insecurities. I like how this is framed as an obstacle he doesn’t necessarily need to overcome now. He’s not trying to earn their approval in this episode; he’s just trying to make sure he doesn’t cause trouble, which is why he owned up to the lie about him being Moe’s girlfriend to avoid that awkwardness. We’re already seeing signs that Kyotaro is becoming more and more willing to address issues head-on instead of running away from them.
Kyotaro owning up to the lie is also a strong implication of him putting his desires first since he’s already acting like somebody who wants to get off on the right foot with Anna’s parents when they eventually become a couple. He wouldn’t need to clarify that lie if he completely squashed any potential for him and Anna to get together. It all builds up to the conclusion where Kyotaro finally openly and honestly admits his desires to someone other than himself. He wants to be Anna’s boyfriend, and he wants to have her all to himself. Is he terrified? Absolutely. Does he still think there is a lot of precedent for Anna to want nothing to do with him since he thinks they live in different worlds? Yes, but he’s finally starting to put his desires first in actions and words. The next step is to give into the idea that Anna wants to be with him just as much as he wants to be with her. Afterward, there will be nothing holding back these two from getting together.
Rating:
The Dangers in My Heart is currently streaming on
HIDIVE.
