The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 continues the romantic-comedy hijinks of the fan-favorite anime series. From creator Norio Sakurai, The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 continues to explore quirky romantic relationships through the lens of those incapable of saying out loud how the beating heart feels. Featuring series animation by Shin-Ei Animation (Teasing Master Takagi-san, A Couple of Cuckoos).

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 picks up the romance and is produced by Sotokawa (The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World), Ikumi Hayashi (Kamisama Kiss, Pui Pui Molcar), Kazuki Endo (Battle Athletes Victory ReSTART!, Protocol: Rain), Hiromi Ōtsuki (Protocol: Rain, Battle Athletes Victory ReSTART!), Kōta Tanaka (BEASTARS, Requiem of the Rose King), Youichi Kurashima (Grand Blue Dreaming, Do It Yourself!!), Sang Jin Lee, and Yūko Matsui (Sonny Boy, Dark Gathering). The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 features voice performances by Shun Horie and Hina Yomiya in the leading roles. Fans of romantic slice-of- life anime series will find something worthwhile with The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2.

Romance is often challenged by our own personal insecurities – whether by our own views of our personal flaws or how we perceive our flaws through our perception of the eyes of others. As a result, finding love and romance isn’t always easy. Finding romance is especially difficult to find when someone is too shy or timid to make the first move on their crush and express their romantic desires.

The thoughts that can go through one’s head are endless – “am I good enough,” “attractive enough,” “smart enough,” “talented enough,” “cool enough,” – these thoughts can often plague hopeless romantics and budding Don Juan alike. What’s a guy or gal to do? The romantic back-and-forth continues in The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2.

Kyōtarō Ichikawa (Shun Horie) continues to crush for his classmate Anna Yamada (Hina Yomiya). Despite their close friendship, the two continue to struggle to express their deeper feelings. Ichikawa has a deep romantic crush for Anna and he just can’t bring himself to tell her in words. Will the two ever be able to connect in a romantic way if fear and doubt continues to get in the way again and again?

Making matters worse, the school doesn’t have good classes about gender relations or sex ed talks about romantic relationships and how to build them. Ichikawa doesn’t have any “smooth talker” genes and doesn’t know what steps to take next. The turmoil in Ichikawa’s heart won’t go away.

Meanwhile, Ichikawa breaks his arm during the school year and it provides an unexpected blessing – even more opportunities to be close to Anna Yamada (Hina Yomiya). Now Anna can help look after Ichikawa’s broken arm while attending classes at school. Valentine’s Day is also fast approaching. Will the two ever express their feelings in words?

Audiences may find the lead characters compelling and relatable as protagonists. Many people have struggled with insecurities over time. The characters reflect the insecurities of many people and the struggles we all face as individuals. The characters are both a bit geeky or nerdy and not your typical fraternity-type jocks. The geeks rule the earth, right? The characters might at first glance seem to fit expected roles and dynamics but the series manages to highlight the characters outsider vibes and it brings something compelling to the table for romantic-comedy fans.

The series showcases that these odd goofball characters also have more in common than meets the eye. The romantic two-to-tango element makes The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 a romantic anime sure to appeal to its base. Both characters are geeks at heart and this is the bridge between them in romantic affections.

The charming character designs by Masato Katsumata (The Quintessential Quintuplets ∬) add so much heart and pathos to the production. The designs look gorgeous and well thought out for the cast of characters. There is a simplicity and sophistication that goes hand-in-hand for the designs. These elements are essential and vital to the production. The aesthetic is offbeat and quirkier than an ordinary romantic-comedy anime and this helps the series art to stand out even more.

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 continues the gorgeous animation style that was a successful formula for the first season. The animation is lush and adds to the crisp imagery of the series. A wonderful testament to the work of the animation team. Featuring art direction by Masaki Mayuzumi (Sasaki and Miyano, Blood Lad), The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 continues to highlight the great art of the animation team. The animators brought their own personal quirks to the table and the result is a more unique and goofball anime compared to the rest.

With lush cinematography by Yūichi Takezawa (Is the order a rabbit? BLOOM, Nyanko Days) and Kentarō Minegishi (Yuki Yuna Is a Hero, Modest Heroes), The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 is a visual marvel to admire. The cinematography is a nice backdrop to the romantic heart. The visuals are bright and invite warmth.

Composer Kensuke Ushio (A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird) adds significant charm to the animation and series production. Ushido is a gifted composer and someone with a good knack for the romance inherit in the series. The music provides a light aura and it uplifts with energy and style.

Written by Jukki Hanada (Sound! Euphonium, Beyond the Boundary), The Dangers in My Heart takes the next steps towards romantic fulfillment. Hanada has to walk the line between romantic engagement while showcasing the wordless love language between the two protagonists. The characters show affection without being able to express is properly in words – owning up to each other about the romance between them. Hanada is a talent as a romantic scriptwriter and understands the genre underpinnings and how to move the romance forward.

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 takes the romance to the next level. Director Hiroaki Akagi (Teasing Master Takagi- san) returns to the charming romance with The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2. Things continue to escalate between the two leads and the second season has some new complications to explore with the broken arm storyline and events like Valentines Day being explored by the director. Director Akagi is a talent and fans of sweet, charming, and stylish romantic series. Fans will want to continue the journey.

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation looks crisp and colorful on the release. This is an impressive looking presentation with plenty of detail in the image.

The colors are robust, pleasing, and enhancing the aesthetic of the animation. The animation is beautifully reproduced. The art has crisp line detail and the animation is modern fun. The encoding capably handles the series and its romantic genre style.

One thing to cherish about physical media is the ability for Blu-ray disc to provide higher video bit-rates when compared to streaming video services. Even when the bit-rate differences aren't enormous, the difference can still contribute to a more pleasing presentation, and it is nice knowing one has a great presentation available on disc. Streaming often highlights more compression methods.

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release provides exceptional lossless encoding. The lossless presentation is in 24 bit-depth high-resolution.

The best high-resolution audio adds some extra clarity to the presentation with a deeper noise-floor and more impressive bit-depth. The soundstage is well reproduced. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The Blu-ray also provides excellent clarity for the score and the music is well integrated into the sound design. The English subtitles are well done and free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles alike can appreciate the differences the format is capable of offering. Lossless audio is a staple of physical media and the Blu-ray disc format. This is not the case with streaming video services.

Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding. For enthusiasts with expensive gear and an appreciation for the highest- quality possible sound clarity, the physical format provides a distinct advantage. There can be a notable difference, especially with series or films with the best sound designs.

For example, I have a bit-perfect audio/video Marantz receiver and it is one of the joys of my life. The bit-perfect DAC and audio reproduction delivers a seamless audio soundstage with full transparency. The quality output is not always found with less expensive sound systems. Aim for the best.  

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a standard Blu-ray case. The release does not include an o-card slipcover. The set does not provide any limited-edition pack- in items or collectables. The release does not include any DVD bonus discs or digital codes.

The Blu-ray release does not include any extra physical items to appeal to the collector's market. Fans of the series might consider a purchase for ownership but the package design itself doesn't add any extra collectables for enthusiasts looking for deluxe or special edition content. This is disappointing as extra physical goodies often make the releases feel extra special in hand and like treasures to cherish.

Sentai Filmworks could improve on this method by including more elaborate slipcovers or booklets or art-cards/posters. Sentai also releases some gorgeous high-end steelbooks with high gloss finish for some of their anime licenses. The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 certainly deserves a high-gloss steelbook release and maybe a double-dip will eventually arrive in the future.

On disc supplements include:

Web Previews (HD, 12:35)

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 3:13)

Unfortunately, the on-disc supplements are almost non-existent on the release. The on-disc extras are lackluster and add almost nothing at all to the package. Supplements fans will find the lack of any meaningful bonus features short-sighted by the studio.

In the age of streaming, an impressive supplemental package can make or break a purchase decision for many Blu-ray collectors and fans. The difference between an exclusive roundtable, audio commentary, cast/crew interview or making-of is significant compared to a release with no meaningful extras. Well worth consideration when deciding on a purchase.  

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Dangers in My Heart: Season 2 is a charming and sweet-natured anime for fans of romantic series. The animation is stunning. The production is impressive across the board. The two leading characters add warmth to the series. The Blu-ray release features a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. Fans of the series looking to own a permanent copy for their physical media collection will find it well worth owning. Recommended.