Destiny is one of the rare instances in which a Japanese drama gets a Netflix international release. A TV Asahi production, Destiny was written by veteran screenwriter Yoshida Noriko (The Hovering Blade) and directed by Hoshino Kazunari (Hitman In Love) and Shinjo Takehiko (From Me to You). It marks the return of Ishihara Satomi to the small screen, her first role since 2021’s Love Deeply (NTV).
Of course, Ishihara Satomi is a symbol of Japanese media. Everybody knows her. And for good reason: she’s a resourceful actress who can tackle a wide range of genres with ease. So, when Destiny came out, I wasn’t the only one looking forward to it.
Promising a mix of romance and mystery, I hate to tell you that Destiny didn’t live up to the hype. Even though the premise had a lot of potential and the cast was full of talented actors, Yoshida’s script fell a bit flat and lacked the complexity it hinted at during the first few episodes.
This review contains mild spoilers. Read it at your own risk! You can also pin our (spoiler-free) summary at the bottom!
What’s Destiny (J-drama) About?
This is the story of Nishimura Kanade (Ishihara), a prosecutor in the Yokohama District Public Prosecutorsโ Office, whose father (also a prosecutor himself) died by suicide when she was a teenager. She lives with her boyfriend, Okuda Takashi (Ando Masanobu), in a relationship that can only be described as stale. He seems to be an incredibly nice guy, and they seem comfortable with each other. However, they lack any sort of romantic spark. So much so that his marriage proposal was a flat statement while filing his nails: “Don’t you think it’s time for us to get married?“. Oh well, that’s how life goes for some couples, I guess.
Nishimura has had her fair share of traumatic experiences in life, which makes you understand why she has decided to settle for calmer waters. Besides the loss of her father, which led her to change her name and move back to her mother’s hometown, she also lost a friend during her university days. Back at Law school, Nishimura befriended four other students, one of them being the rebellious and cheerful Nogi Masaki (Kamenashi Kazuya). Nogi falls in love with her, and they start dating. Their relationship has all the sparkle of youth: playful, cute, and heartfelt. But when one of their friends dies in a car accident, Nogi disappears.
All this backstory is shown to you during the very first episode, with the remaining bits and pieces spread throughout the first half of the show in flashbacks. From the second episode, we spend most of our time in the present with characters still stuck in the past of that first hour.
Despite trying to forget, these experiences have shaped Nishimura’s life and perception of self. The memories of these traumas all come rushing to the surface when she bumps into Nogi, over a decade later. He is the common link between the car accident and her father’s death, which leads to an investigation that might finally bring closure to all of them.
The Themes Behind Destiny and the Characters That (Actually) Represent Them
Destiny is all about โ well, you guessed it โ fate. The underlying theme behind the script is that some bonds we develop in life are beyond our control. The heart wants what it wants and, no matter how hard we try to deviate from that, we might be forever shackled to the chains of our emotions. At the same time, life is also about our decisions and how those affect, not only ourselves, but others. Beyond what we feel, our actions define where we go and who we become. But they can also change other people’s destinies.
This theme permeates all the relationships in Nishimura’s story. No matter how hard she tries to deny and forget, Nishimura and Nogi are in love with each other. In one way or another, this is their fate, and Okuda is the first to understand that.
A Pleasant Surprise: Why Okura Makes for an Interesting Watch
Despite not being a strong romantic second lead, Okura is a very interesting character. You may say that he’s plain on purpose, to create a more shocking contrast to Nogi. Or perhaps the writer wanted to abide by the clichรฉ that nice guys are always boring. I don’t know about the latter since Nogi isn’t the coolest male lead out there either. What makes Okura a curious member of this cast is that, unlike millions of other second leads, he has self-respect, and I really appreciate that.
Okuda is not the sort of character who is going to beg for attention and fight a losing battle. At first, he’s just a dull boyfriend, but as the episodes go by, his character is fleshed out and might very well be the best-written one. He knows what he feels towards Nishimura, but he also has the dignity to protect his own values and sense of self-worth. He makes deliberate decisions based not on instinct, but on reason. This is where you see that Okuda is the complete opposite of Nogi, who makes irrational and impulsive decisions galore โ not only when young, but also as a 30-something-year-old man.
Why Nogi and Nishimura Aren’t Ideal Protagonists
Nogi and Nishimura are questionable leads for countless reasons. Although Ishihara and Kamenashi have strong screen presence and are undoubtedly excellent actors, their characters lack depth. They are brokenhearted people, and there isn’t much more to them than that. There’s no tangible character arc to the two protagonists of the show. They are hurt and angry at the world, but they don’t really change throughout Destiny‘s 9-episode run.
It seems that the original idea was for Nishimura to be a strong, determined, and justice-oriented prosecutor, but that doesn’t come across. She is timid most of the time. Even when she’s the one coming up with all the breakthroughs in their investigation, everything seems to be a bit too easy and obvious. That’s what happens when a lack of characterisation meets a lack of plot. The mystery itself isn’t that big of an enigma, and the last few episodes offer a sequence of solutions that seem so obvious you wonder how they hadn’t sorted it all out before.
Meanwhile, Nogi is a reckless male lead whose main problem, as it’s “revealed” halfway through the show, is that he lacks the will to live. Nogi has good intentions, but his outlook becomes twisted by a complicated relationship with his father. All his emotions bubble up into a brash personality, with a hint of anger underneath. When young, he was mostly cheeky. As an adult, the anger starts getting mixed with hasty decisions. That leads to a lot of running around, shouting at people, avoiding doctors, and thinking that he’s at fault for everything, which he believes is why he should bring his evil father to justice on his own at all costs. That doesn’t really amount to an engaging main character, unfortunately.
Supporting Characters that Bring a Spark to Destiny
Despite Nogi and Nishimura, Okuda isn’t the only character that makes this story a tad more intriguing. Their friend Tomo (played wonderfully by Miyazawa Emma) is a breath of fresh air in a show full of caricatured heroes and villains. She feels like a very normal person, for lack of a better word. She seems real, and her actions and reactions are justified and natural. Her marriage with Yuki (Yamoto Yuma) always seems close to a real-life one, and they have a couple of moments together that are golden.
Nishimiya’s father, Tsuji Eisuke, has few scenes, but he also gives a different tone to the show. Sasaki Kuranosuke, being the great actor that he is, balances well the caring father personality with the determined prosecutor persona.
Finally, I should also mention Ohata Setsuko (Takahata Atsuko), the Chief Prosecutor and Nishimura’s superior. She’s a strong, smart, and intriguing female character who could’ve had a much bigger role in the story. Besides being a character full of potential, Takahata’s performance gives her a three-dimensionality that makes it even more frustrating that she didn’t get all the space she should have had.
Destiny (J-drama): Final Notes on The Bad and The Good
The plot is fairly formulaic with the odd twist here and there to try to throw you off the scent, but you will probably still be able to guess what’s coming next. The denouement is also weak, and the last episode solves everything almost miraculously through a couple of conversations. The characters’ traumas are never really faced head-on, and instead of that, the truth behind Nogi’s car accident and Nishimura’s father’s suicide is enough to bring closure and psychological healing to all of them. There’s no internal conflict that is worked on here, and the script fully relies on the external drama to move the story forward. For the same writer of WOWOW’s great The Hovering Blade (2021), Destiny really didn’t live up to all its potential despite a great premise and a rounded cast of actors.
I must confess that the score by Masahiro Tokuda is excellent. With some sweet melodies that go well with their young, happy days and a few very intense songs, Masahiro nailed it. You can find it on Spotify โ I’ve been listening to it non-stop. The score is accompanied by Sheena Ringo’s โNingen Toshiteโ (ไบบ้ใจใใฆ), a bittersweet, slightly ironic tune that represents well the aspects of human nature that Destiny tries to explore.
Hoshino and Shinjo also directed some very well-shot scenes, in which the cinematography complemented, if not improved on, the script. Ishihara and Kamenashi respond so well to the camera, and you have some compositions that draw this very clear line between them, as if they are intrinsically connected. Visually speaking, a solid piece of work from the two directors.
No time to read the entire review? Looking for the spoiler-free version? So why don’t you pin our summary? Just click it to pin it!
Butโฆ Do You Recommend Destiny?
To be honest, it was very difficult for me to write this review. Do I recommend Destiny or not? I noticed that, by the end of the show, I was feeling a bit numb: I didn’t love it, but it’s not like I hated it either. Maybe thanks to some characters that piqued my interest, maybe because of the music, I found myself watching every new episode on Thursdays, right after it had been released. So, although the plot could’ve been better developed, something brought me back to it every week. Some moments make Destiny worth watching if you’re a fan of legal dramas or of Ishihara and Kamenashi, so I’ll let you come to your own conclusions. If you give it a watch (or if you already have), stop by and leave a comment with your opinion!
You can watch Destiny on:
Next, I’m giving Ishiko to Haneo a shot (also on Netflix). Should I have high hopes? I’m a huge Arimura Kasumi fan, so I might be biased already. What Japanese shows have you been watching? For a more romantic choice, we reviewed Eye Love You a couple of weeks ago. Have you checked it out yet?
You might as well take a look at Maki’s cameo in Kaitou Yamaneko, the scene is funny and just brings back tons of memories of NwP.
https://youtu.be/bjiPNM2Iwxs?si=XWk3OrkdV0UE1-Ro
That’s really funny! ๐ Thank you! ๐
Iโve just returned to the dramaland after many years (esp. J-doramas) but hardly been able to find anything satisfactory. Thereโs a common issue that many start well with good ideas but eventually fail in some aspects. I wonder if you have watched two highly rated series (available on Netflix) namely Heaven and Hell: Soul Exchange and Stepmom to Daughter Blues?
Oh, I see! Welcome back! ๐
What kind of stories do you like the most? I have watched Stepmom to Daughter Blues, yes! The pacing isn’t perfect but I did enjoy it quite a bit (I should rewatch it, actually. It’s been years since I last watched it!). I know of Heaven and Hell (I really like Ayase Haruka and I’m a huge fan of Takahashi Issei) but I haven’t managed to catch up on it yet. Have you watched it? Would you recommend it?
I’ve been under Ayase’s spell since the moment I first saw her in Byakuyako so I tried to watch as many movies and doramas starring her as possible. Heaven and Hell was the first one I dived in when returning to Netflix, and I’m quite pleased with it. It’s not perfect, and to be strictly honest, for a crime-thriller + fantasy, it got quite underwhelming towards the end with numerous plot holes and unrealistic developments. However, the brilliance of the casts, the cinematography and soundtracks really carried this one and saved it from being a miss. Ayase Haruka is THAT actress who possesses natural chemistry with ANY male actor, regardless of having loveline or not, and this case is no difference. I enjoy seeing her with Takahashi Issei so much, and I wish they would make another season though it seems impossible at this point.
As of GiboMusu, I wish they had cut down on the exaggeration in Ayase’s character – Akiko. I know it’s a manga adaptation, but it just irks me to see her dressing the same in every scene and portraying anime-like gestures and expressions. It made the series less serious, sincere and thought provoking as I wished to see. Such an approach also restricted Ayase’s capability and I really think she had more to give when presented with that type of character. They could have made subtle changes for her apprearances and traits with each episode, softening her image when the story went deeper so that the audience might feel that such a career woman is real and relatable, instead of walking straight out of the manga. And Sato Takeru’s character was wasted as well, sadly. I even tried to watch the SPs, and were not convinced either.
By the way, you might want to check out Caution, Hazardous Wife also starring Ayase. I find it quite good, and the pairing of Ayase and Hidetoshi Nishijima is just wonderful.
Completely agree with you on Ayase. She’s ridiculously talented and, even in weaker projects, she still finds a way to shine. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Koreeda Hirokazu and I adore Our Little Sister. So I think I’ll carry that cast in my heart forever.
I’ll definitely try to catch up on Heaven and Hell as soon as I can, then! And I absolutely see your point when it comes to Stepmom to Daughter Blues. Maybe because I was familiar with the original manga, the exaggeration of the characters didn’t bother me as much. I did think that Satoh Takeru’s character was absolutely wasted (and fairly miscast, really. Satoh is another one of my all-time favourites so that broke my heart a bit). The narrative structure and pacing was definitely off and I understand it wasn’t as thought-provoking as it could’ve been. But I enjoyed the fact that we had a mostly female-centric tale and it wasn’t overtly dramatic. And it also brought into light a lot of themes that should be explored more in fiction (how women are not naturally born mothers, how the development of familial relationships doesn’t really have to do with blood, etc). So it was a joyful experience but not perfect for sure — I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it as much!
I really liked Caution, Hazardous Wife! I remember that, when it came out, it was just so much fun to follow it and see the story unravel. And Ayase was just perfect for the role, really. I haven’t watched the film, though.
Thank you so much for the recommendations! If you have more titles to throw my way, I’d be happy to hear from you! ๐
I’ve mostly watched (or rather, scanned and skimmed through) those starring whom I like, namely Ayase, Kame, Ishihara Satomi, KimuTaku, etc., and looked for some romance or thriller. You see, I’m just binging the doramas as a letout (and during procrastination) so I don’t think I have much to offer ^^ But Kaitou Yamaneko starring Kame, Narimiya Hiroki, Hirose Suzu and Nanao is quite interesting imo, despite its average ranking, perhaps I don’t hold out much hope anyway and just enjoy watching Kame acting eccentric as a Detective-Thief-Wild Cat. He just flowed into that role with all craziness and charm you can think of (and lol I really think that role should be the peak of his visual :)) ) I always skipped the part when he shouted at his opponents those questions of life though, since it was so forced and not well-directed at all, but the rest is fun to watch, esp. all the trespassing/fighting scenes.
Sometimes I wonder why Ayase has played such a wide range of roles but people tend to forget how talented and versatile she is.
I see! I’ve added Kaitou Yamaneko to my watch-list, though, so thank you so much!
Right? That’s why I think we should keep talking about these actors (: By the way, Ayase is coming back to TV in June with Hitori de Shinitai (I Want to Die Alone) and I’m really looking forward to it!
Finally I’ve come across a review that speaks most of my thoughts about this series. I have to say that, the reason I watched Destiny was Kame, and he didn’t disappoint, in the sense that he did his best to craft a character that was so poorly written (and his aura is still so so captivating). The chemistry between Masaki and Kanede is superb, and that explains why the 1st episode should be the best one. It could have been much more, if only the scriptwriter (or the producer) had not been lazy and cared to invest more into the characters’ backgrounds. As much as I love Kame, his Masaki really had no depth (just angst and self-pity, which I hate a lot) and after 12 years even became soapy. Really, Masaki and Kanede were so natural when they were together that we forget how/why they had fallen for each other in the beginning, and why their flame still burned so strong after over a decade. All they showed us in the next 8 episodes are flashbacks, between the main leads, or each of them with their own fathers. We were not granted any proper conversation to solve the internal issues, esp. between Kanade and Takashi, or Masaki and his father.
Okuda Takashi is really the brightest point in this drama. He didn’t attract me like young Masaki easily did, but he is such an ideal man T_T I mean though I fully understand (and somehow still root for) the old flame between our two leads, I still find it appalling why Kanade didn’t try to keep Takashi in the end. And the way they let Masaki ask Takashi why the latter tried so hard to cure the man that had gotten away with his fiancรฉe is so distasteful.
The relationships between the characters are all I care about, for real, because there’s no thrill or mystery whatsoever in this drama. Ishihara Satomi was excellent, but even she couldn’t help if the script is so underwhelming. All the investigation, questioning or prosecution, etc. was so badly written that from the 5th episode I fast-forwarded them all.
Such a drama leaves me with mixed feelings. Those who love Kame and Ishihara Satomi can still give this a try, since their performance was good as usual. But they were given so little, esp. Kame, and that’s a huge waste. Aside from EP1, all Masaki had was pining stares, (poorly) concealed pains and tired jokes. At one point I even wished that they should have let him die anyway.
Wow, that’s a marvellous little review right there!
Absolutely! Couldn’t agree with you more. I love both Kame and Ishihara but the script was just so weak, wasn’t it? ๐ญ It’s the kind of show that leaves you with mixed feelings because it could’ve been much better indeed.
Thank you so much for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts! ๐ฅฐ
Thank you for your reply ๐ tbh, I think the limited length of J-doramas should be partly accountable for the lack of character developements. In the past, I liked how J-doramas were mostly fast-paced but still so concise and detailed when necessary. However, with time, the shortness has become a weakness somehow. There wasn’t enough time and space to tell a story properly, and in the case of Destiny, it’s clear that the script-writer failed to manage all story lines and aside from the female lead, everyone else became plot devices.
There were so many absurdities, such as:
– The casting: everyone looks so worn out to play the younger versions of the characters, save for Ishihara Satomi. I love Kame, but he certainly didn’t look 20 or felt like one ๐ it’s so weird watching the 1st episode and trying to convince myself they were a group of students lol
– The inconsistencies of Kanade: is she a fierce and strong-headed prosecutor? or just a lost girl fumbling? I was taken aback the first time she confronted Lawyer Nogi – the man whom she suspected had something to do with her father’s death. I even thought her timidity was somehow a tactic to extract information from him ๐
– And what in the world Masaki and Kanade see in each other 12 years later but tiredness? I’m all for the chemistry, but honestly, Masaki had no job, no goal in life, no personalities (that we can see) and he was even… stupid when taking liability of a crime he just assumed his friend committed. Which was so cringey I couldn’t bear to watch.
And is it me or J-doramas are really fond of the trope “the fiancรฉ letting go so that the other can return to her first love?”
I feel bad for both Kame and Ishihara, esp. Kame since he’s always picked the scripts with good ideas but terrible execution.
Exactly!
While I think that duration and quality shouldn’t be connected as concepts (short stories can be perfect while longer stories can be a narrative mess and vice-versa; the important bit is finding the correct length for the story you want to tell), Destiny does lack an absurd amount of character development.
I also struggled to buy the “younger” versions of the main cast — they definitely *don’t* look like kids anymore. And to top it off, not even the dialogue gave the cast much to work with, which made their younger and adult selves both look and sound the same. It was something that I had to consciously ignore; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to continue watching.
I think Ishihara managed to convey this younger version of Kanade exactly because, even as an adult, Kanade is so meek and timid. The character itself is so unremarkable that it’s difficult to see why you’d place such a character as the protagonist of a law drama.
And yes, I have no idea why Kanade would still be so in love with Masaki (despite their chemistry). He’s so… bland and immature. And it’s not like he’s sacrificed much to be with her either, so that eliminates that motivation. But I’ve also noticed this tendency of having future partners “let go” of their beloved just so they can return to the “pure and endless” passion of their first love. Even though I often disagree with this trope, I must confess that Okuda is one of the few characters in this story that actually makes sense and I thought it was a demonstration of self-respect how he decided not to beg for the attention of a woman that clearly wasn’t really into him.
I love several of Ishihara’s projects, which is why I was so surprised Destiny was just so weak. I do feel that Kame, despite his talent, can be a bit of a hit and miss with his projects, though. So let’s hope that 2025 brings some better stories to the two of them! โจ
And thank *you* for stopping by! ๐