Destiny (2024)

A Good Story

I liked this drama.

I can identify with these characters... the heart wants what the heart wants .There isn't much a person can do to fight how the heart feels. Also, once a relationship happens, parental or love, it is hard to move on, particularly if you are used to a certain level of love or romance. The past gnaws at a person to find satisfaction.. Of course in this story the FL was focused on somehow curing her loses as felt she would never see either person again. What do you do when they just disappear? You have to move on at some point and do what you have to heal.

The music at thrilling points and at the end of each episode felt like they were part of some Broadway musical number. While very interesting, it didn't enhance the action like I think it should have. The music at times was guilty of upstaging the actors because it was so surprisingly odd. I would love to know the composer's intentions for writing it and the Directors reasons for accepting it.

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Only for fans of Ishihara Satomi and Kamenashi Kazuya

Watching “Destiny” without any expectation probably contributed to a decent rating and watch experience. Currently it has a MDL rating of 7.2 which is quite low, but also not really THAT low for a Jdrama. “Destiny” tries to be a thriller/suspense romance. I am a fan of lovers reunited and second-chance romance. But is this really a second-chance romance with a cheating aspect, because FL already has a boyfriend? Well, you’ll need to watch to find out.

My favorite parts of the drama are the acting and the chemistry between Kanabe (played by Ishihara Satomi) and Masaki (played by Kamenashi Kazuya). Not only are they a fine-looking couple, they brought out many emotions from me. I smiled when watching their college days, and wanted to cry when they reunited under unfortunate circumstances. I love the longing and the pining, and I can accept their actions as I like flawed characters. I would have liked to see a little more of their college days and a stronger foundation of their romance (also the friendship of the 4 characters). Otherwise, it’s really hard to believe these feelings hold true even after so many years.

As a crime/thriller/suspense drama, it might not be very successful. I was never on the edge-of-my-seat anxious to find out what would happen next. Instead, the twists are somewhat predictable. There’s not a lot of background story about FL’s assistant, or the ‘villain’. I also do not agree with some of the decisions made by the characters. Another reviewer commented on the actions by FL’s father. It’s quite incomprehensible the reason for his death and the results of the investigation of his case.

Additionally, the music choice of the ending theme song is interesting. It’s a good and catchy song, and it sounds like it’s from a Broadway musical. However, it totally doesn’t fit the mood of the drama at all. Weird!

I’ll only recommend this if you are a fan of the main leads. Otherwise, it’s not a particularly good romance or suspense drama.


Completed: 9/25/2024 - Review #490

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"Destiny" wants to be a romance-mystery-thriller drama where the mystery pulls together the romantic leads in such a way that the watcher is spellbound into their story. Unfortunately, "Destiny" is not this and it truly is a shame because it had a great deal of potential. From the amazing cast led by Ishihara Satomi and Kamenashi Kazuya to having the backing of Netflix broadcasting it worldwide with English subtitles, clearly there was a lot of hype for this drama, but it is a let down. The story and the mystery plot are rather predictable, formulaic, and dry at times. Ishihara and Kamenashi light up the screen in their flashback moments together, but feel a bit bogged down by the heavy drama and awkward writing in the modern timeline (which is most of the drama). Shiina Ringo's "Ningen to shite" feels very misplaced as a theme song from the start, and even at the end, it doesn't feel tonally appropriate. I'm a huge fan of Ishihara Satomi and Kamenashi Kazuya's acting, so I stayed knowing that they would keep the drama afloat for me, and they did. The two did what they could with the material given, but I don't know how much I would recommend this to viewers who aren't huge fans of their work.

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C'est ton destin, Manu !

Ishihara Satomi s'est faite rare sur les écrans ces derniers temps, puisqu'elle n'y est plus apparue depuis 2021. C'est dire si on attendait son retour avec impatience. D'autant plus, que sa destinée est liée aux productions japonaises prévues à l'export, et cela, depuis son apparition remarquée dans le succès international qu'a été Shin Gozilla en 2016. En voilà donc une série qui réunit tous les ingrédients qui en feront un nouveau succès pour la plateforme Netflix. Un amour hatsukoi et impossible, contre l'avis de la famille et des amis, façon Roméo et Juliette, 10 ans après. Un trauma insurmontable, de la vengeance. Bref, on n'échappe pas à sa destinée, de revoir se dérouler inlassablement les mêmes scénarios devant ses yeux. C'est le fardeau des fans de dramas, mais bon sang que c'est bon.

Un dimanche à la campagne
Oie blanche, incarnation de la pureté, Satomi-san vous énervera dans les premiers épisodes, mais révèlera tout son potentiel de jeu vers la mi-série. C'est d'ailleurs après l'épisode 5 qu'elle trouve vraiment un intérêt scénaristique, même si on pouvait se douter du déroulement des évènements, c'est bien comme cela que l'on espérait que les choses allaient évoluer pour nous surprendre. Et c'est en ça que les dramas sont passionnants. En se limitant aux premiers épisodes, on ne voyait rien d'autre qu'une romance "10 après" déjà tellement vu et revu, surtout si on ne regarde que Netflix. De plus, sur cette plateforme, toute référence à la culture japonaise est souvent réduite au minimum ou exagérément cliché par son caractère international.

Des acteurs au top
Que ce soient Ando Masanobu, Yamoto Yuma ou Nakamura Toru qui sont abonnés toujours aux mêmes types de rôles, c'est-à-dire le gendre idéal trompé, le support du héros gaffeur ou le mec en costume impec, ils réalisent tous les trois des prestations tout en retenu. Et clairement, cela peut aider à enlever cette étiquette, injustifiée, qui colle aux dramas japonais. Celle du surjeu. Malheureusement, je n'en dirai pas autant de Ishihara san. Pour sa période universitaire, elle minaude à chaque scène et nous rappelle ses premiers dramas. Heureusement, c'est dans sa phase procureure qu'on la préfère et arrive à nous faire transmettre clairement ses émotions, ses doutes et sa peur. Mais c'est Miyazawa Emma qui me bluffe vraiment dans ce drama, car elle a un naturel dans son jeu qui donne vraiment cette touche de réalisme à l'histoire. Kamenashi Kazuya est un cas à part Car avec un très bon jeu, on arrive à la fois à le détester et à avoir de la compassion pour lui. Peu de dialogue, mais alors une présence à l'écran qui impressionne. Là aussi pas dans sa période université qu'il est le moins convaincant, car cela sonne encore assez faux.

En conclusion, accompagné d'une musique épique, d'une production léchée et de rebondissement sans temps mort, c'est certainement une de mes productions Netflix préféré, malgré le classicisme des propos. Présentée comme une romance sur la plateforme française, on est plus dans Roméo et Juliette que dans Premier Baisé. Soyez prévenu, il n'y aura pas de dépôt de plainte possible.

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There were some important highlights

Although the drama lacks some important parts, there were also some important highlights. First of all the main leads actually were able to had me emotionally involved by their acting skills. Although the story built up very well in the beginning, after a view episodes this was lost. Scenes stopped with staring and there were no real cliffhangers. I really saw no character growth, it was to hastily done. But overall it was average and not that bad. The story is good, but in my opinion it could have been better if the focus was on more on how to maintain their friendship through the years, despite their connection to the dramatic incidents in the past.

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This review contains spoilers

I did not realize when I started watching this drama that, spoiler alert, suicide would be a major plot point, and I might not have started it if I had. But once engaged I was going along with it as best I could when suddenly the reason for said suicide is revealed in episode 5. So here it is: The guy is a prosecutor and is unjustly accused of professional and criminal misconduct when, instead of choosing to stay alive for his wife and child who adore him, and fight the charges, he instead decides to secretly record his suicide note with his version of the truth on a handheld recorder, say a heartfelt farewell to his daughter on said recording, and then leaves it completely to chance if anyone finds said recording on said recording device after he is dead. He even says on the recording itself that it doesn't matter if anyone finds it, but also that he is making the recording so people will know the truth. Then why does it not matter if it's found or not, he does not say! He also says elsewhere, in some kind of a riddle I guess that he is committing this act so that the truth will NOT come out or be known., and it's left completely unclear how such a contradiction can exist. The problem with all this besides just seeming like very lazy writing is that the stated reason for this man to commit suicide is so nonsensical, preposterous and unbelievable and counter intuitive for someone trained in and committed to the law, that it seriously trivializes suicide itself, and it is disappointing to see a show handle such a serious subject so objectionably and inartfully.

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Igualito a las telenovelas latinoamericanas pero en Japonés.

Me dio mucha pena el cast de este drama, es muy bueno para un guion tan mediocre de principio a fin, sin dejar de lado los enfoques, las escenas en cámara lenta y esa narrativa horrible en primera persona hacen que el drama termine de hundirse. No miento si me tarde MESES en terminar Destiny (por cierto, para que le ponen así a la serie si al final es lo que menos representa), el guion es desastrozo, todo lo que has visto en telenovelas de latinoamerica pero llevado igual o mucho peor, originalidad cero, los plot twist que tiene son fácil de predecir así que emocion cero... y la escena final del último capítulo... ya no sabía si reír o llorar de lo patética que fue.

Lo más horrible que he visto este 2024, y ojalá que si la guionista vuelve a tener la suerte de que una cadena de tv toma sus proyectos, espero que sean más originales y menos plagio a las telenovelas de televisa... gracias.

6/10 Solo por el gran esfuerzo del cast de tratar de sacar a flote una serie tan pésimente escrita. Hicieron lo que pudieron, se nota, merecían mucho más.

Está en netflix.

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