Monday, March 18, 2019

Jmovie review: Destiny Kamakura Monogatari

Its been a while since I've reviewed a jmovie with so many jdoramas to watch. Destiny Kamakura Monogatari has been on my radar since I saw the poster of it in Kamakura more than a year ago. I've been putting off watching it because I was expecting the worst but Destiny is surprisingly decent.

Destiny is a family friendly love story set in a magical Kamakura where there are spirits and monsters with Sakai Masato playing an writer and Takahata Mitsuki playing his wife. The first half feels like a whole bunch of short stories strung together that would have been better served as a jdorama. I did not buy the need for Kamakura police to have this writer has an adviser.

The second half of the movie is where the story gets going and if you like youkai and spirits like me, its a fun ride. I really enjoyed the mix of CG and costumes.


Its not the best but I can feel the effort and detail put into this movie compared to something like the Attack on Titan movies. Great directing work by Yamazaki Takahashi who did the Always San Chome and Parasyte movies.

The main problem with Destiny is the lack of chemistry between the two main actors. Sakai Masato is too much of an eccentric ojisan and Takahata Mitsuki is just too childish for him. Their relationship which is presented in a platonic family friendly way doesn't help either.


If you like Japanese fantasy stuff like in Spirited Away, you'll have fun with Destiny as long as you don't expect too much. Watchable.

No comments: