Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017) User Reviews

Had read the Manga version, really liked the movie too.

[deslaughton · 8/10 · 10 August 2018]

I saw this yesterday, on a long-haul flight, with English subtitles - I was intrigued, because I already own the manga version, and have a Youtube channel dedicated to Kamakura (Green Morning Dragon Productions). I am not a huge fan of Japanese cinema - I find it overly melodramatic, and stocked with agency 'tarento' who leave me cold. Thankfully not the case, here. Very well cast - the two leads, Takahata (my first introduction to her work, and hopefully not the last) and Sakai were excellent together, the story was engaging, without being schlocky or ludicrous, and the film looked luscious - the special effects were outstanding, and brought a lot to the film. If you're into Harry Potter, I think you'll like this for the creatures and the well-executed fantasy element too. A clever, romantic fantasy, with heart.

Amazing!

[sruitasuk · 7/10 · 6 January 2019]

This movie is so amazing, fantasy and very different from many movies. One more thing that make me surprise is that this movie has only 9xx reviewers

A Cinematic Treat!

[net_orders · 8/10 · 30 October 2021]

This is an uplifting fantasy tale with an amusing and romantic feel-good story line plus imaginative special effects. It is about the adventures of a lady from Tokyo who has recently relocated to Kamakura after marrying a writer and long-term resident of the city. The ancient shogunate capital of Kamakura is depicted as a place where the living and used-to-be living communities spiritually and financially support each other. Some well-known Shinto gods (or the influence thereof) have been added to the mix. First-time meetings (especially the romantic kind) between the living can sort of seem familiar because these encounters may have occurred many times before over the centuries. Actors under act to excellent effect, but CGI characters over do things a bit. Lead actress Takahata Mitsuki creates a simply adorable character playing the Tokyo transplant. The full orchestral score is spot on. Cinematography and lighting are excellent with dark scenes not so dark that you can not see the actors (yea!). Subtitles sometimes flash by at light speed; however, dialog is straight forward giving students of Japanese a good chance to understand much without the aid of the titles. Some plot twists are hard to follow (just go with the flow!), and the ending is a bit drawn out. Nonetheless, a perfect Halloween treat! Highly recommended. Viewed at JICC Halloween J-film event. WILLIAM FLANIGAN.

Loved it

[biancaknoot · 10/10 · 14 March 2020]

I loved this film, I saw it at camera Japan festival. It is so sweet and loving, a fantasy- and lovestory in one. Yes it's slow-paced, but it makes it even more beautiful, and the small turns are little presents. Wish I could watch it again, but it's not really available in my country.

Mitsuki Takahata is adorable in this!

[RuriGokou · 4/10 · 25 February 2020]

This movie started off interesting but I think the poor pacing ruined it. It jumps around to different kinds of plots but nothing sticks around long enough for the viewer to care. Also nothing is really explained very well. Stuff with strange creatures and the undead just sort of happens like this in Kamakura. Least that is what I could get out of it. The thing is I thought it would be a much different kind of movie. Something like a fantasy setting? At the 1 hour mark I was wondering, "Is this over yet?"

Maybe if you have some knowledge about the manga you might enjoy it more? That seems to be the kind of trend I see from watching these manga/anime to live action movies. I rarely watch Japanese movies because the overall quality is poor and this is no different.

I thought Mitsuki Takahata as Akiko was absolutely adorable though.

A miss opportunity

[evanlu-43779 · 4/10 · 25 July 2019]

The pacing and visual are bad, but I do like the music

Capitalizing on stupidity

[tso_jong · 1/10 · 30 October 2019]

This movie did a fantastic job capitalizing on people's stupidity, luring them to believe that it actually has some substance and soul behind the mediocre CGI, boring storyline and terrible acting. Well, it doesn't, u r just watching just another pretentious Japanese film.

Wasted time

[mahanparyas · 1/10 · 30 November 2018]

I wasted my time by watching this movie. You don't.