The premiere special of the TV Asahi April series drama “Destiny,” starring actress Satomi Ishihara with KAT-TUN’s Kazuya Kamenashi co-starring, will be broadcasted on April 9th. It has been decided that the series will also be streamed worldwide in over 190 countries and regions.
The series will be available for streaming on the Japanese video distribution platforms TELASA and TVer immediately after its broadcast. On Netflix, streaming will begin the day after broadcast in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, and English-speaking countries, with plans for subsequent streaming in other countries and regions. Starting worldwide streaming the day after its terrestrial broadcast marks a historic achievement as the fastest-ever in TV Asahi’s drama history.
In this drama, marking Ishihara’s return to consecutive dramas after three years, the protagonist, Prosecutor Kanade Nishimura, played by Ishihara, reunites with her former college lover, Maki Nogi, portrayed by Kamenashi, after 12 years. This reunion opens the door to an event from their youth that had been sealed away, leading them to be tossed around by the waves of a “fate spanning 20 years.
Additionally, Kamenashi’s appearance in a TV Asahi drama marks his return after nine years since “Second Love” (2015). With his portrayal of the 10th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, in the Fuji TV Thursday drama “Ooku“, the role of Maki Nogi marks his consecutive appearance in two consecutive drama seasons.
Kamenashi will play Maki Nogi, a classmate of the protagonist Kanade Nishimura and her first love. They first met during their second year of university. Both Kanade and Maki, enrolled in the Faculty of Law at Shinano University, shared the ups and downs of preparing for the bar exam with their friends while deepening their bond amidst the vast nature of Nagano, where their campus was located, enjoying their youth.
Kanade, who has been “living with a closed heart to those around her” since her father’s death in the third year of junior high, and Maki, who has had difficulty with family relationships and has lived in solitude, avoiding “falling in love with anyone for real” due to his lonely environment. The two eventually become attracted to each other. However, it was also a “secret love” that could potentially ruin their friendship with their peers. Nevertheless, despite their guilt, they become deeply involved in their first love. Then, one day before the law school entrance exam, an incident occurs. And the unexpected death of someone due to that tragedy. This “incident” marks the sudden end of their first love.
Twelve years later, Kanade, now a prosecutor leading a busy life, is confronted by Maki, who had disappeared since that incident, with the “death incident during their university days.” Within that, unexpectedly, the “truth behind her father’s death 20 years ago” is revealed. When seemingly unrelated events connect, the story takes an unexpected turn… It becomes a “suspenseful love story spanning 20 years” depicted on a grand scale. What shocking conclusion awaits the two who are tossed around by fate?
Comment by Kazuya Kamenashi
“It has been nine years since I appeared in a TV Asahi drama, last being “Second Love” (2015), so I was honored to be approached by Producer Nakagawa, with whom I worked then. The grand scale of “traveling through 20 years” and the fact that Ishihara-san is the lead made me feel like saying, “I’ll do my best!”.
I’ve appeared with Ishihara-san on variety shows before, and I always felt that she brings a sense of flexibility along with a firm commitment to her work. It’s a coincidence that we both go to the same hair salon.
In the many years we’ve been involved in the acting profession, I felt that there was some significance in finally working together in a play. When we actually worked together, she was just as I imagined, approaching the work with leadership and passion, which makes her a wonderful actor whom you can trust and follow.
Furthermore, I’ve felt her warmth and kindness as a person, which deepened my initial impression of her. I think there’s something in Ishihara-san’s portrayal of Kanade’s sincerity that resonates with her own personality.
Ms. Yoshida’s script allows me to immerse myself in the dialogue and situations, and by doing so, I naturally reach the final destination. It’s like being able to “jump up on my own” with the power of the “flow” that Ms. Yoshida has written, giving me a strange sensation to savor.”