There's Destiny, or Maybe Not

As long as they make sense I don't mind series with sad endings, but the j-drama You Are My Destiny was a big disappointment for me. I don't watch many Japanese productions because so many are dark, and suicide and bullying are common themes, but I thought from the bright and happy opener that this would be a romantic spin on Cinderella.

Sato Aya (Miori Takimoto) is a modern-day quasi-Cinderella who dreams of meeting a handsome prince, who turns out to be Ichijo Kei (Takumi Kizu), the heir to a large company. By accident and design they are thrown together and spend a night of passion believing the other partner is someone else (I didn't find this comical, by the way.)

When they wake up and discover they've been deceived they set off a chain of events that leads to Aya finding out she's pregnant and Kei being forced to marry her. There are the usual misunderstandings between the couple, and things only get worse when Kei's heartless girlfriend finds out about the secret marriage and decides to break them up by doing something appalling to Aya.

For a series with a happy, romantic opener this show is in reality tragic and depressing. Aya is subjected to all kinds of abuse, and Kei is about as unsympathetic and selfish as he can get. I couldn't believe they ended it the way they did, either, although I was glad Aya made the choice she did. I also wish they had put an emotional trigger warning on it, as it deals with traumas that most women may find difficult to watch. I dislike writing up negative reviews, which is why I try to stick to the positive, but I felt I needed to be honest about this show. My advice is to give it a pass.

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