Nobody does whimsy better than the Japanese! I’ve been grumbling for some time now why modern fantasy stories tilt towards the dystopian genre, making magic and the supernatural all about gloom and doom 99% of the time with 1% hope at the end of it all. If you’re kind of sick of that too, Destiny Kamakura Monogatari is definitely worth a look.

This is about a husband and wife tandem who lives in Kamakura where they meet strange creatures and phenomena in their day to day life. I simply loved this world! It’s rife with stories of spirit festivals, of grim reapers, of Hogwarts Express-like trains, of body-stealing souls, and of forbidden treats.

That cast is awesome! I’ve been lured to this movie by my fondness for Takahata Mitsuki, playing the wife Akiko to writer Masakazu portrayed by Sakai Masato. They have quite an age gap so some of Mitsuki’s mannerisms here feel similar to what she did as Kahoko. Who stood out for me was the amazing Grim Reaper (Ando Sakura), she made a small role shine through. And special mention to badass Auntie Kin.

The movie ultimately portrays unconditional love even beyond death. Unfortunately (mild spoilers!) where the movie stumbled was in the climax.

Overall, that was still such a fun adventure, and I’m wistful they make more sequels as the Kamakura world is brimming with more magical tales of wonder to tell.