Destiny is a Japanese series by Netflix exploring the story of Nishimura Kanade, a public prosecutor in Tokyo. Through Kanade’s story, the series depicts the impact of the judgmental nature of Japanese society, which may lead to the isolation of an individual. Nishimura was only a 9th grader when her father took his own life. Her father was a prosecutor himself who was accused of fabricating corruption cases, which had him disbarred from his profession. Following her father’s death, Kanade and her mother moved to Nagano, but rumors about her father spread quite quickly. Kanade was ostracized for being the daughter of a fraudster, because of which she became reclusive and buried herself in books instead of making friends. As a result, she develops severe social anxiety until she enrolls in law school.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Kanade Make Friends In College?
Kanade was too scared to talk to people because of her tragic past. Until she meets Nogi Masaki, a carefree law student who pleads with Kanade to show him her answer sheet during a test. Kanade initially turns him down, but gives in to Masaki’s flamboyant personality. Later, while heading home, Kanade is spotted by Masaki, who is grateful to her as he passed the test because of Kanade’s help. To return the favor, Masaki encourages her to hang out with him and his friends, Oikawa Kaori, Mori Tomomi, and Umeda Yuki.
Though Kanade is reluctant and anxious to talk to the new people, she does open up eventually. Kanade thought that these were the kind of people she avoided all those years when she was still in school, but now she was actually having a good time. These new friends that she had made seemed supportive of her as well. Moreover, Kanade finds out more about Masaki, who, despite his carefree exterior, is quite troubled. Masaki barely attends the lectures once in a while because he doesn’t care about the future much; however, it seems that he has his own problems that he seldom talks about.
As time passes, Kanade integrates into this group of friends and becomes quite close to them. They seem to be inseparable and often visit places together. Kanade feels that this is indeed the first time that she’s enjoying her youth and feels like she’s a part of something. During a trip with her new friends, Kanade finally opens up about her traumatic past, about which her friends are quite accepting.
Do Kanade And Masaki Start Dating?
When Kanade opens up about her past, Masaki takes notice of her. It seemed that Masaki himself had a troublesome past, because of which he could resonate with Kanade’s past. A few days later, Kanade and Masaki head to a fireworks festival, but their friends back out due to heavy rain. This gives Masaki the opportunity to confess his feelings to Kanade, who reveals that even she likes him back as they passionately kiss and then head to Masaki’s house to spend the night together. The next morning, Masaki opens up about his own past and tells Kanade about his mother. When he was a child, his mother disappeared and was never found. This revelation brings Masaki closer to her as well. Kanade and Masaki begin dating each other but keep their relationship under wraps to avoid any fuss amongst their friends.
How Does Kaori Die?
Since the beginning of their friendship, it was hinted that, like Kanade, Kaori had feelings for Masaki too, but obviously they were not reciprocated. Masaki only saw her as a friend since he liked Kanade. Even though Kanade and Masaki’s relationship is a secret from their friends, it is quite obvious that they are indeed together. Kaori, on the other hand, becomes distant from her friends. Even when asked by Masaki to hang out with them, Kaori turns him down and walks away. Tomomi believes that she has been acting strange because she failed her interview. However, Kanade feels as though it is indeed her fault that Kaori is going through this since they both have feelings for Masaki.
While going through an old newspaper article in the university library, Tomomi finds an article about Kanade’s father. Tomomi informs Kaori about it, but Kaori, overcome by jealousy towards Kanade, wants to disclose this information to Masaki. It is suggested that this information directly affects Masaki. Tomomi discourages Kaori from doing so, but seeing that Kaori is adamant, Tomomi annoyingly chides her for acting like a schoolgirl over unreciprocated love. These harsh words from Tomomi severely upset Kaori.
A few days later, Kaori parks near Masaki and Kanade’s apartment and asks to see him, claiming she wants to talk to Masaki. Masaki, unsuspecting of what Kaori has to say, keeps it hidden from Kanade and heads to her car. However, overcome by rage against Kanade and her obsessive love for Masaki, she drives off recklessly, resulting in an accident that takes her life.
What Happens To Masaki After The Accident?
After the accident, Masaki miraculously survives the accident and is admitted to a hospital. It is revealed that Masaki is the son of a renowned attorney, Koichiro Nogi. Given the unusual circumstances that led to Kaori’s death, a police investigation takes place to figure out if Masaki had a role to play in the accident. As a result, Koichiro visits the police station to inquire about his son. He claims he hasn’t had the opportunity to meet his son, which is why he intends to learn everything from the officer. Later, when Koichiro does meet Masaki, the latter doesn’t seem very keen on seeing his father. It is implied that Koichiro was a strict and possibly abusive father who deemed his son quite irresponsible and useless. This incident just gave him another reason to scold his son and further push him away. After the accident, Kanade isn’t able to see Masaki, as he disappears without a trace.
At Kaori’s funeral, Kanade meets her remaining college friends for the last time. When they step out of the funeral home, Kanade sees Masaki one last time, who runs away when he sees her. It seems that Kanade’s father had some connection to Koichiro. It might even be possible that Koichiro was the one who framed Kanade’s father, and when Masaki found out, he was compelled to stay away from Kanade.
What Can We Expect From Episode 2?
12 years later, Kanade is in a relationship with Okuda Takashi, a doctor at a hospital where Masaki is admitted in a severely injured condition. It seems Masaki has embroiled himself in a dangerous game. It’s only a matter of time before Kanade finds out that Masaki is back. In the next episode, Kanade will likely find out more about the connection between her father and Koichiro Nogi.
