Journey to Killing You Series Review (2025)
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Unlike metaphorical drama titles that don’t necessarily deliver what they mean, Japanese series ‘Journey to Killing You’ is literally all about a young man’s secret mission to kill his boss.
Based on Asai Sai’s manga Anata wo Korosu Tabi, the six-episode live-action series stars Takahashi Hiroto as Odajima, a young yakuza henchman assigned to protect his boss’s stepbrother, Kataoka Kinji (Wada Masanari), who’s been sent into hiding on a remote island. Unbeknownst to Kataoka, Odajima’s real mission is to kill him, but as the two grow closer, Odajima’s resolve begins to crumble. Will he pull the trigger or not?
The charming Kataoka is the illegitimate son of a powerful Yakuza boss, favored by most, so he is targeted by his jealous brother, Kirii Keito (Yuya Shintaro), who fears their dying father might pass on the criminal empire to the illegitimate heir. In a little twist, Odajima has his own personal vendetta to fulfill, which is explained through flashbacks.
‘Journey to Killing You’ is a fast-paced, guilty-pleasure romance that thrives on the clashing personalities of its leads: Kataoka, who is flamboyant, confident, carefree, influential, and forced to go into hiding with the gloomy, asocial, exhauted, emotionally spent Odajima.
It’s got the existential angst, trauma, sadness of shows like ‘Happy of the End’, combined with the sunny setting of beach romances. So the story is a vivid mix of the dark, violent, blood-laden world of crime, splashing against the sun, sand, sea, and Hawaiian shirts. One second Kataoka might be sipping beer by the beach, the other he’d be fighting for his last breath after a fatal gunshot wound.
Most of ‘Journey to Killing You’ is driven by actor Wada Masanari’s easy charisma as protagonist Kataoka, whose rich voice is tailor-made of Manga protagonists. The first episode establishes him as a creepy, powerful gangster with little regard for others. It’s a shocking opener, an over-the-top scene that borders on the absurd, but then, this is a Yakuza romance adapted from a manga, where slight exaggeration comes with the territory. And as more chapters unfold, both the viewer and Odajima see new layers of Kataoka, ones that stretch beyond a simple black-and-white dangerous gangster.
Takahashi Hiroto’s portrayal of the poker-faced Odajima is on point, his face giving little away at any given point, so one never knows if he really would pull the trigger on Kataoka. Fleeting flashbacks through ‘Journey to Killing You’ reveal Odajima’s abusive, traumatic childhood, after which he joins the Yakuza, and then loses his only friend Asahi (Hori Kaito) to gang violence.
The tension between Kataoka and his stepbrother Kirii deserved greater focus, as their feud serves as the driving force behind the story’s main conflict. Yuya Shintaro, though given limited screen time, effectively portrays Kirii’s insecurity and ruthless ambition to control his father’s criminal empire. Kataoka’s growing popularity among the younger ranks of the organization clearly fuels his resentment.
It’s evident that Journey to Killing You was made on a modest budget. This isn’t a flashy, big-ticket production, but the creators still deliver a visually engaging story supported by a memorable soundtrack, including an upbeat opening theme. The series could have benefited from one or two more episodes to develop its characters further. Then again, perhaps it’s the short, crisp runtime that makes it so watchable.
There isn’t any Japanese live-action series quite like ‘Journey to Killing You’, so if you’re looking for some fresh material, this is a show worth checking out.
Watch ‘Journey to Killing You’ on GagaOolala.
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