Beyond Goodbye

さよならのつづき ‧ Drama ‧ 2024
Completed
VonnyLaunchbury
3 people found this review helpful
Jun 13, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Story

I put my faith into watching Beyond Goodbye. I really loved the series until the ending. It sucked.. One of those ending where it's make your own mind up.. Many scenarios. Can't understand that some dramas that are really
great to watch end up with a sh#t ending.
Was Narome dying or not.. If so did he spend his last hours with saeko.. I'm selfish.. I wanted them to be together because Naromes life had been changed by meeting Saeko. He felt a longing for her. It was easier for her to keep changing her stance on the relationship after all it's only Naromes life that had been turned upside down and suffered the constant pain when anxiety took over. I don't think they should have got involved with each other because the constant stress on someone after having a heart transplant is no joke. Nevertheless I enjoyed the series but not the ending... acting was superb..welldone all..

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Completed
holystan
3 people found this review helpful
Jan 5, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
- so tired of crying almost every ep
- very pretty cinematography
- I LOVE COFFEE, bye.
- "drinking coffee wont solve the problem, but taking a break is a must" (i think the quote was kinda like this lol)
- if it's a movie, i would gladly recommend it to everyone, but since it's a series, this kinda genre does feel draggy
- in the middle tho, it feels so wrong but as a whole it was okay
- love the Theme Song ❤️ "Azalea" by Yonezu Kenshi
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Completed
Melanie
3 people found this review helpful
Mar 2, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

J-Drama ***Beyond Goodbye***: Excellent Heart Shaker

J-Drama featuring Life & Romance, always has me looking ways to stitch up my heart while drying my tears. Just as my heart is stitched & tears dried.... they push above the limit... like this "Beyond Goodbye"!!!
I strongly feel that this drama is completely underrated... but then again that's my personal opinion.
The storyline did its job with tugging at the heart strings & the leading casts did an amazing job pulling me into their feelings that their character felt.
I rated this a 9.5/10 due to .. 2 things: in my personal opinion, I felt that some of the wife's actions was totally unnecessary. Especially when she was putting to much fault .. where fault didn't belong.
the 2nd thing, was the ending ... in my opinion, Saeko didn't owe anything to this woman... since it was the husbands' decision on how he felt would be best to handle the situation he was facing with his life ending. The one important person he wanted to see before he left this earth... was someone who made him feel alive through a heart of her lover. Not only that, the wife from the beginning she didn't want him to tell her anything about what he found out regarding the donor. So, if she needs to blame anyone.. she needs to look in the mirror & realize that she shut her husband out in a time he felt confused & needed her to listen and understand what he is going through & sacrifice a bit of her feelings to help him through his turmoil. I think that angered me the most about the wife.. is she apologized to him and he just let her without truly telling her that her refusing his feelings was painful. (If you can't have an open discussion with the person you say you love deeply or have restrictions of what you ...YOU... want to hear, then your love is bogus.. Period!) So... NO... Saeko didn't need to apologize to her for Miki husbands' decisions. The ending for Saeko getting a text to apple pick just dropped the rating .5, because it was not necessary at all... I saw & felt no point in it.
I just have one critique ... my personal choice would have been to end the drama where she sees the coffee trees beans that Yusuke planted have grown. That would have been a powerful ending of a heartfelt story.

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Completed
Bhavna
3 people found this review helpful
Jun 21, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

A Most Beautiful Love Story of Loss

I just finished watching Beyond Goodbye or Sayonara no Tsuzuki and I was in a puddle of tears by the end. The thing is, what made me cry is not just that people die, but the depth, love, beauty, and sacredness that this J drama brought into the topic- it’s like something about it touches me so deeply that it brings me to tears. In the very first episode, when Yusuke was playing “I Want You Back” on the piano, and that scene repeats in variations two more times in the same setting, it touched me and I could feel the tears even in the first episode. I can’t explain it or why. And then as the series went on, Naruse, talking about how his own heart had reached its limit and so Yusuke’s boundless love and joy came into him to breathe new life into him, and how he was opened by it and it felt like the divine love of Spirit is just pouring through him and the whole series. What seemed at first as a love that was contained only in Yusuke, in the end was released from all forms and showed up everywhere. That’s what was so beautiful- it showed that forms are impermanent, but the love can melt anyone’s heart and dissolve conflicts and divisions, even if they’re not supposed to get along according to the world. I loved how emotionally honest and open the characters were in this J Drama compared to others that I’ve seen, and they expressed what was on their heart instead of holding everything in and that certainly helped to move the story along. The bond explored between Naruse and Saeko was truly something beyond words, beyond labels. It wasn’t “an affair,” in the classic sense although it could have turned into that. Neither party was looking for that, as noble as they were, and yet the love of Spirit brought them together in beautiful moments, to feel the divine love of God that wants nothing more than to see you happy and smiling, and never sad. That whole piano song of Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”, was the premise- it was the vehicle to deliver this message from Spirit to lift one up- the world is not so heavy and low, so smile. The whole series, the whole point of Yusuke’s existence as the symbol of love was to see that smile on Saeko’s face, and to wash away the tears of her sorrows. And this is the hidden message of the whole drama- to allow Spirit to wash away the grief of our sorrows and to bring the smile of God to our face, knowing that we are loved. “You are loved.” No matter what the loss, and how big the loss, even in the midst of it, in the heaviness of grief, “You are loved no matter what.” This is what the series points to. And love is bigger than all the people and forms in this world- it can appear as a rainbow, or berries on a plant, or a new life in someone’s womb. If you keep your heart open, even in the grief of loss, the Spirit will show you love and heal you from the inside out. That’s what this series did for me. It had a profound healing effect when I was going through my own losses and I allowed my heart to be opened up by this story.

The rewatch value of this series is high- the first 5 or so episodes are amazing. But at some point, it starts to drag a little, and the low point was when Saeko encounters a bear and ends up on the news … like why? That was so unnecessary. They could have cut that whole part out. But I’ll be forgiving and still say it’s one of the best J Dramas I’ve ever watched (I feel this way after watching each one, that every Japanese drama is even better than the last!).

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Completed
balaguava
2 people found this review helpful
Aug 10, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

I wanted to love it :(

Came in with high expectations knowing that Netflix would deliver on the pretty shots and the actors would be a joy to watch. Premise was interesting, cheesiness was anticipated...Ummm...what did I watch?

The show did indeed look beautiful but the writing left much to be desired. Despite anticipating there to be some silly, over-the-top lines, a lot of the execution felt too elementary (some of it may have been due to translation but the dialogue had me grimacing). Having watched various dramas about the topic of infidelity, I felt like it wasn't handled well in this drama- there were ways they could have redeemed the storyline or at least created more nuance to the situation but instead, I only felt sorry for the wife. Would have also loved if they had gone with and developed the plotline of them writing to each other despite it being a no-no (but hey, you know what else is a no-no? CHEATING ON YOUR SPOUSE?....), but just my personal take.

The main cast did great and definitely carried me through the end of the series as I began questioning my life decisions. Some of the scenes with background characters were kind of awkward but again, that could've just been the script lol.

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Completed
BTSForeverARMY
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 10, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Writers are depraved and need their phones checked

What the hell was this. The whole show is a romance between a self serving woman who'd rather homewreck a family than see a therapist for her fucked coping mechanisms, and a married man whose wife plays cuck and takes it and accepts his infidelity cause she's such a 'loyal and loving wife'. But we as the audience are supposed to be rooting for this shit?? Oh please. What delusional men got their hands on this script. Couldn't think of a better way to make your two main characters unlikeable as fuck. Have them commit a moral atrocity and pass it off to the audience as romance. The fact that this was even made as a love story really highlights Japan's misogyny and cheating culture. There's not really much else to say about the show, frankly. Started off sweet before the infidelity but after that it just got worse and worse. If you like cheating on your spouse, you'll like the show. If you're a normal human being, you won't like the show. Not to mention the show has more filler than your grandad's cavities. Wish I could get my time back.

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Completed
Bri
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 14, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Bittersweet story that's a little odd

This story concept is pretty unique. It is definitely a little odd to say the least. I liked the two main characters. The acting was great, and I liked the chemistry between the actors as well. I think its pacing is good too. Stories like this sometimes I feel can drag on and this one didn't. This is a very bittersweet story and very enjoyable to watch.
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Completed
PHope
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 29, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 5.5

Good Enough

Japanese Drama '' Sayonara no Tsuzuki '' is a romantic melodrama with a tragic story and tragic characters.

The drama incorporates the idea that the body has memory, but it is not that well presented, as the story is more focused on the romance and builds its story up from there.

As for the romance, it was odd, as the one person was wracked with grief and was trying to hold on to any spec of hope, and the other had an identity crisis at best. Most tragic of them all was the wife who was trying to figure things out.

The performances, on the other hand, were all great by everyone in the cast.

So, overall, five out of ten.

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Completed
baylyn
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 25, 2025
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

The cast is amazing. The story, not so much.

I got hooked on this drama from the very first scene with Toma and Kasumi in the train and the snowy background. I love their chemistry and the mischievous back-and-forth of a couple in love.

Kentaro played his role well as a stoic self-described "boring" person who suddenly became filled with more personality due to his heart transplant. While I initially started this series for Kentaro, I have to say that Toma's character really captured me from the beginning. The flashback scenes were always very heartwarming but also bittersweet knowing the outcome of their story.

Despite Kasumi losing her fiance from the beginning, I was hoping that she and Kentaro would be able to find their own love story and conquer the unspeakable. Sadly, somewhere around episode 5, I started losing interest because I didn't see the same chemistry between Kentaro and Kasumi that I saw with her and Toma. The story also didn't really move forward from the time that they both discovered he was the recipient of her fiance's heart.

The ending was very lackluster and it just felt like the writer wanted to take the story down a route that was unnecessarily sad. Overall, I don't think I would recommend this drama, only because it could have been so much better. I don't regret watching it, but I also wouldn't watch this a second time.

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Completed
strawberryeuphoria
1 people found this review helpful
5 days ago
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

A Love That Continues to Beat Beyond Death

If you ever plan to make a list of the best of the best and must-watch Japanese dramas; *Beyond Goodbye* should absolutely be on it. This is not just a love story. It’s a story about connection, grief, fate, and the kind of love so strong that lingers even after death.

*Plot
The story follows Saeko and Yusuke, a couple who have been together for a long time. Yusuke finally decides to propose and takes Saeko to the mountains for the big moment. But on the way there, their bus gets into a terrible accident and Yusuke dies.
Because Yusuke had signed up as an organ donor, his heart is transplanted into Naruse, a man who has been suffering from severe heart problems and waiting desperately for a transplant. Months later, Saeko and Naruse meet by chance, and that’s when something unexplainable begins. Naruse starts feeling a strong pull toward Saeko, a deep sense of nostalgia and emotion that doesn’t feel like his own.

The Red String of Fate
This drama beautifully embodies the concept of the red string of fate, the idea that two souls destined to be connected will always find their way back to each other. Even in death, Yusuke’s connection to Saeko does not disappear. Instead, it lives on through Naruse, and just like the red string of fate pull Naruse towards Saeko. It's like Yuske's heart is refusing to let go of his feeling for Saeko and refusing to become now Naruse's heart, a heart that never knew Saeko. So Yusuke's heart take control over Naruse pushing him to seek Saeko like a thirsty mouth seeking water on a summer day.

On one side, we have Saeko. She loses the love of her life once in the accident. And then, in a way, she has to lose him again when she has to accepts that his heart now beats inside someone else. Her everyday life becomes a quiet torture. Every place, every memory, every landscape reminds her of Yusuke. She is forced to continue living while carrying unbearable longing.

On the other side, we have Naruse. Before the transplant, he had already given up on life. He lived constantly aware that death was near. He never truly allowed himself to dream or feel fully alive. But after receiving Yusuke’s heart, something shifts.
He begins developing habits that were never his. A man who never liked coffee suddenly finds himself drawn to it so much that even start opening a coffee shop. He begins playing the piano something Yusuke loved. He feels emotions, memories and nostalgia he cannot explain.
It’s as if Yusuke’s heart refuses to let go of the love it once held. It’s not presented in a dramatic, supernatural way but in a subtle, emotional way that makes you question how much of the heart carries memory.


This drama is deeply sad but it’s not empty sadness. It’s meaningful. Throughout the series, you see just how deeply Yusuke loved Saeko. Even though he is gone, his presence is felt in every scene. His presence is so strong that even without being in the frame you know the difference between Naruse and Yusuke. Yusuke's love becomes the emotional thread tying everything together, and its so heartbreaking to see how deep his feelings were and that he is gone and could never come back. It’s the kind of story that makes you sit quietly after an episode ends.

Cinematography & Atmosphere

Visually, this drama is stunning. The story moves between Japan and Hawaii (though Hawaii scenes were filmed in New Zealand), and the cinematography is breathtaking. The beautiful landscapes of Hokkaido and the coastal scenery create a soft, almost dreamlike atmosphere.
Coffee plays a central symbolic role in the story and the repeated visuals of coffee growing, harvesting, toasting, brewing, steam rising, and quiet cafés add warmth and share an interesting teaching about coffee world, something a coffee lover would enjoy.


I have to mention **Kasumi Arimura**, who plays Saeko. She continues to choose incredibly meaningful projects, and she delivers one of the most emotionally powerful performances here. Her portrayal of grief feels raw but controlled never exaggerated, always sincere. The more I watch her work, the more I appreciate her choices as an actress. She has been part of some of the most beautiful series in recent years, and this is another strong addition to her filmography.

*Beyond Goodbye* is about love that transcends life. About grief that lingers. About fate that refuses to break.
It’s heartbreaking. It’s poetic. It’s visually stunning and it absolutely deserves a spot on any must-watch Japanese drama list.

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Dropped 1/8
Carrot Cake
3 people found this review helpful
Jul 25, 2025
1 of 8 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 1.5
Rewatch Value 1.5

Lacklustre

I don’t even remember watching this but I remember because it was the first drama I have watched that had Kentaro sakaguchi. I knew the FL from call me chihiro.
Anyways I think I dropped this drama cause the chemistry between FL and ML (with the heart transplant) is so off. She had more chemistry with MLher fiancée. I don’t really drop a drama if the chemistry is off between the actors but come on this is a romance drama. I felt so tragically bad for his (ML heart transplant). Like okay now he is developing feels for FL due to past memories but it felt so hurtful to see that. I feel like maybe remove the fact that he is still married or maybe let her be a recent ex wife he divorced. Doing all that while still married is kinda a crazy script. I don’t know like could’ve also went with that she left him before and then she met him again and saw that he was more upbeat and outgoing so she went to pursue him again. And the fact that he knows how to play the piano without any previous knowledge about that is crazy work bro. Like maybe just make share the previous ML traits and personality but talent too… also they keep talking about coffee ahh. I think I would’ve ignored some of this if it wasn’t for the lack of chemistry between the actors like both of them yk like it’s not that one is not giving they both aren’t.

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Completed
Phantaminum
9 people found this review helpful
Nov 14, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Tristeza do Coração 'Depois do Adeus'

Só tristeza, terminei a série 'Mr. Plankton' e fui assistir 'Depois do Adeus' na Netflix. A série é emocionante e toca profundamente nas dores e alegrias dos reencontros. Os personagens são reais e cativantes, e a história é envolvente. A trilha sonora é boa e combina perfeitamente com cada cena, aumentando ainda mais as emoções. 'Depois do Adeus' é uma série que fala sobre amor, perda e os laços que nos unem, deixando uma marca em quem assiste.

Não é o tipo de série que eu curto, mas a cada vez está me chamando mais atenção. Não é das minhas melhores, mas tem suas peculiaridades.

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Beyond Goodbye poster

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  • Score: 7.6 (scored by 2,974 users)
  • Ranked: #5018
  • Popularity: #2964
  • Watchers: 7,268

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