Flash Review: Beyond Goodbye [Japan] – The Fangirl Verdict
So here’s the thing, my friends.
This was a show that I’d very much been looking forward to, from the very minute I first set my eyes on the trailer that Netflix released – BUT. As it turns out, Show is not at all what I’d expected it to be.
Talk about having the wrong expectations! 😅
Did I still like it in the end, and would I recommend it? I’m gonna hafta say that the answer is, that it’s complicated. 😅
WHAT I’D EXPECTED
Here’s the first teaser that I watched for this show, and watching this, my gut had immediately said that this show was vibing like First Love: Hatsukoi (review here!), in that beautifully filmed, could well be inspired by a classic kdrama sort of way.
Specifically, the synopsis reminded me of classic Seasons kdrama Summer Scent, which I’ve admittedly not watched, but which is a romance where the (transplanted) heart remembers, and I was quite convinced that we would get a similarly themed romance, with this show.
Another beautifully filmed, potential tribute to a classic kdrama, kinda-sorta in the vein of First Love: Hatsukoi? I couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough. 🤩
WHAT SHOW ACTUALLY SERVED UP
Um. It’s hard to talk about what Show actually served up, without getting into spoilers, but suffice to say that this is not a romance. 😅
Rather, it’s an exploration of humanity and morality, as well as an exploration of love – even though I really can’t categorize it as a romance.
I would also say that I found the watch experience somewhat uncomfortable, at points, and I will talk about why that was, in the next section.
Overall, though, I did find this thought-provoking and interesting, which I’ll also talk more about, in a bit.
[SPOILERS HENCEFORTH!]
IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE SHOW (& PLAN TO), COME BACK LATER!
STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH
There were two main things that I didn’t take to, too well, during my watch. Of course, your mileage may well vary; this is just my personal reaction.
1. When Show tries to portray “special” and “sparkly”
The relationship between our female lead Saeko (Arimura Kasumi) and her fiancé Yusuke (Ikuta Toma) is supposed to be very special, and this is necessary to our story, since the specialness of this relationship, is what makes Yusuke’s heart remember Saeko even in death.
The problem for me, is that whenever Show attempted to portray Yusuke &/or this relationship as extra special, it landed as quite unnatural, forced and quite try-hard, to my eyes.
Yusuke just seemed unnaturally smiley and energetic, and I found this quite distracting, and not very helpful, to be honest. 🙈
The various encounters between Saeko and Yusuke also had a similar effect for me, and in particular, I found their first date quite cringey, in how they end up in bed together. 😅
Saeko’s initial encounters with Naruse (Sakaguchi Kentaro) also leaned kind of awkward and stilted to me, even though they were clearly supposed to be special, and reminiscent of Yusuke. 😅
This became less of an issue for me in the second half of my watch, mostly because I just kind of got used to the tone and feel of “special” and “sparkly” in this drama world.
2. The fact that Naruse is married
I totally hadn’t expected Naruse to be married, and the fact that he’s married, makes any potential romance with our female lead Saeko, not just problematic, but taboo.
In fact, I felt really sorry for his wife, Miki (Nakamura Yuri), because she’s done nothing but support her husband unconditionally, through all of his heart troubles, and now that he’s finally received a new heart, he starts developing feelings for someone else?
Oh dear. What had this poor woman done to deserve this, yes?
For what it’s worth, I do think that this plot point might hit you with extra discomfort and poignance, if you yourself happen to be a wife.
THOUGHTS ON THE STORY
Overall, I did appreciate Show’s non-judgmental approach, as it explores this very tricky, delicate situation among our key characters.
Some of their actions might be questionable if you put it up against a strict moral stance, but Show questions whether that strict moral code is applicable, when you have a situation this unique and this tricky.
When Saeko feels drawn to Naruse, it’s because he shows some stark similarities with Yusuke, from saying things that Yusuke has said to her before, to being able to play the same song on the piano that Yusuke had once played for her – even though he himself has never learned to play.
When Yusuke had died so suddenly, while he and Saeko had been at the peak of their happiness as a couple, it’s hard to begrudge Saeko the relief that she gets, from drawing near to Naruse – not because of Naruse himself, but because of Yusuke’s heart beating within him.
Similarly, when Naruse’s heart starts yearning for Saeko, it’s hard to begrudge that yearning as well, because we know that that’s not Naruse yearning for Saeko, as much as it is Yusuke’s heart yearning for Saeko.
At the same time, we can understand Miki’s growing sense of discomfort and unease, as Naruse becomes more and more different from the husband whom she’d known, pre-transplant.
It’s all very complicated, and I appreciate that Show explores this with sensitivity and compassion.
THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING
Of course, things get more difficult and complex, as this situation wears on; it’s not sustainable for our characters
I appreciate that Saeko is so convinced that this has to stop, that she literally uproots herself from Niseko, and moves to Hawaii, while cutting off contact with Naruse.
That’s no small deal, and I think she deserves props for going as far as she does, in order to do the right thing.
At the same time, Naruse’s burning wish, to seek out Saeko, might look like a very questionable thing, since he’s married and all, but my thought can’t help going to that scene where he asks Yusuke what Yusuke would like to do, with the limited time that they have left.
He’s convinced that, given that he has a limited time before Yusuke’s heart stops working, Yusuke would want to spend some quality time with Saeko. And I’m sure he’s also thinking that Saeko deserves the chance to say a proper goodbye to Yusuke as well.
And on a personal note, I get the sense that Naruse also feels that it is his duty; the least he could do for Yusuke, for the gift of his heart.
I’m sure this is very difficult for Miki to understand, especially since the entire thing has been so confusing for both Naruse and Saeko as well.
After all, they’d gotten to the point where they couldn’t tell who was yearning for whom, ie, was it Yusuke yearning for Saeko, or was it Naruse, and was it Saeko yearning for Yusuke, or was she yearning for Naruse?
The fact that Miki supports Naruse’s final trip, even though she has serious reservations about what might happen between Naruse and Saeko, really does show the selfless quality of her love for him, I do think.
This is his dying wish, in a way, and so she supports it, even though it makes her sad and uncomfortable.
The farewell trip was poignant to witness, and I am sure that Saeko’s tears are not just for Yusuke, whose presence in this world would end with Naruse’s death, but also, for Naruse himself; the connection between them has transcended the connection that had initially purely been about Yusuke’s heart.
Through it all, I was holding my breath, hoping that Naruse would survive this farewell trip, and thankfully, he does, and even has what seems to be a good 6 months afterwards, which he spends at home in Niseko, with Miki and the rest of the family.
It’s poignant to see him eventually pass away, while sitting in his wheelchair, now gaunt and worn from the slow breaking down of his body.
It’s sad that he couldn’t manage to live the long, healthy life of which he’d spoken, with Saeko, but it is comforting to know that he’d managed to fulfill the last wish, which I feel was Yusuke’s as well as his own.
And it is also comforting to see that he’d passed away peacefully, sitting in the sunshine, surrounded by nature and by the happy buzz of activity, among his loved ones.
Yusuke’s heart hadn’t managed to give Naruse many more years, as everyone had hoped, but it had certainly given him more quantity and quality of life, than if Naruse had never had the transplant, and that’s definitely a silver lining. 🥲
In the end, it seems like a meaningful thing, that Miki would reach out to Saeko, and have Saeko come help with the apple harvest, and even go so far as to say that she will invite Saeko to do so, every year – because she wants to see her regularly.
Even though Miki says that it’s because they need extra hands and she decided to call on someone who felt indebted to her, it lands much more, as an olive branch.
It feels to me, like this annual tradition, will be their way of honoring Naruse’s memory, together, as two people who genuinely treasured his presence on this earth, and I think that is a nicely hopeful and life-affirming note, on which to wrap up our story. 🥲
THE FINAL VERDICT:
A bit ungainly in spots, but works out to be solidly thought-provoking.
FINAL GRADE: B+
TRAILER:
SUBBED SNIPPET:
WHERE TO WATCH:
Show is available on Netflix.
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