Sayonara no Tsuzuki

As a viewer from Greece, I was so excited to come across this series and appreciated each and every episode of this series. The cinematography was sublime, the acting incredible. I will never forget this series and the stories/lessons it told... it will remain with me forever. However I have also noticed that others have rated this not too kindly, and from my honest opinion, I think its a cultural thing. Ive notcied that certain well crafted J dramas or K dramas have a lower rating when there isnt a happy ending. Some feel invested in a series and just expect a happy ever after ending. This drama depicted real humane issues and dealt with them with sensitivity and realism. Orange Days was always my fave J Drama, but this probably tops it.

The direction and acting of this movie is absolutely phenomenal. I don't think they could have pulled it off without the actors, especially since the plot was a little ridiculous. Either ways, loved watching these actors on the screen and I truly felt the emotions they were trying to convey. I didn't expect to love Mrs. Naruse as much as I did, but she was such a greatly written side character. The colors were a little too saturated but the settings and mood were beautiful. And of course, it's always a treat to see the beautiful Kentato and Kasumi's chemistry...that in itself should be a reason to watch this.

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.

I actually read a study about how memories are stored in the heart and it's documented that there are people who remember what the previous owner felt, so I was really interested to watch this show. I think the writers did a decent job with the plot but personally, I felt like something was missing from the show. It was definitely quite emotional and the cast did an amazing job, however towards the end, the pacing was a little off and some scenes felt rushed.

Regarding the relationship between the characters, I think it was written well because it showed the many grey areas experienced by the human heart, and it was hard for me to blame any of the characters for their actions as they were simply human beings with complex emotions. I could easily understand and empathise with the characters. Also, the sceneries shown are breathtaking and it made me want to go to Otaru just to experience it. The cinematography is my favourite part of this show honestly.

The first episode started with a bang, but the show buries itself in an avalanche of ambivalence and a soapy cross between blah and meh. Major casting issues with this one. Kentaro Sakuguchi as the romantic male lead is a dud from the get-go. Zero star quality. And the "Mr. Nice Guy" piano player was a clueless yawn. Maybe to a lot of people, this love story has depth and heart (quite literally), but I had to stop watching midstream because of its total lack of chemistry between Kasumi Arimura and her rizz deficient love interests. It's not like Arimura is normally an ice-queen either. Her astonishing work with Takeru Satoh in Rorouni Kenshin: The Beginning was scorching, and in her more recent work in shows like Meet me after School, Call Me Chihiro and Ishiko and Haneo her hidden sizzling desires had me like "d*mn, that woman is hot.". Bottomline is that Beyond Goodbye's arty editing and top tier cinematography just wasn't enough for me. Chemistry is just one of those things where you know it when you feel it. And I just wasn't feeling it here.