Jacob Ant
Netflix continues to deepen its footprint in Japan’s bustling entertainment market, and this Wednesday was no exception. The streaming giant revealed its latest Japanese venture, a heartfelt drama series aptly named Beyond Goodbye. Crafted by esteemed Japanese scribe Yoshikazu Okada, the show features an ensemble cast headlined by Kasumi Arimura and Kentaro Sakaguchi.
Arimura, familiar to audiences from We Made a Beautiful Bouquet and the Netflix original Call Me Chihiro, and Sakaguchi, a TV mainstay recently seen in the hit drama The Last 10 Years, bring to life a poignant tale of love and loss. Arimura’s character, Saeko, is thrown into an emotional maelstrom after the sudden death of her fiance, Yusuke. Her path later intersects with Sakaguchi’s character, Naruse, who harbors a deeply personal connection to her late fiance—a secret that is as poetic as it is transformative.
Helmed by industry veteran Hiroshi Kurosaki and captured through the lens of skilled cinematographer Kosuke Yamada, the series boasts stunning Japanese locales that add visual gravitas to the narrative.
This addition amplifies Netflix’s already impressive portfolio of Japanese live-action content. The streaming platform has been making strategic inroads in Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, recently launching a slew of acclaimed shows like Last One Standing, Light House, Burn the House Down and Sanctuary. Let’s not forget the runaway success of Alice in Borderland, which set records as Netflix’s most-streamed Japanese series.
Upcoming launches include live-action adaptations of the iconic mangas Yu Yu Hakusho and City Hunter, along with a unique love story, In Love & Deep Water, penned by Yuji Sakamoto.
Clearly, Netflix is set on conquering hearts and screens across Japan, offering an increasingly diverse slate of storytelling that resonates both locally and globally.
