Beyond Goodbye – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Beyond Memories

Episode 3 of Beyond Goodbye begins back on the platform. Kazu’s coffee does the trick and it manages to calm everybody down. Kazuma and Saeko admire the beauty of the area, and Kazu is optimistic about this whole trip. He explains that they’re lucky they managed to stop here as they get to enjoy a view they wouldn’t normally be offered.

Kazu has a sneaky suspicion that they’ve met before, but Saeko is spooked and sees it as him trying to chat her up. She doesn’t speak to him again when they get back on the train, and instead throws herself back into work. The group over at the factory try to come up with a new brand of coffee to blow customers away, and Shinoda likes what he hears.

Saeko has time to process the meeting though and worries that she may have been a bit harsh with Kazuma. As for Kazu though, he heads home and is obsessed with his coffee machine. Miki comments as much and joins him in cleaning the components. She’s a little worried about his new hobby, and it creeps into her mind the idea of him starting to dislike things he used to like (ie. Miki).

The thing is, Kazu is definitely changing and Miki can sense that. Kazu has always been a bit of an introvert and a geek. His heart condition prevented him from doing a lot of things others would do, like running around, and we see how they got together initially. She had always been enough for him, but it would appear that she’s concerned his cheerful demeanour is hinting that this is not the man she married and fell in love with.

As their relationship starts to tear at the seams, the ties Saeko and Kazu have start to grow. Saeko apologizes for her brash behaviour and introduces himself properly. Saeko explains about her profession and the pair end up bonding over coffee. The pair go their separate ways after, but not before Saeko gives some pointers on creating coffee, given his batch on the platform was pretty awful.

Time passes and sure enough, the duo are still bonding as they share the train rides together. Kazuma offers some advice for her upcoming birthday, including a mischievous little way of handing out gifts and making everybody feel good. Kazuma is definitely sensing something here but he can’t get the words out to explain it.

Miki brings Kazuma along to the orchard with her, but both he and Saeko are worried that they’re not seeing each other on the train. However, he suddenly starts to lose his breath and ends up having a panic attack on the road, screaming to the heavens. The thing is, the road they’re on happens to be the same one that Yusuke and Saeko were hit with the avalanche.

Saeko ends up reminiscing on these moments too on the train, and she falls asleep, crying. Hiro rings outside and explains that sometimes this is a sign that those who have passed are coming to see you. He reassures Saeko that she needs to keep moving forward and follow her heart. He reassures that she’s going to be okay and that everything will work out just as it should.

As for Kazu, he heads back to the hospital and realizes that the thoughts and memories he has have been coming from Yusuke. He struggles to understand what’s happening and he’s scared that he’s going to change from the man he once was.

The Episode Review

Things are starting to slow down here, but we also see more context around Miki and her ties with Kazu. To be honest, it’s hard not to feel sorry for her. Not only has she been through the wars, but she’s also slowly losing her partner who has been invaded by Yusuke, who is dominating Kazu’s personality and changing him into a different person.

When you think about it, it’s actually quite a horrifying prospect, especially with someone you’ve fallen in love with and enjoyed a life with, only to be faced with a stranger inside your loved one, slowly destroying ever facet of the person you fell in love with. An this is listed as a romance by the way.

The story itself is a bit of a mixed bag right now and it all rests on exactly how the series is going to explain the ties between Kazu and Saeko, while also handling how Miki is caught in the middle of this.