Everyone's made the comment, so I won't repeat it but just add my buckets-worth to the collective ocean we've all cried over this series and add another review to the pile (in case you needed one more positive review to persuade you that you really should start watching this).
Let's start off with what makes this series so special; what you get from 1 Litre of Tears is so much more than a mere tear-jerker. It's such a genuine and down-to-earth series that you often completely forget that this is just a drama. I cry all the time... even at series that are supposed "comedies" (much to my embarrassment at the cinema) so the fact I cried doesn't mean much... However the fact that one evening, after my I finished watching my episode-a-day, I got up to go to the toilet to blow my nose and was just struck by how thankful I was I could do that by myself... really says it all.
Some people had a fair amount to say about the quality and I concede- if you're going to line her up against the flashy K-Dramas and C-Dramas that we've been getting over the past few years- she's not the prettiest of the lot. She's a 2005 J-Drama after all. But you'll soon realise after starting that it really doesn't need the high production value or fancy effects. The story feels real, it looks real and that means it will hit you all the harder. I honestly wouldn't swap it for something "prettier", it would just detract from the drama at this rate.
So we've established this is not a drama about the looks but about the people and story- which brings us nicely onto our cast:
This is the kind of quality that gets a standing ovation from all audiences. The acting is incredible. Sawajiri Erika (Aya Ikeuchi, lead role) honestly couldn't have pulled the role off any better. She brought all the subtleties, emotions and frustrations to such a difficult role and treated the character with so much respect. I often had to remind myself that she was actually an ordinary person in reality, she nailed the role that well. What's more is this drama does not simply focus on Aya Ikeuchi and her roles dealing with her illness, but how everyone around her deals with it, and for this Sawajiri Erika is surrounded by an amazing supporting cast. I'm going to call out Jinnai Takanori (Aya's father) and Yakushimaru Hiroko (Aya's mother) as managed to wring just as many tears from me as the leads did. It's not over-the-top, sappy nonsense- it can be subtle, it can be big reactions- but most of all it is acting that you can relate to. They show you the anger, the frustration, the hopelessness of the situation but more importantly- they also show the perseverance, loyalty and kindness that they have.
And if after all this, you're sat there wondering whether you can even make it through the drama. Then let me just tell you- I made it. I bawled my eyes out and spent a small fortune on tissue boxes but it was worth it. You won't just feel bad for Aya Ikeuchi- which is the beauty of the series (and what makes you cry more when the sad scenes). You will support her through all her small successes, cheer her on as she fights for a normal life, you'll even curse the idiots who caused her troubles with her family- I guarantee you will be invested in everything and this drama does touch you. For which, even if you are soft-hearted, I still think it's an important drama to watch!
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Even when Aya was faced with life-threatening disease, she was always positive. It breaks my heart to watch her everyday struggles. And yet I can not ever give up watching it and still got myself hooked up to it because I was rooting for her.
And I have watched this drama a lot of times already but still I am crying after finishing it. Even as I am writing this review, I feel like crying remembering every scenes that touched me.
I love Aya's family too, specially her parents because they are really strong, and supportive and never really have shown weakness in front of Aya.
Each actors did their part really great. I think the role was really meant for them.
Erika Sawajiri did a terrific job as the role of Aya. And even the actor who played the role of parents and the siblings really convinces me.
This is the first drama also I have watched Nishikido Ryo and I love how his role and his acting here and began really searching for all his other dramas.
The music is great too. It really fits each scene and the story.
I give this a perfect 10 for everything. Even for the rewatch value, it is a 10 for me because I really loved the way the story was delivered even if its sad, because I will watch this once again if I want to be inspired or at least to make myself realize that I am still having a good life.
A bonus: Each episode gives us a very inspiring quotes from Aya's book.
As a jdrama fanatic, I really recommend this drama, this is really a must-watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Don't be foolled by title... "1 litre of tears" fsss yeah right... more like fuckin bucket! Seriously you will cry every episode from very first one to the last one. So prepare tons of tissues.
But it's not just "ohh I feel so bad for her type of drama" it makes you think about life and it lets understand atleast a bit what some people going through.
"WHY ME?" I bet many people who got this dissease asks themselve this question.
I will not give you an answer. But I definetly got a theory after seing Aya's family and how relations between them were changing in every episode.
Is it enough to justify suffering of innocent girl? I don't think so. But I'm sure she was rewarded in afterlife for her goodnes and hope she gave to so many people she didn't even know.
Very sad but great story. I definetley reccomend it to everyone.
PS: I will not spoiler you anything but one scene in hospital when she reached out her hand... I really was expecting something else to happen there.. oh well maybe it's just me ^^ Let me know if you were dissapointed in that scene too.
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A comforting tearjerker
"Comforting tearjerker" might sound like an oxymoron but that's exactly what this is. I loved the relationships we saw in this drama — between family members, between friends, between classmates, etc. and the little hint of romance was so adorable and heart-warming. I loved how subtle the character development is, and the lines are so profound and thought-provoking.There's really not much more to say and I don't really. have any criticisms about this show. The only thing is that I maybe wish it was a little longer as there were some little time jumps that took me by surprise at first and I would've loved to see even more day-to-day scenes. But maybe that's just me being greedy and not getting enough of this entire cast and how beautiful this drama was.
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The only time I was this moved by anything besides my own life was the manga “Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan“; but unlike the manga, this was a replica of someone actual life. I was so emotional during the final episode I got a headache from crying o much. The tears and the realisation of the evitable ending of Aya, I just wanted to skip it all.
ACTING: I just found myself not caring at the acting of the actors due to the captivating story so all I can say the actors were neither bad nor good.
MUSIC: The usage of the one theme song was perfectly timed and played that I found myself you tubing the whole song.
LIKED: The usage of actual pictures and diary entries of the real Aya provides a surreal moment and insight of her struggles; a nice sentimental touch that helps relate and remind the messages and awareness of the disease and courage she had. Additional to the doctor’s story about the little boy (episode 3)
DISLIKED: I struggle to pinpoint something I disliked, but if I had to pick something that would have made this drama even more spectacular, it would be scripting in more well-known actors to provide more acknowledgement of the this life lesson portrayal.
CONCLUSION:
You should watch this drama if you enjoy genres such as family – slice of life – love – great plot – friendship – school – illness – nonfiction – marriage – hospitalisation – drama – tragedy – A MUST WATCH – history – depression – hope – crying – melodrama…
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Following Aya through her journey of the sickness was such a heartbreaking thing to be watching. But it was so well done that I would recommend just watching it just once at least. It made me so grateful for what I have now and really think about life that I'm living.
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Aya's story has left me incredibly grateful of the fact that I can speak, read, write and walk without trouble as she suffered through the loss of the life she knew.
I started watching this show in the evening and couldn't stop watching. This resulted in me finishing the series in a night. I'll give you a warning- don't watch this if you have important events the next day. Puffy eyes never look good.
All in all the series have stayed loyal to the book quite well apart from some things which have been added to make it more dramatic.
It has been said before by another reviewer, but I agreed with this person immensely. I gave all tens except for the rewatch value. This is because, despite it being utterly beautiful and amazing, it is too heartbreaking for me to watch again.
After watching this series I immediately went googling on where I could order the book. I was so happy that I had learned Japanese and ordered one in Aya's very own language because I always feel like translations leave out so much that it wouldn't be right to read a translation. It was a great idea. I love and cherish the book with all my heart, I reccomend doing the same.
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But this drama is so good regardless of the heartache this has caused me. This is just too heartbreaking for me and to think that this was based on real life. Like WHY???? Why does she have to hurt like that?!
I also watched the movie before, and I also cried rivers. lol
P.S. Sawajiri Erika is sooooooooooooooooooooo pretty. I can look at her face all day!
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By the way Re-watch is low because i don't tend to watch shows that make me cry twice. Nothing against the show.
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Actors/Cast: ERIKA SAWAJIRI? I LOVE HER!!! her acting in this one is superb and that other actor too, I forgot his name. I really liked her acting in this one.
Music: They also have a very nice OSTs, I mean Erika's singing voice was like an angel.
Rewatch value: I put 10/10 on every criteria except this one. You know why? because rewatching this always breaks my heart and I honestly don't want to go under that kind of pain a lot of times, so yeah guys, prepare a lot of tissues when you decided to watch this, because you will literally cry 1L of tears on this one.
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The right amount of tears to flood my soul
To start this review off,I`d like to mention a quote from Aya Kitou`s diary(the person without whom this drama wouldn`t exist at all) which probably struck me the hardest:- "School ends in 4 days. Everyone`s making 1000 wish paper cranes for me. The prayers they`re putting their hearts into are burned into my memory so that no matter how distant we grow,I`ll never forget. But...what I really wanted was to hear them say
[ Aya,please don`t go ]"
As always,I`d like to thank the writers,producers,actors and every staff member on the work they put in,because creating a drama is hard.
Candidly speaking,whenever I saw this one on any list regarding dramas,it always pulled me in. However,as a person who`s strangely sensitive to tragedy put on screen,coupled with the fact this is based on a real person and a real disease,I tried to put it away from my mind. Hidden in a faraway compartment in my brain,designed to keep such information. Then months passed by and I was in a slump. With nothing being satisfying enough to get me out of the rut,I turned to this drama,knowing full well what awaits me.
This title is scarily accurate. You will cry. This is a fact and it`s deserved(unlike Move to Heaven,where you crying didn`t feel organic but rather a consequence of set up manipulations). You might cry during different parts of the story than me,but you will cry. Ikeuchi Aya is probably one of the best tragic characters I`ve seen in a drama in some time. She`s a bright,zealous,optimistic 15 year old girl,excited to leave her trace in this world. Her family,made up of a tofu store owner dad,mother Shioka,sisters Rika and Ako and a younger brother Hiroki. And once you realize what a huge impact they have on her,it`s completely understandable how admirable of a person she became by their side. It is a healthy environment. Which makes it both worse and better,seeing as her journey unfolds. Accompanied by friends,young doctor,a small crush and an irritable sidekick Asou,Aya learns to grapple with her condition: spinocerebellar degeneration.
It`s probably a good moment to mention that I too,have a mild condition where one side of my body is,by all accounts,less respondent than the other. I was born with it and it is nowhere near as serious. But me bringing it to light is meant to highlight just one thing:I could understand Aya`s feelings of isolation and guilt. Not wanting to be a burden. Trying everything for herself in order to minimize having to rely on anyone. Because of that,there is this sense of kinship almost,as some of the things I went through in my teen years flooded back,mixing with tears running down my face. That is not to say I understand EVERYTHING she went through,as that`d probably take me...well,a whole `nother life,at least. What I will tell you is:Following Ikeuchi Aya,despite knowing where this`ll end,is still one of the best drama experiences. I am SO glad I decided to bite the bullet and give a chance to this show.
This drama completely deserves its place on every list,unlike most dramas found there. And it deserves to stay there...forever,pretty much. Because it`s a drama you`ll learn something from. Be it surface level or personal,one is for sure:You won`t complete this drama without having learnt something about you or Aya or...the world. When it comes to acting,even though everyone`s pretty good,I`ll say Riko Narumi as Ako and Erika Sawajiri as Aya stole the show for me.
What works for this drama,however,is definitely the writing,most of it taken directly from Aya`s diary and her excerpts. Even as young as she was,with as many talents,one of her greatest is what she used to cope with this tragedy:her writing. And this,in turn,made the drama so much deeper and has given it a sense of utmost importance. If it seems like I`m putting off the inevitable,that`s because I am. I don`t want to talk about Aya`s disease because she was so much more. Aya accomplished what many people won`t,even though amount of time allotted to them is three times what she was given. She saw the world for the good and positive it has to offer. And that`ll forever be more important than the level of her disability or how long she had left.
Which`d probably take me to one of my small nitpicks. While I love the "1 Litre no Namida" title,especially within the context of the story itself,what I`m not crazy about is the amount of posters showcasing Aya in pain or crying,as if she was a simple moppet,there to be sad and nothing more. Especially since so many pictures of real life Aya depict her as someone with spirit and fight. I understand the purpose,but I`m not crazy about it.
I`d say this isn`t so much a proper review,as it is an ode to a strong individual whose story both helped and educated many. It goes without saying,but this is an essential watch for all viewers who are looking for an experience whilst watching dramas. A true classic. One whose existence can`t be touched by a slump.
And for Aya: Dear Aya,no matter where you are,I hope you`re smiling. Creating little miracles everywhere you go. Hope you can see how much you`ve inspired your siblings,their offspring and people around the world. I`d be silly to say this,but if reincarnation exists,I hope you got reincarnated. You deserve it. And Aya? I hope tears I`ve shed and tissues I`ve used up help create a path for you,so you can advance confidently...as you always did.
Thank you.
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