As gentle, as simple, and as sweet as the gerbera flowers depicted in this movie, this little romance shares all of the beautiful qualities of those flowers. A vast array of colors and meanings, the gerbera flower, in its short lifespan, is able to convey the full spectrum of unconditional love. After all, it’s not how long you live those matters, but how well you live!

This is a touching story about two people, both of whom are terminally ill. Hayasaka Akito is standing on the roof of the hospital, obviously contemplating suicide after learning that he has a year to live when a tumor is discovered in his heart. However, something catches his attention. A young girl (Sakurai Haruna) sitting alone on a bench on the rooftop, drawing in her sketchbook. It’s enough for him to pause and wander over to meet her. Thus begins an especially keen and poignant story of love, friendship, and above all, service.

Akito learns that Haruna has an extremely rare condition, and she has only six months left to live. What baffles Akito is Haruna’s attitude as she tells him that she is not afraid to die. Of course, he begins to visit her often, and he learns that he is her sole visitor. Seeing her bright and cheerful personality, despite her situation, he vows that he can never tell her about his own condition. His action is selfless as Akito realizes that virtually Haruna’s entire life has been mired in pain. He chooses to do all he can to bring some spark of joy to the last months. In this, he more than succeeds.

The true “gem” of the story is that secrets never remain secret for long. It isn’t until after Haruna has passed away and Akito is struggling to fight off the disease that will soon inevitably take his own life. But not before learning that the secret of his own condition was discovered by Haruna early on in their friendship. Determined to maintain Akito’s secret as well as the unconditional love and gratitude for the gift he gave her, she made her own vow to not let him know that she knew. Akito viewed Haruna as an angel, when in truth, both were angels to each other. Akito carried Haruna in Life, and Haruna carried Akito in Death.

It's been stated that there is no greater gift than simply being there for someone. The exchanges between Akito and Haruna are incredibly sweet without being melodramatic. There are no demands for sympathy or sorrow. Each learns to simply be in the moment for each other. Each learns to simply be there for each other. And each learns that there is no love without friendship or unconditionality, and that is the true beauty of this story. The magic of unconditional love. And even though Haruna conveys her love to Akito through the gerbera flowers, we also know that no words are necessary, and she knew that he loved her as well. Actions speak volumes.

Nagase Ren and Deguchi Natsuki have real chemistry on the screen. It’s conveyed in their eyes and smiles, which is a big reason why the story works so well. My other favorite character was the woman in the flower shop.

Love is actually very simple. We’re the ones who make it complex, no thanks to the egoic mind that loves to put conditions on everything. This film makes me appreciate the simplicity of love, much like the simplicity of the gerbera flower. Keep some tissues handy! You might need them!