One Litre of Tears

“One Liter of Tears” is a Japanese television drama for Fuji Television (in Japanese name: 1リットルの涙 Ichi Rittoru no Namida).

This 1 Liter of Tears Tv Drama is based on the real-life struggles of a 15-year-old girl named Aya who suffered from an incurable disease, but lived life to the fullest until her death at 25. She kept writing this diary until she could no longer hold a pen to hope that her words could inspire or motivate other people with the same illness around the world. The book then later followed entitled, “One Litre of Tears” has sold over 1.1 million copies in Japan alone.

A short summary of the drama:

The drama tells a Fifteen-year-old Ikeuchi Aya, an ordinary girl who’s soon to be a high school student and daughter of a family who owns a shop that makes tofu. As time passes, unusual things start happening to Aya. She begins falling down often, losing the ability of writing and walking strangely. Her mother Shioka, takes Aya to see the doctor, and she was told to have diagnosed with a neurological disease (Spinocerebellar ataxia) – a rare disease where the cerebellum of the brain gradually deteriorates to the point where it gradually robs her body of the physical ability to walk, talk, and to swallow but leaves her mind intact. She starts writing a diary for the entire duration of her illness, which helps her come to terms with the illness and to reach out to her friends, family, and eventually a following of readers when her diary is published.

How the drama slowly builds:

The first episode starts off by meeting Aya (played by Sawajiri Erika) and her adorable, wholesome family, her body is already acting up. Things slips from her hands, she falls on her face, she spaces out during basketball games and loses her depth perception. Aya is supposed to be a typical 1st year high school student with good grades, two best friends, a senpai-love interest and also highly active in her school’s basketball team. She helps out in her dad’s tofu shop, makes peace between her rebellious younger sister, Ako, and the parents, and helps look after her two younger siblings. Mom starts noticing Aya’s abnormal act, and takes her to the doctor and finds out she is not as simple as it seems as she is only clumsy, she is diagnosed with an incurable disease.

And then there’s Asou-kun. Played by Nishikido Ryo, the son of a doctor at the local hospital,
and, to his father’s dismay, Asou-kun has no aspirations of becoming a doctor himself since the death of his older brother. Asou-kun spends his time in bio club tending to the turtles, avoiding human relationships.

“People all die anyway”, he says, and he doesn’t care. However, he seems to keep ending up in the right place at the right time to help Aya out, and gradually a bond forms between them. He helps her up when she falls, knocking over a whole rack of bicycles. He runs to get her in the rain after she’s tood up for a date by a guy (basketball-senpai) who was giving cold shoulders to her, knowing that she has been dealing with a disease. Eventually, Asou-kun’s attachment to Aya helps him overcome the trauma of the death of his brother. His dad, however, is vehemently opposed to their romance as he doesn’t want his son to get attached, as it will inevitably lead to pain —but little did he know that Asou-kun’s relationship with Aya was the reason that inspire him to study medicine like his dad always wanted. Asou-kun’s dad only appreciates Aya’s inspiration to his son after her death.

What I like about the pace of this show is that once Aya gets sick, her condition doesn’t deteriorate very quickly. They choose not to focus on watching her get very sick, and instead to center the show on the psychological impact of the disease.

This scene is when she decides to enroll in the disability school to avoid any inconvenience to the people around her as most of her classmates and teachers start to thinking as she is being a drag to everyone else and her younger siblings were ashamed of her strange act.

 

What this drama really draws watchers in and how beautifully written:

1. Aya’s mom.
When she noticed Aya was walking unsteadily. She was so worried, that she asked her to have a body check-up. And when the doctor told that her disease can’t be cured. She couldn’t accept what the doctor told and took her report to every doctor, searching on the net, every day. And she never showed any sign of giving up, but staying by her side, helping her every step; comforting her every day while she was wondering if she should go out with her crush who actually finally asked her out on the cultural festival and his birthday but she had the disease (her mom encouraged her that she should live as a normal teenager as much as she could), when she couldn’t make it to the toilet, and wetted the floor when her boyfriend went there (her mom told her, that it’s okay and suggested her to go to the toilet at a certain time so that it’ll not happen again), and etc.
I’ve never been a mother before, but if I really found out my daughter (who’s good at sports and academics, well mannered, pretty, really good girl and just everything) has gotten an incurable disease. I would’ve broken down. But Aya’s mom, she held on, and encouraged her every day till the day she left.

2. The dad.
He couldn’t accept her disease, and hoped to find any disease no matter how much it costs even though he himself already had financial trouble. He tried to get part time jobs to get more income for the family. He refused to apply a disability advantage for her daughter, because he didn’t want her daughter to have the word, “disabled” labelled on her daughter, he wanted her to live as a normal teenager. He was worried of guys getting close to her but at the same time, he really appreciated what her best friend/boyfriend, Asou-kun had done for her. He was in deep financial trouble, but he still gave her the best, for instance, buying the best wheelchair for her, bearing all the medical fees, and calling the cab for her to school and taking her from school every single day. He was indeed a great dad.

3. The siblings.
Her younger sisters, Rika and Ako were a little jealous at the beginning before they knew about her disease, because they thought her parents were being biased. But once they know about her disease, they did everything to help her. They felt for her. Rika tried to cheer her big sister up all the best she could. Ako tried all her best she could do, including taking her to shopping, taking her to anywhere, and also worked so hard to get into her high school, just to fulfil her dreams. And when her younger brother, Hiroki was embarrassed about Aya in front of her soccer teammates, Ako pushed one of Hiroki’s friends of laughing at Aya and told Hiroki off.

4. The senior.
   The senior who asked her out, actually left her because of her disease and his friends who were laughing at her disease, saying she could be a trouble for him, and even cut loose on their date, left her waiting under the rain. He should’ve stood up for her. And stayed by her side like what Asou-kun did. This scene was so heart aching as she had a huge crush on her senior ever since, and he bailed on her.

5. Classmates.
Some of her classmates were really gentle and gracious, helping her out every day in school. But sooner, they had exams, and had to go to college, and they felt that she was dragging the classes. And wanted her to leave the school. She wasn’t mad at all, instead she was grateful and sorry to all her classmates. She decided transferring to the disabled school. She made a touching speech before leaving the school. The classmates ran up to her and sang their vocal competition song to her.

6. Asou-kun
Despite the fact that Aya is going to be bedridden, he just wants to take care of her and see her happy. It is really heart breaking during the scenes between episode 7 to episode 10 when she knew that she could not be with him due to the disease she had diagnosed with will only be a burden to him but he never leaves her by her side because he can’t help leaving her even though there are people discriminating and his own father opposes. He cares for every now and then even when he was studying in the university. He decides to be a neurologist, because he wants to find a cure for her without concerning of how difficult that would be, he just wants her to live on.

7. Herself
As I’m thinking if I were her. I’d be really depressed of failing in love(not one but two!), being a burden to everyone nearby, losing all of our friends, being helped by so much but I can’t give anything in return, disappointing everyone especially her brother who looked up to her so much on her sports and academy, as she said “tears will flow no matter if I’m thinking about the past or my future”, as I’ll never be cured but just getting more and more sick awaiting to death”. It really, really broke my heart while watching her. Erika Sawajiri (as Aya) did a fantastic job in this drama.

This is indeed a worthwhile all time one of a kind Japanese drama. This drama is not only a typical drama, it does not only tell one’s diary but it beautifully portrays a well determined girl struggling through thick and thin with different people around her, those who look down on her and those who truly support her till the end, with the most melodramatic romance of Asou-kun who appreciates her as who she is, never gives up on her, stands by her side and stays with her to her death, wonderfully mounts a fathomless heart-wrenching, awe-inspiring story. Definitely a liter of tears all around!

The golden line in the drama,

Her farewell speech in class to transferring to the disability school: 

“I think some of you have already known, but there is no cure for my disease. It doesn’t look like there’s going to be a treatment. One day, I won’t be able to walk, won’t be able to stand up or to even be able to speak. That’s what the doctor told me. Throughout this year, the things that I could usually do, one by one I was unable to do them anymore. In my dreams, I can walk around while talking to my friends. While playing basketball, I can run around freely on the court. When I wake up, I realize that my body already doesn’t move as freely anymore. Every day it gets worse. How should I walk, so that I won’t fall down? How can I eat my lunch faster? Now, how can I ignore other people’s glances? I think about these things again and again. I can’t possibly live like that. Going to high school, to university, to work, I think about the future in other way; and I would see no hope. I can’t see the path of how I can live; I can’t see the small light of hope. Due to this disease, my life has been shattered. I’ve thought that many times but even though it’s sad, it’s reality. No matter how much I cry, I can’t run away from the disease. Even if I want to return to the past, I can’t go back in time. Therefore, for me how I am right now, I want to like how I am right now. Because though my body has become this way, I realized a lot of things, for the first time. Just staying by my side my family has made me realize how important they are to me. The hands of my classmates who are so willing to support me are so warm. With regards to health, just health is such a blissful thing. Acquiring this disease wasn’t just about losing my health. The body that I have is now me. As for this obstacle, I will take on the burden with me that I am right now and continue to live on with confidence. Therefore, I decided myself to go to the disability school even though from everyone I’ll be in a different environment. From now on the road that I chose for myself, step by step I want to find that light to be able to smile and tell everyone this, I’ve at least cried “one liter of tears”. Therefore even when I leave this school, I definitely won’t think that some things have ended. Everyone, up until now, has been so nice to me thank you very, very much. “

Starring:
Erika Sawajiri (Aya)
Ryo Nishikido (Asou)
Hiroko Yakushimaru (Aya’s mom)
Takanori Jinnai (Aya’s dad)

Treasure and be blessed of what you have right now, before it turns into what you “had”.