Jdrama Review - Ichi Rittoru no Namida (1 Liter of Tears)

Ok, for those of you who don't know what this is. 1 Liter of Tears (Ichi Rittoru no Namida) is a Japanese drama based off of a book (a diary more specifically,) by the same name. The diary is real and concerns the struggles and hardships in the life of Aya Kitou. When she was only 15, Aya was diagnosed with a very cruel and incurable disease - Spinocerebellar atrophy/ataxia. It is a degenerative, progressive disease that eventually immobolizes the victim utterly. The disease progressively deteriorates the cerebellum of its victims thus symptoms include visual impairments, poor distance judgment, poor balance, and eventually loss of mobility, speech, coordination, etc. As debilitating as it is, the disease only affects the physical body and not the mental abilities of its victims, thus making the victims (as others have put it,) "prisoners" within themselves. At the suggestion of her doctor, Aya began to keep a diary from the age of 15. Slowly she began to lose more and more bodily functions. Though her life became gradually more and more difficult, Aya continued to live a normal life until she was forced to attend rehabilitation. She kept writing in her diary until she could no longer hold a pen. She died at the age of 25. After she died, her diary was published and has sold over 18+ million copies in Japan and her story continues to touch and inspire millions of people across the world. This is the real life story of Aya Kitou (known as Aya Ikeuchi in the drama) and it is by far, the most compelling, saddest, and most touching dramas I have ever seen.

Never in my entire life have I watched something - anything - that's made me cry this much! From episode one down to the final episode, the tears only increased. This is the only series that actually made me have to get a tissue before watching an episode!! (can you just imagine that!? lol) I also could not watch more than one episode a day because it was too much on the eyes. By the end of the last episode, I had used up all of my tissues, my eyes hurt and were red and my beard was soaked! At times I even cried out loud. And the scariest thing is that I'm not even lying. (For those of you who know me you know this is not an easy feat!)

Ok so I know what you're thinking. Either I'm totally a wimp or this drama has something special about it. Well, I would argue the latter, but in case you have any doubts you should go see it for yourself! This drama is so touching, and even though its sad, it will leave you with a positive air about life and that just living itself is a miracle and a true blessing. This is one of those dramas that should make you look at your life and reconsider things. I was going through depression and generally just a strange time before I watched this, but after watching it, it gave me an appreciation for life and taking things for granted. It put my own problems in proper perspective and gave me an appreciation for the struggles that some people have to go through just to do the simple things that most of us do effortlessly. Most importantly, it taught me to have courage and face life's hardships no matter how difficult and impossible it may seem. All of these lessons may have hit closer to home because my mother also has a disability (which is another reason why I cried so much,) but I think it speaks to all people really.

The cast is phenomenal. Sawajiri Erika (Ikeuchi Aya) and Nishikido Ryo (Asou Haruto) both gave flawless performances, as well as the rest of the supporting cast. The warmth of the Ikeuchi family is so touching and their support for Aya is really admirable. The musical score is great. K's Only Human is a perfect fit for this drama and only adds to the emotion of the whole story and atmosphere. From its many lessons, to its touching moments, to the pain that Aya feels expressed through her diary, this is a straight tear-jerker from start to finish. This is one of those dramas that is destined to be a timeless classic for people of all ages to appreciate - a true masterpiece. I will definitely treasure this story for as long as I can. Thank you Aya-san for showing us the strength to live on.

Presentation/Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Setting: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Quirks: 0/10 (+10)


THE GOOD: WOW..Finally a drama that forces you to go see an optometrist after you've finished it! Only reason the setting gets a 9 is because there's no other category that could possibly be below a 10!
THE BAD: God forbid you run out of tissues!
THE UGLY: Your face in the mirror after an episode.


Review: 9.8/10