1 Litre of Tears is a Japanese drama centred around a 15 year old student named Aya Ikeuchi who suddenly contracts an incurable degenerative disease known as Spinocerebellar Ataxia. The drama documents the life of Aya from her initial acceptance into Higashiko high school and the happiness she feels at having her whole future ahead of her, to the crushing reality of what will now become of her. Symptoms of the disease such as dropping items here and there are only the beginning of Aya’s demise, as soon her entire future is to be on the tightrope with nothing but a hospital bed underneath to break her fall. It’s not long before she’s falling over and without the ability to use her hands as a shield, is left with a nasty gash on her face, leading her to be admitted to the local hospital for further medical attention. It is after this first consultation that the doctors decide to probe a little further into the health of Aya only to discover the dismal fate that awaits her. The end results of Spinocerebellar Ataxia leave the victim powerless over their own body, causing them to eventually lose control over such fundamental functions as walking and talking.
As you’d expect, Aya is a wonderful person with a shining personality which makes the show even more distressing to watch. Never is she without a smile on her face (except the times she is drowning in tears), with only polite and generous things to say about her family and peers. The majority of her vocabulary consists of “sorry” and “thank you”, covering both the inconvenience she sees herself as being, and the gratitude that she feels she owes. As in A Beautiful Mind, being a burden on others becomes a significant issue to Aya for she gradually becomes more dependent on classmates to help her to and fro and is no longer able to help in the family shop. This guilt is another aspect of her struggle that will resonate with people, as we have all felt useless or a bother at some point in our lives. Aya is the oldest of four siblings and seemingly the “favourite” of the parents’ given her perennially pleasant and high achieving disposition. As in any drama, no matter what the subject matter, a romantic interest is a necessity in order to enhance both the joy and the suffering of the heroine. In this instance we have Haruto Aso, a young man who ever since his brother died has become cold, distant and plagued by the pointlessness of life. Due to this seemingly mismatched couple, never is the relationship trite or insincere as the scenes that are setup to play out between the initially detached Haruto and the amiable Aya are always done so in a way that forces a change in Haruto, who seems to be in the right place at the right time to help Aya out and come to understand the day to day difficulties she faces.
I have watched several Japanese dramas in my time, all of which have aimed to relentlessly tug at the heart strings of the viewer. However never have I seen one as emotionally harrowing and exhausting to watch as this; due mainly to the combination of great acting, over the top setups and music that would make even the hardest of hearts crack and sputter. One scene in particular where the taciturn Haruto breaks down into tears behind a wheelchair bound Aya, is most definitely going to leave you with some tears (and a bit of snot) to wipe away.
Like many other television shows and films that deal with disorders (Prozac Nation), 1 Litre of Tears is based on the actual diary writings of a real girl named Aya Kito, who went through the events in the program and who eventually died at the age of 25. The most tragic thing about such cases is how the brain remains unaffected by the disease and so the victim becomes a prisoner in their own body. As such, Aya continued writing up until the end and those writings have been (and still are) an inspiration to many people to never give up hope, and have aided the lives of those who also suffered with the same condition. So, in the words of the late Aya-san, “It’s okay if you fall. You can just get up again. Why don’t you look up at the sky while you’re down there.” Also while you’re down there, take a moment to check out this brilliant drama.
Nathan
Film Banana
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