1 litre of tears

1 Litre of tears is based on a real life experience of a young girl, Aya Kito, who fought a disease called Spinocerebellar Degeneration when she was 15 years old, and was able to continue fighting until her death at the age of 25 years old. This cruel disease slowly disintegrates one’s daily ability to walk, to speak, dial a phone or in a way, consume 1 dream of tomorrow. This drama focuses more on the warmth/love that her family/friends pour on her rather then the tragedy she faced. She begun to keep a diary as a proof of her existence (1 of the last few things she could do). Her diary entitled ‘1 litre of tears’ encouraged many people, both healthy and sick, as she wrote "Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing." Basically it tells us how she lived her life positively, inspiring the people around her even though she know of her plight.

Review/ synopsis/ quotes/ * ...thoughts… *

Aya had just attended high school, joining the basketball team, a class representative, met up with the senpai (senior) she adored; and lots of ‘happening’ awaiting her to reveal. Just as she was beginning to enjoy high school life, Aya starts to encounter difficulties; she could neither hold on to her chopsticks, nor pour water into a cup without spillage and occasionally wobbled while walking.

Her life started to twist when she fell down unknowingly. She couldn’t protect herself with her hands and fell head first on the floor. After this her sickness is slowly revealed and her ‘tragedy’ began. . .

After knowing her condition (her parents had kept it from her for some times), she became afraid of the next day approaching, pondering if it will worsen. ‘I’m so scared of the passing time’, ‘why did the disease choose me?’ The cruelest fact about this disease is that it is incurable. Aya’s mom searched high and low desperately from books/doctors/internet that could possibly hold a cure but to no avail; it is only after some time when she calmed down and faced the truth about her daughter’s circumstance.

‘I want to return to the past’, ‘if weren’t for this disease I might be in love, I want to cling on to someone I love so badly’ Her senpai had apparently deserted her after knowing her state (burden) and also due to peer pressure perhaps. *Love built solely on admiration is not everlasting, true love knows no hindrance. Perhaps it is better for him to leave her earlier then later as after all, there was naught but mere admiration~*

In the later part of the show, she began to have difficulties in walking, she wobbled constantly. ‘Sis, you walk like a penguin’, ‘ka-waii ne?’ she replied (for most will be angered I guess)

In the show I was introduced to 1 of the laws in Japan - that the handicapped have this special pass to identify them as handicapped, for their ‘benefit’ like in a bus, passengers will automatically give their seats. *But I felt this is unnecessary, this pass is like labeling them as “special” or in a bad way, outcast; I mean you can easily identify a handicapped by looking at their disability, hence having a pass to show that you are handicapped is like redundant and should be ABOLISHED (but of course I don’t know the details of the law so cant say much*)~

Back in school, she needs help in climbing up the stairs, the class has to slow down as she can’t keep up with the lectures (she begun to have difficulties in writing at this point of time), in short trouble her classmates/teachers. ‘Sri’ became a common word. She finally broke off when she thought ‘oneself suffer is enough, why others?’ (her friends kept being late for classes, because of helping her up the stairs/toilets, etc).

She even landed herself in the hospital, due to lack of H2o (for the very reason of not wanting to trouble her pal). Her doc said something really true ‘’in the society no one can live w/o giving trouble to others’ - *Just as others live to help us, we also live to help others the same way, 2 way traffic that allow we human to be dependence on one another*

She had always been alone in class while others are having PE, and all this while there this guy Haruto who had always been her side to cheer her up, it seemed that this guy was giving her the moral support initially but ultimately is Aya-chan who had inspired him to live life positively (he was once a teenage with no aspiration, live each day lifelessly)

Soon later in the episode, she said ‘I’m not going to say ‘gomene’ anymore but treasure the word ‘arigatou’. ‘I’m not going to think of going back the day, but face each day today and live on’ * I thought, must we go through all this suffering in order to appreciate life as it is? I keep complaining about this very life I have, and Aya wrote just being alive is a beautiful thing. Having watched tons of inspirational drama, all never failed to inspire me but that spur of sprit is not lasting, but for Aya’s case I will try to squeeze that portion into my heart and for as long as I could remember*

From episode 6 onwards, people begin to pass comments, using look-down/belittle/despise upon stare on her, I don wana talk about the details. *Are those people sympathizing her or looking down on her? Empathizing her? Perhaps empathizing is not the word, as one need to be in her shoe to feel her difficulty.*

Actually I’d been holding back my tears till episode 6, when the climax (2nd sis, who’d always been indifferent, scolding the little brother for not standing up for Aya (after his friend belittle Aya)., ‘You know how strong Aya-sis been, always wearing a cheerful smile’, ‘you are worst then those who despised your sis’, her brother felt remorseful and regretted his selfish action. * The emotion felt here is so over-powering, that I just let loose my tears unknowingly*

Aya realized though there are despising stare, but there are those that are heart-warming, filled with love too. For Aya, changing of clothes take up to half an hour but that helps ‘me to appreciate the importance of time’ *how many times had I take time for granted? Taking it as something I deserved to have . . .*

‘‘Being sick is not a mishap but just inconvenient’, Aya wrote

Episode 8 is another part that made me weep – beyond my ability to pen down the emotion felt. Her ability to walk, even to just wobbled had seems impossible now, that she had to rely on wheelchair. She wrote ‘Even if you fell down, the heavenly blue sky is smiling at you, telling you to ‘get up’’. *for a patient who didn’t give in to a cruel disease and here I am giving up on things easily, giving myself excuses on the things I gave up*.

As expected, the drama goes on, her condition just worsen with no sign of recuperating and to a point that her speech is affected. Haruto said something really sweet and touching here ‘no matter how slow your speech is, it still’s beautiful’ if can t talk over the phone I come straight here and listen to you’

Here show the bond/ importance of family and friends in giving both spiritual/physical needs for someone in need. *Is a moving scene when the family tries to maintain a smile even though they knew Aya’s time is near.*

‘The things I could do, all fade away- even to the dialing of phone’ demo ‘I still can write’ ‘I can’t give up on my own body’ *this show the importance of human being to find a purpose in life, to proof your existence and such* writing became Aya’s goal for living.

‘Just as flower bloom one by one; yesterday is interconnected to today’ *what happen today is because of yesterday, hence spend every day fully without regret!*.

Even to near-death she still wana help others- donate her organs/ use her body as experiment to find the cure for Spinocerebellar Degeneration. Her diary post had encouraged those with the same disease to live on. She was glad that she had help others after all~

To end off, ‘ able to pass each day normally, is already a heart-felt/happy thing’

Post-death
Lots of people visited her grave, that scene is really touching, as she had succeeded in helping/inspiring others~


Kai
=’
Ps: this heart warming drama is definitely worth watching~

(ending theme for 1 litre of tears)