1 Litre of Tears

Title in Japanese: Ichi Ritoru no Namida
Title in English: 1 Litre of Tears

Cast:

Erika Sawajiri as Aya Ikeuchi
Nashikido Ryo as Haruto Asou
Fujiki Naohito as Aya's neurologist
Yakushimaru Hiroko as Shouka Ikeuchi, Aya's mother
Jinnai Takanori as Mizu Ikeuchi, Aya's father

What is this series about?

This series is based on the true story of a girl named Aya Kito who was stricken by a cruel disease called Spinocerebellar Degeneration. This disease affects Aya's nervous system and as the name suggests, it poses a degeneration of her movements, and will eventually affect her mobility, speech, and even her ability to eat before she succumbs to a comatose state and finally, death. The theme of this series is very bleak but the overall tone in which the series conveys is, in spite of some tearjerking scenes, are very heartwarming. Aya Kito's diary was made into a bestselling book and the series follows her trials and tribulations as she struggles to find hope, strength and courage to face such a devastating disease.

At the beginning of the series, Aya (Erika Sawajiri) is a normal 15-year old with high hopes of having the time of her life in high school. She is the eldest child in her family. Her mother, Shouka, is a nutritionist who works in a clinic. Her father, Mizu, owns a tofu shop. Aya also has three siblings: Ako, her younger sister who seems to harbour a jealous streak toward her, her brother Hiroki and youngest sister, Rikka. The Ikeuchi's are a typical middle-class Japanese family. At home, Aya is the beloved daughter of her parents. At school, Aya is well-liked by her peers, is extremely bright because she passed her admittance exams to land a position at a reputable high school, and she made it onto the high school basketball team. On top of all this, Aya's crush is finally paying attention to her and has even asked her on a date! Just when everything is starting to fall into place for her, tragedy strikes. Aya slowly realizes that her limbs cannot be controlled at will. If she wants to move, she can't. If she wants to see, her vision is blurred. And thus begins Aya Ikeuchi's journey towards realizing, accepting and finally understanding that her young life -- so full of promise and hope -- will be destroyed by a cruel illness that will entrap her within a body that will no longer be of any use to her.

My take on this series:

I simply loved this series! Without a doubt, this is one of the most effective and beautifullly acted series I've seen in a long time. As the title suggested, I cried one litre of tears for Aya. I didn't mourn for her dark fate but I mourned for her because she was so well-loved by everyone who met her and because the character of Aya is so relentlessly courageous and hopeful. There were so many chances that the director could have taken with such a tragic story. But luckily, instead of solely focusing on the tragedy, the series instead placed a huge emphasis on the affection and close-knit bonds of family and friends that surround and protect Aya as her health declines. Instead of turning this series into a sappy, weepy typical "terminal illness" soap opera, the series sheds light upon the fraility of the human condition and how love and hope can ovecome all obstacles, even in the face of certain death, without being overly dramatic or preachy. Reality for Aya isn't pretty but it is made bearable because of the message of hope that lingers long after the series is over.

The Cast:

Erika Sawajiri - Her sweet face and genuine smile make Erika delicious eye-candy to watch. But this young actress shows that she is so much more than a pretty face. Her inexperience in acting was an advantage to her because she conveyed Aya's innocence so wonderfully. Had Erika been a highly experienced actress, I doubt that she would have been able to pull off the "girl next-door" act so effortlessly. I believe that Erika truly made Aya come alive with her expressive eyes and a smile that lit up her entire face. It is so easy to love and empathize with Aya because Erika plays her role with such purity and grace. Up until this series, her career included being a Gravure model. "1 Litre of Tears" is her breakthrough role and I know that if she keeps this up, she'll get very far in life.

Nashikido Ryo - First of all, I'd like to clarify that the role of Haruto Asou is fictional and was integrated into the series because Aya Kito's mother requested to have him in the story. In real life, Aya never had a boy friend, so her mother thought that in the series, her daughter should have a touch of romance that she was denied when she had lived. I neither liked or disliked him in the beginning of the series. His role of Haruto Asou was a sullen boy who had many pent up emotions of grief and anger over the recent death of his older brother. Asou-kun, as Aya liked to call him, isn't the typical "Knight in Shining Armor" that every girl dreams about. He has mood swings, he prefers animals over humans, and he is reluctant to reveal any emotion toward anyone, including Aya in the beginning. But as he watched Aya struggle to find purpose and meaning in her life after her diagnosis, her humility and gentleness melts the ice in his heart. It is around episode 4 when Asou-kun runs toward the zoo to find Aya crying and holds the umbrella to shield her from the rainfall that I began to realize that Asou-kun has more depth than anyone in the series. Ryo is a decent actor in this series. His acting isn't outstanding but it is decent. His boyish handsomeness is easy on the eyes and he has a certain melancholy air about him that pulls on my heartstrings. He has admirable chemistry with Erika, even though there are few romantic scenes between the two.

Fujiki Naohito - I was really surprised to see him play a supporting character in this series since he is usually in the starring role. But I knew the moment I saw him onscreen as Aya's kindly neurologist that he wasn't going to disappoint. Fujiki Naohito is a vetran actor whose acting abilities is always dead-on. I've loved his acting since watching him in "Itoshi Kimi E", where he plays a man on the verge of going blind. His strengths lie in emotional scenes and Naohito is wonderful in the final scene where he begins to realize that he cannot cure Aya. No matter how hard he researches, no matter how much he encourages her and comfort her family, as her doctor, he is powerless to help her. Naohito is terrific in here and the goatee on him doesn't look too shabby! :)

Jinnai Takanori - This actor deserves the "Favorite Father" award for playing Aya's father. He is the comedic reilef in the series, as his antics and gestures are so anime-like. He's simply hilarious at scenes where he is interacting with Ako, Aya's younger sister. They bicker like cats and dogs. But during emotional scenes where he learns of Aya's grim prognosis, boy, can this man cry! He made me weep the most out of everyone in this series! I just want to hug him each time his voice breaks and he turns away to stifle his tears.

Yakushimaru Hiroko - After Erika and Ryo, I think that she is the 3rd main character. Aya's close-knit relationship with her mother is beautifully portrayed in here. Not only is Shouka Ikeuchi a demure and gentle woman, but she is also a pillar of strength when it comes to supporting and encouraging her daughter. During times when Aya cannot find the courage to go on, it is her mother that helps her back on the right track. It is her mother to whom Aya addresses most of her diary entries to, as her mother understands her the most. There is a saying, "No one can love you as much as your mother." In this series, this certainly rings true. I love the tender moments between mother and child in here.

The icing on the cake?

Not only is this series such a life-altering series to watch, it also has a gorgeous theme song to go along with it. "Only Human" by the K, a Korean singer-turned-Japanese-singer is a heartwrenching ballad that resonates everything hopeful, blissful and tender about "1 Litre of Tears." Each time the song comes on at the end of each episode where real photographs of the real-life Aya Kito appears onscreen, my eyes tear up. K is a rising superstar now in Japan and after you listen to his voice, you'll know why. His singing is just as beautiful as Aya's story.

In a nutshell:

I admit to being caught up in an ever growing world of materialism, superficial desires and selfish wants. But watching series such as this one makes me realize that hey, my life isn't so bad. So what if I can't afford that BMW? So what if I have a fight with my best friend? So what is I don't make it into the college that I want? I can always have a second chance. I can always strive to make my world better because I have my health, which is a treasure beyond price. For someone like Aya, she will never get the chance to go to college, fall in love, save up for a BMW or grow old. She will never get married or have children. She will never get to live her life beyond her short 15 years because of what her disease has robbed her. This series brings home the realization that human life is all too short and that if given the chance, we should live our live to its fullest. This was Aya Kito's legacy whens she passed away at the age of 25 in 1984. She left behind a diary which she diligently wrote in even when her writing was too shaky to be comprehensable. I believe Aya had come to terms with the inevitable because of his gentle nature, the love of her family, the experiences she had with her friends, and her belief in herself. Regardless of how much she suffered and how much she lost, Aya was continously grateful to her loved ones. She lived her life with dignity and grace until the very end.

I'm so glad to have found a thought-provoking series like "1 Litre of Tears." It breaks my heart to know that this series is based on a true story. Yet, I feel so grateful to get to know Aya and her family and to appreciate the lessons that she taught me. More than anything, Aya taught me the use of two words - love and hope. That was her legacy. Aya embodied all the best that a human being can hope to be. To continue life in the face of such adversity and to contribute joy to everyone whose lives she has touched is a miracle -- and that makes Aya a miracle.

What are you waiting for? :) Watch this series! You won't be disappointed!