Title: 1 Litre of Tears aka Ichi Rittoru no Namida
Genre: Drama
Director: Murakami Masanori
Format: 11 episodes
Dates: 11 Oct 2005 - 20 Dec 2005

Synopsis: A young girl, after contracting spinocerebellar degeneration at the age of 15, wishes to live her life to the fullest until the end, facing insurmountable odds against a disease which takes away her balance, her ability to walk, her ability to talk and to eat, and eventually, her life. Based on the true story of Kito Aya.

The Highlights
Sawajiri Erika: Living proof that a gravure idol can be a serious actress.
Story: Based on a real-life account of hope against despair (good luck trying not to weep, I mean it).
Acting: Unbelievable; almost everyone in the cast puts in at least one good effort at making you cry.

“Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing.” Kito Aya

It is not every day that a drama, movie, or some such work comes along, that makes almost everyone sit up and say, “this is a must-watch!” The drama version of One Liter of Tears is such a work, and all the more so because of the fact that while it does not portray the events of Kito’s book with total accuracy, it does channel every bit of emotion surrounding Kito’s real-life story into this fictionalized account. And it shows; while the book have sold more than 1 million copies at last count, the drama was the must-see of 2005.

One Liter of Tears, the drama version, tells the story of Ikeuchi Aya (Sawajiri Erika), a 15-year-old high school girl with everything going for her; a loving family headed by a father who owns a tofu shop (no, he doesn’t do deliveries in a 1980s Toyota hatchback), recently getting into a reputable high school, with a bright future ahead of her. That is, before it all came crashing down, when she learned that she had contracted spinocerebellar degeneration, a progressive and debilitating disease that will eventually end her life. Aya is considered to be Sawajiri’s breakthrough role, and for good reason; this girl can act. Not a moment went by without me believing that Erika is Aya, feeling everything that Aya ever did.

What makes this drama so right is that it’s not just all about Aya; it is as much about her dealing with her condition, as it is also about the people around her, also facing the problem of caring for a loved one who seems to have no future. As much as it is about Aya’s realization, despair, and eventual acceptance that her life could not be what it was, it is also about the anguish felt by her parents Mizuo (Jinnai Takanori) and Shouko (Yakushimaru Hiroko), the guilt of her erstwhile rebellious, underachieving sister Ako (Narumi Riko), and the difficulty of her friends in coping with the new state of their best friend. Even Asou Haruto (Nishikido Ryo), an entirely fictional character who owes his presence to the wishes of the mother of Kito Aya, feels absolutely natural in the story as the helpless paramour, unable to do anything except be by her side; something which could have easily been spoiled with an overabundance of sappy scenes, but which was executed masterfully here with a minimal amount of interaction between Aya and Haruto. In short, everyone in the story has an emotional stake in Aya.

Then there’s the execution of the direction; with just the right sprinkling of comedy and the lightest touches of romance at the appropriate moments, the story never detracts from the main theme of Aya’s tragedy, and the account of how she slowly adjusted to life as a handicapped person. Murakami is a masterful director; like a great chef, he uses comedy and romance with a deft hand, allowing them to complement the main dish of tragedy without ever allowing them to overwhelm the flavour of the latter. The result is like a culinary masterpiece; savoury, well-balanced, and ultimately one to please even the harshest of critics. The only possible complaint here is that more time could perhaps be spent on Aya’s own difficulties in coping with the degeneration of her body, but with only 11 episodes, Murakami probably did as well as anyone could.

My verdict is “watch it”. With an entire litre jug of water by your side if possible; you’re going to be that dehydrated from crying.

The Rating: 9

Reviewed by: Ascaloth