Notes
Flawless writing--profound, deep, and extremely heart wrenching. Yes, it employs all the expected "illness drama" lines, like, "I want to live," and, "It's not fair, why me?" but the difference is, they're actually done well. Everyone speaks from their heart, with maturity and decision, rather than perpetually complaining or wallowing in self misery. There's hope, trust, love, friendship, and plenty of life philosophy to have you bawling your eyes out. It ain't called 1 Litre of Tears for nothin'.
It’s pretty hard to pace 9 years onscreen, especially since you get so wrapped in the moment, you don’t exactly want to be thrown into the future X number of years just for the sake of keeping the plot moving. This drama, however, was perfect about it. It had to do with closure, I think, since each time jump occured only after a big milestone or resolution. After that, we’re ready to move on, and the plot is kind enough to do it with us.
Every character is fully developed, and I mean every. Aya battles her disease with grit and determination, but she experiences the worst of her vulnerabilities as well. Her parents start off very sheltering, understandably, but they also learn how to live and let live. Her siblings, her doctors, her boyfriend, her friends... everyone goes through a process of acceptance and support that corresponds with their personalities.
I mean, what more can I say, I love this drama, and if it went any deeper, it’d be molten lava. You just feel great to be alive after watching it.
Definitely not.
There's a relief in closure, even if it ends sadly. It leaves you devastated at her death, of course, but you're also inspired and uplifted by her words.
A very pretty drama, noticeably more jazzed up than the industry standard. There are quite a few shots of spilling sunlight and picturesque wide angles. The best scenes always seemed to be in nature, characters strolling in tree-ridden pathways or sitting on park benches. It's a soft, warm style that really sets the tone.
Beautiful piano compositions and the now iconic, "Only Human" from K that finishes out every episode. My single nitpick is that I had to get used to Remioromen’s monotone vocals. They really didn't seem to jive with the rest of the BGM.
The romance isn’t the main focus, but what is there is incredibly sweet. We have two Gazers in Ryo and Erika, which made for some great moments. It was very quiet chemistry, nicely so.
Apple's Tier Ranking: 1st
