1 Liter of Tears

1 rittoru no namida (1リットルの涙, Ichi rittoru no namida?, lit. "1 Litre of Tears"; also called A Diary with Tears or A Diary of Tears) is a Japanese television drama for Fuji Television about a girl who was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease at 15, but was able to continue her life until her death at the age of 25.

The drama is an adaptation of the diary of a Japanese girl named Aya Kitō, who suffered from spinocerebellar ataxia. She began keeping a diary at the suggestion of her doctor, and continued to write until she could no longer hold a pen. The diary, titled 1 rittoru no namida, was published shortly before her death. Although some of the characters and situations are fictionalized in this television version, the dialogue frequently draws directly from Aya Kitô's own words. Moreover, each episode concludes with a narrated diary excerpt, framed with photographs from various stages in Kitô's life, before and after her diagnosis.

The screenplay thus attempts to balance between faithfully working with actual text from the book, 1 rittoru no namida, while also inventing situational contexts so as to portray the struggles of the book's characters in dramatic scenarios. The character Haruto Asô, for example, does not exist in the original diary; however, as a fictional character created for this series, he provides an important mechanism through which Aya's inner feelings, the diary's language on a page, can become more fully actualized as part of a day-to-day narrative.

Synopsis:

The story begins as Aya prepares for the new semester. Despite being happy, she suffers from slight physical problems, which only her mother seems to notice. However, one day, she falls unconsciously on the floor. After she is sent to the hospital, she is shortly diagnosed with the disease. Despite the fact that she is diagnosed with the terminal illness, she does not lose the will to survive.

She still makes friends with others, including her first love, Yuji. She later develops an interest in Haruto. Although somewhat cold, Haruto was still kind to her. Meanwhile, her health continues to deteriorate. Knowing that she will not survive for long, she returns the gift Haruto has given, who discovers the fact when he reads the love letter that Aya gave him.

Aya Kitō proved her courage and positive attitude towards an uncertain future when suffering such an illness, spinocerebellar ataxia. The drama spans a decade, during which she graduates from school while her conditions worsen.

This drama examines the complex range of feelings that patient, family, friends, and the general community, undergo during the painful process when someone so young is diagnosed with a terminal disease. In doing so, the script considers particularly the domestic situation of caring for an ill relative who requires specialized attention, but it also critiques general attitudes towards the disabled in Japanese society.

Every new day for Aya means accepting new obstacles and new losses. Therefore, most importantly, this series commemorates the indomitable spirit who wrote a "record of a girl who was chosen by this strange disease."

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Litre_no_Namida_(TV_series)