This is probably the very first drama that I gave perfect marks. Without reservation or hesitation. One Litre of Tears is worth every 10 in my review. I love this story despite its disconsolate premise and tragic ending. Why? Because first, it makes you grateful in life, of the fact that your family is still with you despite the countless bills you have to pay, of the fact that you're alive and healthy despite the heartbreak you may have suffered or the job you lost just a week ago. It never fails to remind you to be thankful of the people you have in your life and those little things you may take for granted every day (like being able to walk, use your hands, or just simply being able to see the world), to be compassionate, and to be selfless to certain family members who need your time and love. Second, Aya's life story teaches you how to be strong and keep your faith in God. I cannot even imagine what I would do if I had been in Aya's shoes. Imagine, suffering from a ruthless disease without any hope of recovery? Agonizing. Yet, she managed to deal with this very hard blow at such a young age with the maturity of a person maybe twice her age. At 15, she had the whole world at her feet. And yet, she needed to handle this heavy burden. You may ask yourself, "how could this happen to her? why would God allow her to experience such suffering?" For me, it was because she was especially chosen for this mission: to uplift people who had lost hope or are about to lose hope. Losing hope is the most dangerous thing that can happen to anybody. Hopelessness prevents people from thinking that there is still an opportunity to change things and that problems are transient. It's a path to suicide. And it hurts not only yourself but also the people who care about you and those unfortunate enough to come across your way because it makes you numb to another person's pain. Sawajiri Erika was wonderful, just wonderful. I'm sure her performance in this drama would've made the real Aya in heaven proud and happy. It was earnest as I had felt her struggles, her fears and her gratitude as if she was a close friend. I thought Ryo Nishikido was wooden at first. He didn't seem to express any feeling apart from anger and standoffishness. But later on, when he fell in love with Aya I could see him gradually open up after his brother's tragic death. It was difficult to 'get through' him because he had shut himself out. Not even his parents could understand him. But Aya broke down those walls. I'm grateful that Aya's real mother made the suggestion to the producers that Aya be given a fictional love interest like Haruto. It softened somewhat the impact of her suffering and death because she was given another person to support her and love her. The real Aya must have been really lonely. Aya's family were wonderful as well. I especially loved the mother and younger sister. Honestly, I initially didn't like her sister because she was petty and mean but she proved me wrong. I loved that she was very protective of Aya whenever people made fun of the latter because she had begun to walk in a funny way as the disease progressed. Oh and the OST? Listening to 'Konayuki' all over again makes my eyes tear up. There are instances when a drama loses its luster and charm after a lapse of time but you know what, the fact that I watched it more than a couple of years back is immaterial because I realized that the emotional impact and the lessons which this drama gave me remain. So what if it's a "sad" drama? Don't be put off by the nature of the story, it being a tearjerker and such, and that the ending (or every episode, depending on how sensitive you are as a viewer) will most likely make you weep and sniffle. But watch it because it's a story about strength, about hope, about keeping it together no matter what happens in life. Life, after all, is a battlefield. We need to pick ourselves up after every fall, every heartbreak and every failure. Aya was able to do it. So should we.