1 Litre of Tears: Drama VS Real Life

Surely no need for me to ask if you know Ikeuchi Aya from 1 Litre of tears. First time for me to know this drama was when I was  a senior high. There was a private TV channel in my country aired a drama talked about a girl’s fight with her Ataxia disease. So sad for me to watch it. It was success to make me and my friends full of tears. But people said that it was a remake. Or actually plagiarism. Then another private TV channel aired the original one. A Japan drama, entitled 1 Litre of Tears. I still remember that I was not as sad as watching the ‘remake’ version but when I was a college student, I bought the DVD to watch it again and I could see the tragic life from Aya. Aya should figth with her Spinnocerebellar Degeneration or well known for Ataxia disease.

Ataxia is a terrible disease where the cerebellum of the brain gradually deteriorates to the point where the victim cannot walk, speak, write, or eat. A cruel disease, as it does not affect the mind, it causes the victim feels like a prisoner. (The disease damage the brain ability to control the victim’s brain ability to control her body movement without disturbing her intelligence. Her intelligence made her thought why she could not walk properly, speak, write or eat freely like before and then accepted her fact condition).

The drama was set in 2005 till I know that it was a drama based on true story from Aya’s diary who lived in 60’s-70’s and died in 80’s. The diary itself had sold for 1,1 millions copies in Japan only (not fix statistic) and inspired so many people. But when I read the diary virtually, I found so many differences between the drama and Aya’s real life. Of course we cannot conclude that the script writer change the story line as if she/he just liked to. Because I am really sure she/he could not change Aya’s struggle story without her family’s permission.

I want to make a comparison between ‘Aya’ on drama and ‘Aya’ on her real life based on my point of view as an amateur. Not to say that the drama was a fictive but I found that the changing on drama from the real life caused a different point of view for myself to see Aya. If I compare Aya in her life and the drama, I saw that Aya’s life on drama was very sad but she faced it in a lucky way. Some people said that if we want to see how Aya’s close-to-her-real-life, just watch 1 Litre of Tears movie version. Although there were still some differences to her real life, the movie version was closer to Aya’s real life (based on some people who ever watched the movie and I never).

In movie version, Aya was rolled by Asae Onoishi who acted as Asumi, Aya’s senior and roommate in their disability school. No matter if it was drama or movie version, the purpose is one. To show people what Aya did to struggle from her disease and ask people not to give up easily.

Here are some differences which I could find between Aya in her real life and Aya on drama:

Illness Creeping

In her real life, Aya knew her disease when she was fourteen, sooner-being a senior high girl. So her junior high teacher and mother had a meeting to discuss which school Aya would continue with her condition. In drama, Aya found her disease after being accepted in Higashikou, a favourite school, with her best friend, grated by Kawamoto senpai and also met Haruto. (in her life, Aya also studied at the school)

See? The Aya in drama was more lucky. At least she could cheer happily with Mari, her best friend in front of the publication board where their name written as the exam candidates who passed the Higashikou entrance exam. She blushed when Kawamoto, a boy who she had been his secret admire since eleven was grating her for her acceptance in the school. And also met Haruto, Aya’s guardian.

The real Aya? She and her mom just cried when they knew Aya was accepted in Higashikou.

Cannot play basketball

The drama script writer made Aya as a girl who played basketball actively. Even she joined the basketball club since she was in junior high school. Maybe the writer wanted to make it more dramatics by using basketball as the symbol for Aya who can walk properly and even run freely but then being handicapped in a wheelchair because of her illness. But, in her real life, Aya was bad in athletic. Aya herself noticed why she didn’t put her arms forward to break her fall so she would not fall straight to the face. She thought it might be caused by her poor ability in athletic. In drama, when Aya fell straight to the face while would go to school, didn’t realize why she didn’t put her arms forward to break her fall but mother did.

Once again the Aya in drama had something the Aya in real life did not have T.T

 Aya lost her three front teeth.

When Aya crossed the street to another bus stop, it was sprinkling. An elementary school boy shared his umbrella with her and she tried to walk fast trying to keep up with his pace. All of sudden, she fell flat forward, blood flowed from her mouth and stained the wet asphalt in red. And the result? Her lip was swollen and her three front teeth were broken and gone.

Maybe we could see the same scene when Aya had a date with Kawamoto senpai in a night for the firework exhibition, using Yukata. All of sudden, Aya fell when they were holding hands crossed the road. The same thing between Aya and the elementary boy and Aya and Kawamoto was they were waiting the light turned green.

Aya’s all of sudden fallen while having a date did not steal her beauty but how about the all of sudden fallen in her real life?

There were no Kawamoto senpai and Haruto

I think many readers of Aya’s diary hope to see how Aya wrote about Haruto in it. But there was no Haruto actually. The same case to Kawamoto, Aya’s senior in Basketball Club from junior high. If real Aya had a poor ability in athletic, how could she attend a basketball team. If she never be a basketball team, how could she being a basketball club member. If she never be a basketball club member, how could she had a senpai in basketball club named Kawamoto. Even one of the six fears why Aya felt so hard to be transferred to the disability school was boy thingy.

The Aya on the drama ever had a broken heart when Kawamoto senpai letf her when he knew Aya’s condition ( had a rehabilitation in the same room with the old people and doing weird exercises) but then she had Haruto. Who never leave her until she told him not to see each other anymore because she understood that they had different life. Aya stuck with her handicapped and Haruto should continue his life to get being a great doctor in the future.

The Aya in real life? She just had a wish to have a love story with someone she would love.

Firm Mom

The Aya’s mom in drama could show us successfully how Shioka loved her daughter more than herself. How she will do everything to help, protect and made Aya sure that she would never be left. Aya even wrote in her diary if when she had to crawl to reach the bathroom which only 3 meters from her because she could not even stand although if she held something anymore, her mom also crawl behind her (to show she was not alone) and they both cried. Shioka even said that she would take Aya with her if she died then.

But we never see Shioka in drama told Aya that it was only a baby who showed what she thinks by crying and Aya had made a senior high looked bad. We also never show Shioka in drama said that Aya should use her brain to develop everything she had learned so she would not fall so often. Do you remember when Aya asked her mom, dad and doctor if she could get married or not? Shioka just showed her shock with Aya’s question and give silence as the answer.

In their real life, when Aya asked if she could get married to her doctor, Shioka automatically answered ‘No, Little Aya. You can’t’. When Aya asked why she can’t, mom just answered as cheerfully as possible that Aya need someone to get married to. First of all, she had to find someone who fully understand her condition and would agree to marry her.

Shioka realized she had given her daughter a cruel answer. But she did not want to give her a vague reply that would encourage her to cherish an illusion that would soon be dashes.

But then she moved to tears when Aya shook her head and said ‘No’ T.T

Cool Dad

Aya’s dad in drama was an owner of a Tofu Shop and also a funny daddy that showed his strong for facing the whole family problems in front of his children and covered it by his humors successfully. But in the real life, Aya’s dad was a cool man, I mean not as funny as dad on drama. I think Aya did not give many informations about her dad in her diary. She just said that her dad was an impetuous but sweet. Aya wrote she was touched by her dad’s attention when he told that it was better for Aya not to go out of home in a sunny day not in the night.

I think there is no reason to use her cool daddy as one of her unluckiness compared to Aya’s funny dad in drama.

***

I think those are the big points that make Aya in drama is really different with Aya in real life. But whatever it is, I can learn that everything I can get in my life is a bless by Allah. Even the little things like typing on my phone keypad is also a bless for someone who even cannot move her finger freely T.T

And these are the othere little differences between drama and real life for Aya. Not the big deals but they were parts of Aya’s life also.

Aya’s daily activities

In her real life, Aya has the daily tasks like watering the garden, weeding and also check if there are insects on the becks of the leaves of the tomato she planted. But, in drama version, Aya shown as a girl that only go to school, play basket and help mom and dad in tofu shop. Even there was no front yard in Aya’s home.

 Mary VS Ganmo

The drama version shows Aya has a dog named by the family as Ganmo. Ganmo was a lost dog found by her (or may be Haruto found him first). Nor Aya either Haruto could keep Ganmo in their house but the probability is bigger for Ganmo to live with Aya (even till Aya’s death, Ganmo still lived with the family). Mom and Dad allowed her to have a pet because they had known about Aya’s illness and want to make her happy by allowing her to do what she likes to. While in her life, Aya has a dog named Mary. Mary was died because the neighbour’s fierce dog bit her.

Aya has two brothers

In drama Aya just has Hiroki as her only brother but actually there is Kentaro, Aya’s youngest brother. And at that time, Rika was only two months. Not a kindergarten student like in drama.

The Other Side of Suffering 

Everyone feels pain

But surely, after suffering satisfaction will arrive

Even with sports; studying or other ordeals with life,

It’s like that for everyone

If we can beat the pain, on the other side

a rainbow of happiness awaits us.

That will definitely become a treasure

Lets believe in that.

Step by Step 

When my existence seems to disappear

I will look for the place where I can do the best I can

From now on, I’ll deliberate slowly

I won’t be impatient

I won’t be greedy

I won’t give up

Because everyone takes things step by step