I followed a link here from a site that promoted the movie One Litre of Tears, but the rating is for the TV-series, right?
Which version would you recommend - the movie or the tv-series??
edit: Oh, and if I were to see the movie first, would it spoil the series?
If you want the more-stick-to-the-reality story, you should watch the movie, however, I think the series is better.
You don't value your life? Watch "Ichi ritoru no namida" (1 Liter of Tears)
i love both of them but series really got me hooked. I started with the movies though.
So series.
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Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock n roll.~Shigeru Miyamoto
Most of the ratings are definitly for the tv-series. I don't believe the movie will provoke such high ratings.
I recommend both, because they really complement each other very well. The series is more emotional, beautiful and concentrates on character development, while the movie focuses on the symptoms of the illness, is more realistic and takes place in the 80s (presenting Aya Kito, the series has fictional characters and takes places in this decade).
I would start with the series.
I saw the series first and then the movie. The series is always definitely better because it has a lot more depth and everything isn't so compressed together.
The movie is a lot slower pace and there are scenes pretty similar to the drama, but it's mostly brief and underdeveloped compared to the series.
The series is definitely better. The main girl in the movie makes a cameo in the drama.
I'd recommend both. The movie is very well-acted and truer to the actual story. It's shortcomings are what the series capitalizes on.
Firstly, the series focuses a lot on the family and other people in Aya's life, how they're lives are also changed by the impact of the disease, and Aya's relationships with them. In the film, the family isn't as developed, as it is more about the disease itself than the characters. Aya is explored as a character, but unfortunately many of the other characters don't get the screen time they should have gotten.
I also found myself able to follow the time skips in the drama better. For some reason, I was always having to remind myself of how much time had passed throughout the film because they weren't always clear.
In the end, if the two had been combined into one film or series, it would have been perfect. Since it's not, I suggest you start with the series, take a short break, then watch the film.