Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu (2004)

In a sentence this drama is:
A bittersweet love story that will have you both smiling and crying by the end of the drama.

We start off with a 17 year old Sakutaro Matsumoto AKA Saku crying his heart out and then we switch to a 34 year old Saku who is searching for a place in the past where he can finally let go of his beloved Aki's ashes and the pain of his memories. Ultimately, he does all of this to move on seventeen years after her death. He is trying to escape a meaningless life filled with emptiness.

As he searches for that place he recalls the events of his past and it's like we are able to watch two drama's. One about his past and another where the present catches up to him.

The pace is perfect, nothing was rushed or is too slow, this is an important factor which I feel makes a drama the all the more enjoyable. Leading on from that, the time of the past and the future is perfectly interwoven together making a perfect crossover by the end of the drama. You really feel a whole drama instead of two parts... The past and the present become one and it's like the two pieces complete and merge together.

But don't get me wrong. It's a happy drama. It's a sad drama. Just like the present and the past is merged, so are these feelings of happiness and sadness.

The rewatch value is a six because some are brave enough to go through this roller coaster of feelings however others cannot... I belong to the latter group...

The acting in this drama is phenomenal, you can really feel the emotions, the characters, the essence of the past and the hope for the future. This is aided by the soundtrack which enhances the feelings experienced through this drama... And whilst some may dismiss this drama as a simple terminal disease love story designed to make you cry. It's a lot deeper than that. This is a story of acceptance, moving on and questions how to get over the death of a loved one.

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At first I was thinking this was going to be another typical tragic sad drama (although I didn't doubt in quality I didn't want to watch something seen too many times) so I wasn't so excited when I started it. But I found myself fall in love step by step in the way story was told, in the way how male lead narrated all his feelings, happenings, doubts, fears, happiness, sadness in every episode, that was the main reason I fell for this drama, that was what has won me and engraved in my soul. Yes it was so freaking hard and sad to watch it, at moments I felt my heart was ripped apart but somehow in the air there was always something hopeful and beautiful, it wasn't dark and depressed at all.

I really LOVED the sceneries, Japan is certainly the country with most wonderful nature and hidden places to be seen, I loved the colours very much, so bright and light, the flowers, the beach, water, all the scenes they shared, cinematography was awesome indeed.

The cast was very good and the acting so realistic and natural, Yamada was just brilliant, you could really feel his raw emotion emanating from the screen and I must say I loove how that man cries, he's doing it so good and so freaking believable. ;)
Ayase was at her best, I'm not some vivid fan of hers but in this drama she shined and was wonderfully convincing and truly accomplished an honest portrayal of a person in her position.

Their chemistry, relationship, so strong and powerful, going beyond everything, so many sweet moments, so much fun, enjoyment, tears, love, they broke my heart and then they mended it every time. Their relationship was so pure... just being together brings joy and happiness. This drama shows the development of the love between them. It shows how Saku, even from the beginning was drawn to her, where, somehow, without knowing it, goes to where she is, and for Aki, she knew that when she died, he was going to be by her side. Through powerful imagery like this, you grow to care for the characters.
Music was very appealing, those melodies were just astonishing and filled with so much melancholy and longing, I found myself attached even more with the whole story and characters.

All in all, I find this drama to be very originally told, it kept me interested to the very end, I loved the parallel in the present and past, I liked everything cause although a tragic one and dealt with cancer patient, this drama concentrates more on their love, friendship, many interesting happenings and somehow you don't feel all that sadness. It will bring you tears though cause you can't stay cold when you see devastated Yamada.
What Sekachu shows us is the futility of eternity, the acceptance of lost, and the meaning of living.
A full recommendation from me. I loved it. And I know you will.

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