LIFE : Manga vs Drama

I love stories. I love the way they can give you strength when you feel helpless. I love the way they can give you lessons when you’re lost or just the way they make you laugh after a rough day. It’s magnificent.

During my short life, I have seen a lot of ways that people convey stories. They write books, paint paintings, make movies, draw manga, produce anime, film dramas and many more. I love them all.  

I only found dramas quite recently - last summer. Before that I used to read manga, a lot of manga.

One of the first manga I read was LIFE. I started reading it after a really dark period of my life. I was just standing up. I was slowly learning how to be happy again. Seeing Ayumu, the main character of the story, burn and rise from the ashes like a phoenix, was very encouraging. It felt like an approval that yes, even in this dark place called earth, I can find happiness if I just fight for it.

LIFE tells a story about Ayumu and the bitter moments high school brought her. It tells a story about despair, tears, and anger, while at the same time: strength, trust and happiness. I am not going to recite the synopsis because you can find it anywhere on the internet but I advise you to just delve into the story without knowing anything.

Till this day, this manga has a very special place in my heart and that’s why I decided to watch the live-action adaptation of it. I wanted to experience the story again.

I didn’t expect the adaptation to be so different from the original. Sure the basis of the story is still the same but they changed many things from which some I liked, others - not so much.

A lot of the characters in the adaptation are different, some even have different roles. I liked the way they changed Ayumu’s Mom’s behavior, but they left out some great character development for Ayumu and Miki (her friend).

The story telling is smoother than in the manga (not that it was bad in the manga.)

The music also was a nice addition, because well you don't get that while reading. Life by Mika Nakashima was the one song played the most during the drama and it strangely fit in any kind of situation. It didn't matter if the mood was happy or sad, the song has this scent of hope to it. It's magical. 

Overall the drama is a lot tamer and realistic. The manga is much darker and brutal, one could almost call it tragic. A lot of that is thanks to the mangaka's drawing style.

Some of the changes made, pleased me. Despite that, I'd still recommend the manga because it has so much more emotions to it. It touched on some important subjects that the drama just left out altogether.

When I say that the manga is dark, I really mean it. So if you cannot handle it, the drama is really good too.

I might be biased, saying that the manga is better but I just want to say that LIFE saved me. Just when I was past the dark chapter of my life, it encouraged me to begin anew. It made me believe that I can and because of this reason, I don’t care if I am biased. 

Watch the drama and read the manga if you haven't already! For those of you who have, let me know what you think in the comments!