Bring Out The Tissues: The Scenes That Made Me Sad

Sometimes I just need a good cry, you know the one that starts with the throat swelling. Not enough to make you suspect an allergic reaction but just enough to feel some kind of lump growing in there... Making it just slightly harder to breathe. Sometimes the chest may tighten up and you suddenly feel how your eyes are becoming just a little bit more foggy, just a teensy bit,  and then it happens the tears start accumulating and before you know it they are  rolling down your cheeks and  well to be less poetic accompanied by a stuffy nose that joins in on the leakage and there it is you actually get to feel something and release those tears  (and snot) that have been stuck in there to long.    Daly and the Cockey Prince would Say... "Protecting the eyes"

In this editorial I am going to take you through some of the scenes that brought out those tears or just gave me the slightly foggy sight or even just the lump. As  I try to bring back all those sad, sad memories. Because all emotions are important. If you  are more in need of aggravation I recommend you read this article instead, and come back when you want to feel sad. 

 For some tear jerkers a good sleeve or maybe the  opening of the shirt in  the neck  will do,  while very few good scenes  will actually require tissues unless you want snot on your clothing, personally I can do with tears but rather avoid the snot, but whatever you chose to use I do not judge!  But if you are prone to tears you may just want to stack up on some of those tissues, just in case you will want to go and re-watch those, sad, sad, scenes. 

Whenever I write editorials about emotions (Yes this is number two, but two is more than one, hence thiS), I do try to ensure there is a balance by using color codes:

There are  some calming pictures and links in all text and boxes that are colored  Green.  There to easily be identified in case  you need help to handle your emotions. However if you want to stay in the sad feeling. Please stay clear of all things green.

If the text has any  color other than black or white it will have a link in it, according to its color code (purple is neutral).

I am going to admit that this may be my biggest challenge yet, but I do hope to at least make one of you readers cry. I do however want the tears to come for the right reason, and not because I spoiled a drama you have been planning to watch.  Even though that would probably be the safest way to get you there It is the wrong type of tears...

Whenever there is risk for potential spoilers, there will be a clear warning before the section where a potential spoiler will  appear.  The title of the movie or drama will be clearly written before the potential spoiler. The bigger the title font, the bigger the risk for spoilers in the text below it. The section with potential spoilers, start with each title and only end once the next green box shows up! So beware and  look out for titles and green boxes. 

To be clear this editorial will not have any funny parts at all. It is going to have sorrow, death, depression, misery, lost opportunities,  complete misery,  more sorrow,  some music and slow mo scenes to enhance the feeling of utter despair... to help you find that 1 Litre of Tears, that I am sure you have in you, just waiting to let loose. The only hope lives in the green. but those are only there to stop the tears, and in no way make you happy or make you smile. If you find yourself laughing or smiling I did not do my job right, and apologize for that. 

Also note that this article is fully based on my watchlist that has an overwhelming majority of Korean Dramas but some movies and other countries are represented as well. It is also based on my memory (and googling skills), which may remember things differently than they actually were seen, please just go with it and if my story is better than the original then all the better, but if the original is better, good for you for remembering correctly! I do not need to know about it and would rather live in my own little delusion, but if you want to share your delusions then go ahead we can be delusional together. As with all my editorials they tend to be long (especially if you click on all the links) so I recommend you either binge or just read one part at a time  whenever you feel like finding some sadness. 

But before we go into the specifics lets get on the same page.  

The most tragic titles  and the titles with the most tragic scenes, is there really a difference?  

Tragedy in Dramaland comes in different shades: 

The following lists were composed by me a while back, they can give you an idea about how (in this case) dramas can be included in the most tragic scenes but not the most tragic dramas. Clearly showing  that a drama with tragic scenes does not always have to end up in the list of tragic dramas, but tragic dramas will more or less always be included among those with tragic scenes. Note these also reflect upon the popularity of the drama so do not take any of this as some kind of truth. 

My list of dramas with tragic scenes

Voting list Tragic Scenes

Voting list Tragic Dramas

Part 1: The Music Sets the Scene

It is often easy to recognise when the scene is about to take a turn to the sad by the entrance of the piano, and potential violin and sometimes the whole orchestra. Sometimes this is done well, builds up and truly enhances the emotion while others actually do fall flat and turn the sad to just bad. However there are a lot of  dramas that make use  of music really well. I am pretty sure you will find sad music accompanying all the scenes mentioned in this article. The ones I will mention below have music that stands out for its role in the sad, just a little bit more than most other music accompanying the sad did for me.

A Piece of Your Mind,  there are few dramas with as much piano music as this drama, most of the plot takes place in a recording studio and one of the main characters is a pianist.  The music and the pain come very naturally and work perfectly together with the emotions they are there to convey. It is not only the pianos but also the OST that accompanies this is just so beautiful and shouts out  the pain and agony  in this drama. More or less asking for comfort for the people in this, with such lines as:  "I won't let go of you..,", "Say it will be alright when I see you and I feel you"... "I wish I would be the one, why can't you hear me out"  accompanied by this light piano that grows stronger and stronger by every verse in the song.

1 Litre no Namida is one where the most powerful tear inducing scenes are actually accompanied by the electric guitar, even if there are traces of piano and fingers snapping in the OST, the song that can still bring me to tears is this one, I do not understand a word of what he is singing, again a shout of frustration and pain out in the rain. I do not know about you but this with or without the visuals makes that lump grow in my chest. 

After listening to these songs I need a little pick me up break so here comes a little break for those who need it: Another two  OSTs that will bring me to the verge of tears  are the ones from Someday or One Day  and Chicago Typewriter both dramas are more medium  Shades of Despair and not Utter Despair,  with quite a lot interesting things happening and not at all as tragic and confusing as they sometime sound in their descriptions. There are of course several potentially tear jerking scenes, as well as a whole lot of tension in both,  but what gets to  me the most is the song: Come Away from Someday or One Day (the rest of the OST too) is the piano, the light sorrow filled ooooh and even though I do not understand most of the  the words, the few I do understand go straight to the gut "Come away, Cooome awaaaaay, with meee, ooohhaaa, aaa, No more tears, no more fears with me..." In Chicago Typewriter  there are two specific songs that no matter how long after I have seen the drama  still get to me and those are:  Satellite Love and Telling Our Stories  found in the Chicago Typewriter OST. While the amount of words I actually understand varies between the two, it is a lot more about the music.  

Take a nice deep breath and listen to this pretty  OST from Nevertheless

Two  more OSTs that can bring me to tears long after the drama has ended include Hotel Del Luna´s  OST specifically the song Can You See My Heart  as well as the Song : Glass Bridge from The Bride of Habaek  with the words  "Nothing is easy, nothing is easy".  I could probably keep writing about the beautiful and painful OSTs  of Dramaland, but will move on and hope you name some of yours  in the comments. However, I am going to wrap this part about music up with one of the scenes that made my most memorable list, and tops my most tragic scenes, unfortunately it also has a major spoiler so:

 If you have not seen  Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol and are sensitive to spoilers, skip this part! Go ahead to the next green (or past it)! 

I can honestly not think of a drama that makes use of the piano as beautifully as Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. While the drama is mostly a fluffy Rom-com, with some tension here and there, an adorable pet, friendship and some drama due to lies, some stalking and let's face it more or less everything I love in a K-drama. It also has the most touching piano scenes.  From the colorful neighborhood piano where Ra Ra (Go Ah Ra)  gets access to her all important piano in the midst of her despair, to the elderly man Kim Man Book (Lee Soon Jae) who wants to learn his wife's favorite song to the scene that made me choke up, when I went passed a piano store, months after I  finished this drama. 

Here it is, the drama is coming near the end, Ra Ra and Woo Joon also called Jun  (Lee Jae Wook) have overcome too many obstacles to count, but there is still one big secret between them. While she has been told that Woo Joon is abroad studying, and will soon come back to her so they can move on to spend the rest of their life together (she even has the rings). He has been harbouring a pretty big secret. It is christmas eve and the whole  neighborhood has come together to  listen to Ra Ras students´s play.

All the students have played, and Ra Ra starts to realize that Jun,   will not be able to make it on time,  

But that is okay, there is technology to the rescue! The two perform a beautiful and well coordinated portrayal of Twinkle, twinkle little star...While scenes  of their story (struggles and all) are seen as a montage  in the background. 

This may sound cheesy but here it was done really beautifully, so far the lump had started to grow but was still under control. 

The performance went well, Ra Ra was a bit disappointed not to have him there , but she tried to  be understanding. We the  viewers on the other hand started to understand that something is off.  The camera zooms in on Man Bok's very worried face. While Ra Ra still  thinks Jun is away studying, The viewers know he is away in the hospital deceiving her  (aggravating, but I forgave him).  What follows is one blow after the other, of well composed letters, music and information that we the viewers get but Ra Ra does not. We get to see her disappointment and longing for him.   

Showing us a precious conversation, between her and Mimi, while she holds up rings and says:  " I wanted to give him these earlier". 

Suddenly the door opens, but instead of Jun, his mother enters dressed in all black : 

Ra Ra is of course disappointed, but she still does not know what is going on (and neither do we) , they sit down to have a long talk. 

Jun´s Mother thanks Ra Ra, She still does not understand (or want too) Jun's mother and tells her that 

 "Jun can not come here anymore" 

Ra Ra apologizes for taking up time from his busy studies , still thinking their biggest problem is his mom's disapproval and his need to study...  This conversation gets cut in with scenes of Jun's illness and letter to Man Book... As viewers we are starting to understand that his illness is a lot more serious than we first hoped. From my part the lump was growing but still no tears. 

Their conversation seems to take forever and Ra Ra goes from: 

"Did Something happen to Jun?"

To:

"What's Wrong with Jun? "

Followed by:

And....

Ra Ra: Look, He texted me just now! Jun's mom: I sent that message

But by the time Jun's mother said:

I was broken... tears, snot the whole kit... whatever happened after that does not really  matter to me, because this combination of scenes, was just right for me. It had the perfect  contrast, the perfect build up, that hit just so many painful spots.  When put together with all that had been seen earlier, as well as what I assume are some personal  some soft spot... It left me  angry, sad, frustrated, and touched...  It threw out all logic and sense of what others would probably call  well done drama. For me this was just so powerful, that watching  that scene affects me still... 

Let's just take a moment to listen to these two beautiful voices....

Part 2:  If only...  

Sometimes it takes just one bad decision, one misunderstanding or one wrong step to change everything, while most mistakes lead to growth or some kind of learning the mistakes seen in  Prison Playbook, Move to Heaven,  and Start -Up are more the painful type with consequences that last longer than a... and are enough to be both remembered and bring those truly painful tears.  The titles are presented separately but: 

Beware of spoilers ahead! 

Prison Playbook 

The stories told in Prison Playbook are all touching in their own ways,  however there is one scene they truly broke my heart, leaving me with a bunch of what ifs and the pain of: he tried so hard... but I guess reality can be harsh.  if only he would have asked his family to meet him at the gate? if only he knew they were all proud of him and waiting for him? 

" I told them not to pick me up, so they really didn't." 

If only he had not gotten onto that truck... on top of that we hear piano music, that turns to the silence at just the right moment, the music changes to  rap , close up to the drugs, close up on the door handle, we can see him struggle, we almost get to feel that hope, he can do it we believe in you Looney! Fighting! (Lee Kyu Hyung )... You have worked so hard, and you are so close to home...

 The music changes again , he takes the drug and he is back in jail... All that work for nothing. The way the cops are in complete distrust towards  the inmates, and then the boy friend waiting with a ring in his hand as the cop's car passes by is just that final hit…

You can see the scene here. 

 Move to Heaven

This is a drama dedicated to tragedy and death, each episode has the potential to help you  find those tears, if you ever find yourself in need of watering  your eyes for some protection. this drama is probably one of the surest places to find them.  Not everybody cries, but depending on how sensitive you may be and what you can relate to , there is a high probability that at least one of the episodes in this drama will both give you that lump and the much needed release of snot. I personally survived most of it, or at least I like to think I did. but once most of the pieces of the puzzle of  the main story of the  brothers Han Jung Woo (Ji Jin Hee) and Sang Gu (Lee Je Hoon ) relationship were in place it hit me.  The way they let us viewers in on  how much the ,now very dead, older brother did care for his younger sibling. By not only trying to find him, trying to help him, but  actually doing all the things he had promised him over and over again year after year for over 20 years...  When we got to see how much he really wanted to be there for him. Not to mention the real reason he did not show up that oh so important day, where everything went wrong. 

The way they showed us the snowball affect of how one small  misunderstanding turned into a huge snowball of growing misery, mistakes and pain... 

When this was manifested in that  closet full of Nike in different sizes. It was just such a powerful demonstration of longing and  missed opportunity.... It just broke my heart. 

"Happy Birthday"

That moment  when it went up for Sang Gu that he had gotten it all wrong, all those years of hate and all those years of mistakes were all just a big misunderstanding.  Not to mention that the reason his brother never showed up was because he was trapped in a collapsed department store, that he went to for his sake...  '

But his brother is now gone, they never go to have that close brotherhood he had always longed for deep inside his heart.  The worst part is that  no matter how much he may care for his nephew Ge Ru (Tang Jun Sang) ,it really is too late and the time lost, is lost forever. So powerful that I didn't even notice the pretty obvious  product placement of Nike.

Start-Up 

Start-up is one of those level So so sad where most of the drama is a fluff piece, it has of course some drama, and intrigues but overall once you pass that first episode an episode that could probably be a hit as a touching movie all on it´s own the rest of the drama is a relatively smooth ride.  The drama starts off showing us a very lonely young girl, she has a close bond with her father, grandma and older sister but aside from them she is so lonely that her grandmother gets another pretty lost yet older  teen to become her secret penpal just to fight that loneliness.

One day her father has the meeting of his life, and finally catches a break pitching his idea to some investors that are actually really interested in his idea. Could this finally be that break he has been waiting for? He calls his daughter all excited and promises to bring her, her beloved fried chicken for dinner to celebrate.  Only that  that day her sister sets off to the states together with her mother, her pen pal disappears on a bus never (ok not never but at the time) never to be heard from again... And then there was just that small detail of her father being hit by a car on his way to that oh so  big meeting, but that was hours ago and he is fine, just a nose bleed and head ache but there really is no need to go get help now is there? 

But then he becomes unsteady,  and there come the trembles... 

A man does try to help him but mistakes him for being very, very, drunk... 

The music starts, and he is seen passed out, but is left on the bus,  looked at with judgemental or maybe it is pitiful  eyes... 

The music stops, as the  fried chicken falls to the floor.... 

The music continues....  flower petals fill the air...  

And the smiling  man in the picture is no longer there...

This scene is so powerful on so many levels. No only leaving us with many if onlys... if only he had not been hit by that car, if only he had taken his injury seriously, if only someone on the bus had tried to help, if only one person on the bus would believe him, if only society did not look down on people who are drunk, if only he had succeeded earlier,  if that guy who passed by him on the bus would have stopped instead of  just left him there. It is easy to judge the guy on the bus but the most painful thing about this is that most of us would have reacted just like him. He could not have known.... 

So here we are, the girl from the start of this lost all but her granny in one day, and to top it off she didn't even get to eat her fried chicken. 

If you are in need of some sweetness, and hope, here is a cute video and song from Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Part 3: Until Society do us part

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood " (Declaration of human rights article 1).

  Then there is a bunch of stuff there about people having the right to dignity, protection and all kinds of really good stuff that I highly recommend you read up on if you want to  get some context and validation over the frustration and sorrow you may feel while watching dramas where society seems to forget that part. As an added bonus you may want to freshen up on the Conventions on the Rights of the Child.  Because the following movie and drama  portray how failure to insure those rights, along with society's prejudice and a bunch of other stuff can awaken a frustration, sorrow and ultimately those long  longed for tears. 

Spoilers ahead! For  Mother and  Inseparable Bros

Mother

Mother has been done in several versions, I have only seen the Korean one, but I am going to assume that the story is more or less the same, and that whatever version you chose it will keep you on your toes and bring out those high level tears.

Here we have a girl that society completely failed to protect to the point of her mother throwing her out as trash, if you look closely you will see the bag moving... Inside is a girl reciting all the things she likes to cope with the loneliness, pain and cold. 

As the girl, Hye Na  (Heo Yool)   has left her happy notes with Ms. Kang (Lee Bo Young)her substitute teacher,we the viewers get to see the combination of Ms. Kang reading her happy notes with Hye Na's voice reciting the same words, from the trash bag. 

The music becomes this intense combination of bells violins,  as we practically get  blinded by the headlights on  Ms Kang´s car, we watch her as she  drives up to Hye Na's  dark home. She then exits the car, the violins stop, and instead we hear a light sound of bells as snow begins to fall....  MS. Kang is now standing in front of the little girls home, when she hears the sound of a bag rustling ... 

Slightly panicked, she realizes that what is in the bag is neither a rat nor a cat but Hye Na... 

Hye Na was indeed  left there in the cold winter, beaten and  literally only wearing thin clothing. Pretty much abandoned by her mother to die in the cold, cold, night.  While her mother and abusive step father go to calm down in a warm movie theater.  And the first tears of this series had started running... 

This scene comes after Ms. Kang has attempted to use the law to save  Hye Na but  obviously without any luck... The following episodes showed an intense  fight to save Hye Na by faking her death, living in hiding, trying to get away unnoticed... 

We get to see past relations, background stories and these two what I assume  people on the run may expect to  face.  Keeping this drama both realistic, intense, and filled with stories of loss, family, past and present... We get to see them fight so hard to escape and stay together... We also get to see how  these two people, known as those who left her out in a trash bag, figure out she has been kidnapped (after hoping she was dead), cry out to the media  over the loss of their child.. Saying they just want her back...  She is her kid after all and she seems to think of her as her property that she should be able to (ab)use as she wants. 

They overcome obstacle, after obstacles together, travel all over South Korea to stay together by all means possible. We see them get cheated, robbed,... We see them pinned up as wanted on t.v... They  live in sheds, live in hotels, constantly balancing between will we get help or will they turn us in, in every encounter along the way...  

Only to ultimately stumble and fall right before the crossline, a very dangerous crossline. Again keeping this real, we see how the law finally remembers to do its job and takes Hye Na (now named Yoon Bok) into protective custody and of course puts Ms. Kang under arrest for kidnapping. Seeing these two have to part after all that work, was heart wrenching, but at least we could hope that Yoon Bok would be safe? dare we hope? did we have enough hope in the system to believe she would be alright?

Their struggle and the tear filled moments, continue as we see Yoon Book, going from a happy talkative child on the run... 

"Give me a problem to solve"

To a closeted, sad girl in an institution longing for the only real mother  she ever had, the one who risked it all for her, the one who saved her but she now has to live without... 

Inseparable Bros

This movie starts off with one of the most interesting portrayals of friendship, showing the true meaning of "you complete me" (I do not know who was first  to say this). These two boys were tossed aside by the ableist society   we live in (including their parents, most probably due to lack of support systems), to be raised in an orphanage  along with other people with disabilities.  In the midst of all that these two bro´s  become close, while Se Ha (Shin Ha Kyun)  has a very high IQ , is highly educated and is paralyzed from the neck down. Dong Goo (Lee Kwan Soo) Has a very low IQ,  has not been able to learn how to read and write and is very athletic and is actually a swimmer. 

On their own these two find it very hard to survive, but together they make it work. However  the person in charge of their home has now passed away, and they are forced to find a new place to live. They struggle and try their best to stick together, but when Dong  Go's mother suddenly decides to become a mother again (due to better circumstances). She actually accuses Se Ha of using Dong Goo... As we follow  one painful event after the other these bros are now forced apart...  Dong Goo lacks the ability to understand what is happening. While Se Ha who is seemingly intelligent but slightly lacking EQ, thinks this is for Dong Goo´s best and just lets him go... What  follows is us seeing how these two are torn apart and go from being able to function in this very ableist society to being completely helpless.  Se Ha is put in an institution where people forget to turn him over in his sleep... Dong Goo keeps on making mistakes in his mother's restaurant, The longer these two are apart the more the tears keep on falling and by the middle of this movie my l midnight blue top had become dark, dark  blue from all the tears. 

If you are in need of some sweetness, how about this picture from  30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii  to tend to your wounds... If the picture is not enough, how about, this video?

Part 4: Parting is Painfully, Painful, Pain 

There are so many painful ways to part, in life as in Dramaland but I have chosen three very different ways to part where the moment of departure is the trigger of tears.   You're so Precious to Me ,a movie about a little girl who was left alone in the world and   Mr. Sunshine´s  quick straight arrow to the heart.  

Once I start getting in to details the spoilers will  begin so  beware. 

You're so Precious to Me

Depicts the story of Eun Hye (Jung Seo Yeon) a little girl, who can neither see nor hear and therefore uses her hands and sense of smell  to feel her way forward in life. Having been abandoned by her abelist father she lived alone in a small apartment (where she can feel her way to all her physical needs) with her mother, until one day when her mother suddenly died. She is then found by her mothers manager, who is not really the typical nice guy to say the least, but somehow these two manage to form this beautiful bond and even learn how to communicate with each other. 

These two go on an amazing adventure where this girl gets to feel the world (or South Korean countryside), and grow together. But he has no legal claim to her, or real ability to provide for her, so this beautiful little family comes to the point where they must part.  Up until this point, I was fine but the way they filmed that last parting scene where he says goodbye and leaves her is just one of the most heart wrenching scenes I have ever seen. And they filmed it as close as we could possibly get to understanding her perspective.  First it becomes completely silent, no music, no nothing, as she starts to feel her way around her all we get to see is her hands as they can not reach him.    

She then starts to feel her way  along the  walls... Still no sound, we see her bun and rabbit on the floor but other than that we only see what she touches (more or less).

All we see is her hands and the wall... But as she gets closer and closer to the door we can hear her movements and sounds but nothing from the world around her... 

The panic in this little girl's hands was so powerful, that every inch of my body was shaking with her... 

Mr. Sunshine 

This drama really has it all, fighting, romance, friendship, intrigues and well a bunch of pretty badass characters who die off one by one... Some die quickly, others take the most agonizing amount of time where we get to see them suffer over time.  But after seeing so many hurdles passed,  parting, re-uniting and parting again...  and after seeing so many people die one could at least wish for the main couple to survive and live happily ever after, or fight ever after together... But no this drama kept giving us hope of survival letting them survive the most close calls...  

Here we are in the final episode, they are on a train finally reunited, but several troops from the Japanese army are also on that train...

 Did I mention that they are finally actually fighting together re united and on the same side... The music gets more and more intense as they are outnumbered and out of bullets on the train...   Eugin/ Yu Gin (Lee Byung Hun)  has one last bullet, and he decides he must use it wisely, as they approach a tunnel the love of his life and leader of the freedom fighters  asks him "what are you thinking"   and he replies: 

" I am hoping to delay the fall of Joseon...  Don't cry. "

  He pauses...  

"This is my history, and  my love story. That is why I must go..." 

The music changes to a love song... 

The camera zooms out and shows how they approach the tunnel he says: 

" I will take a step back and you move forward" 

Then he pushes himself along with the Japanese army over to the next carriage while screaming: 

"MOVE FORWARD"

They enter the tunnel, she runs after him.... The door between them closes... He uses his last bullet on the connection between the carriages... 

The carriages disconnect in slow motion. She is standing at the door crying,  she goes to the tip of the carriage...

There she is left, standing there, watching as the soldiers shoot him over and over again...

As the train gets further and further away, the screen turns dark from the tunnel and we can not see him any more.... 

Part 5: Watching all hope slowly fade away...

While some dramas will save the tragedy to the end there are those who oddly enough start by  showing us a hanging or the finding of a dead body in a field. Leaving us viewers to wonder, who, how or when the tragedy will hit. One would think this beginning is a major spoiler, but in some ways this type of beginning is the type to keep me on my toes. Even though I am a fan of the tragic ending, while I am watching I find myself  hoping for some kind of solution that will make the tragedy part of a dream or  just be some kind of miss understanding, or that they will be saved in some kind of way...  (Dramaland has a lot of more or less realistic solutions). This type of beginning  is probably the best way to insure that I  will not  be  able to relax until the scene actually happens.  This was the case in Queen for Seven Days, a drama that had so many tragic scenes that Park Min Young  once said herself that she got puffy eyes from all the crying her character had to do (Source). But beside Park Min Young's crying this drama was also one that took me on a painful ride where hope would come and go...  

Warning Spoilers ahead for  Youth of May,  Hymn of Death, Uncontrollably Fond and 1 Litre no Namida

  Youth of May

It was also the case in Youth of May who had the most painful pace keeping me on my toes and those tears on the verge of my eye  throughout the whole drama.  To every problem pushed to the side, there seemed to be a bigger one  ahead. Whenever a character died, I found  myself  delusionally hoping that that would be the owner of the newly found watch and note, so that my favorite character would be safe. To be honest that would not have made for an as good drama in the long run, but in that moment I still had that hope. However the drama got more and more intense for every episode. Leading to that fountain of tears to gush out in the end as all hope was gone... 

Here is a little song that gives out the feeling of hope for those in need... but there are more spoilers ahead... 

Uncontrollably Fond

This drama starts off with us finding out that .... only has three months to live, along with that one regret he has of letting go of the love of his life. At first he seem like kind of a toxic meanie, but as the drama progresses we gain insight to such a complicated and tragic story, with all those  great  K-drama tropes I have grown to love. We also get to witness this man's self sacrificing character doing all he can to make it up to No Eul (Bae Suzy) with the little time he has left.  Just like some of the Ost's mentioned in the beginning of this editorial, the OST of this drama balances a thin line between extreme tear jerker and beautifully full of hope  "I miss you. When it gets high, I get a little stronger now, I get a little braver now, and   When it gets dark I get a little brighter now, I get a little wiser now,... before I give my heart away"  surrounded by pano, violins etc... The drama is cut in a way where we move between past and present, as well as him talking directly about his thoughts documentary wise into a camera.   Both the leads have had a tough life with a lot of pain caused by circumstances beyond their control, making it just that much more sad. 

But what hurts even more is seeing this  by the looks of him healthy, young man experience extreme pain and seeing him lose his memory and ability till he slowly fades away...  And though they try to make his ending slightly confusing, yet happy with the love  of his life,  seeing that happiness end hurt a little bit more. And while I can not pinpoint that sad scene that made me cry I do know that this drama had me feeling a whole range of emotions and left me both touched and completely broken. 

  1 Litre no Namida 

This drama stays true to its name, I think the reason so many people cry to this is because 1. Aya's (Sawajiri Erika) character is very sweet, smart, funny and athletic. Showing us a healthy starting point that even the able bodied can relate to  2. They not only portray Aya, but also the people around her struggles, again helping us find someone we can relate to. 

Aya's sister Ako (Narumi Riko ) is a relatable imperfect human being," I wish I was sick too, then you might care about me as much as her."

I could relate to both  Aya and Ako, as well as  got frustrated with both Aya and her surroundings. I know this is based on a true story and that it may be wrong to get frustrated with her, but I honestly do think those who took on her story may or may not have used their inspirational glasses by the end of the story instead of keeping up with the a little bit more human part to it that was there for most part of the drama. The drama in itself was enough to bring out that liter of tears, we did not need that 1000 people gathered and inspired... She did not die in vain in the end to try to lift our spirits or what not. Cant we just understand that some times people die due to lack of knowledge and that diseases suck.  Fighting disease is painful as ****, but not really anything anyone can choose to have or get rid of. Sorry that was just a side note....  But it really did bother me. 

I could relate more to the scenes where she was scared,  frustrated, pissed off,  and not as thankful and  at peace with the world as people may wish people with illnesses would be... 

There are several scenes in this drama that brought out those tears within me,  most were accompanied by this song... it started with her being dumped at the zoo, for all of a sudden not being good enough sins she was harmed goods now that she had an illness... Seeing Haruto (Nishikido Ryo) come to comfort her only made the pain that much stronger. 

The second time I cried was when she was more or less chased out of school... seeing how she had to struggle not only against her body but against a school that was not built for those outside the body norm, was just so, so, very sad...  But what made it even more tragic as well as realistic, was how she kept blaming herself taking on an extreme burden of guilt on top of her illness... 

" It was mortifyingly frustrating. It is better for me to suffer alone, I´'m Just dragging everyone in to my troubles"

This was followed by her time and time again trying to push away  all who loved her out of fear of being a burden on them...  Seeing how  Haruto time and time again fought for her and their love, seeing how everybody kept trying to pull them apart. Trying to prove his father wrong. got to me over and over again. 

"What happens when her condition deteriorates more and she needs you?  even her family will grow tired..." 

Haruto: " I think I love you. Probably."

Haruto: "If you can´t talk on the phone, I´ll come see you in person"

But no matter how much he fought and how many solutions he thought of, she  ultimately pushed him away, making him lose his precious time with her. Seeing her go back and forth and struggle within herself, her understanding that she will not be able to give him what she thinks he deserves, with a wedding, children and all those things she was taught make a complete life. Things she wanted too, partly reminded me of myself when I was younger, and  partly made me understand how wrong I was back then.  Because to be honest no matter how short one's life may be expected to be or how ill a person is. We are still the same person, worthy of love, respect and happiness.  However no matter how many times one may try to convince oneself of this, the world will more often than not  try to teach  people with disabilities and illnesses  otherwise by valuing the healthy.  

Even if ones mind may try to say one thing, the feeling will probably remain. So for those who need to hear this. No matter how ill or how much need of assistance you may have, you are worth no more and no less than anyone else. You have the right to live an as full life as you possibly can and unless you treat people like crap for no reason you are worthy of  love and care  from those who love you. 

However in the end (before the end) Haruto had to let her go... 

By that time that lump in my chest  had  turned into some pretty snotty tears... 

Part 6: Those who never got to say goodbye... 

While I seem to be having trouble saying goodbye to this editorial. There are those who never really got the chance to say goodbye...  

Warning Spoilers ahead!  The Light in Your Eyes and

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

The Light in Your Eyes

This is such an underrated masterpiece... I was not prepared for the biggest plot twist of all time in  this drama, going from this light fluffy fun comedy to a painful depiction of how deep rooted the effect of this dark part of South Korea´s history had had this bright, fun, sweet youthful woman's life.  Seeing how she must have been as a teen, to seeing her love story, followed by the disappearance of her husband when he was taken in by the police was just like a sharp knife right through the heart...  Just like You're so Precious to Me managed to give us Eun Hye's perspective and let us in to her world. I think this drama managed to let us in to the mind of a person with dementia.  All while  showing us the whole person behind the diagnosis.  Making this woman, her relationships and her struggles just that much real.  One moment of separation, a lifetime of pain that even gets passed down to the next generation. I do not want to say done right but done sharp, clear,  relatable with no light in sight, and tear filled eyes... 

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

This is the last title I am going to mention here by name. This one got the spot, partially because it topped both the lists of the dramas that had the most tragic scenes as well as the list with the ones that were the most tragic. Partially because this did ultimately get my tears flowing, not the ugly snotty type, but the just enough to water my cheeks, type of sad. 

I decided to watch this one after they had topped both of the lists, so I was expecting some pretty painful scenes, and to be completely honest I survived most of the potential tear inducing scenes completely lump and  tear free. I was more intrigued by the love star (like a love triangle but with more people involved) and seeing the princes die tragic deaths one by one, wondering who will die next. 

This scene where the 4th prince, Wang So ( Lee Joon Gi ) protects Hae Soo (IU) in the rain did however get me pretty close to those precious tears. 

But what got me in the end was when she hid her illness from him, miss-led him to hate her and believe that she had chosen his brother over him...  

He thought everybody had left him and that the one person he ever loved had betrayed him... 

Only to realize the truth when it was already too late and she was already gone... The pain in his eyes went right in to my chest and out came the tears. 

The  End... 

^{Edited By: Jojo (1st editor)}