Genre: Romance
Score: Good
The story focuses on a teenage boy, Yuichi, who finds himself hospitalized with hepatitis. He bumps into Rika, a girl of his age, in the next building whilst wandering around the hospital. She’s a difficult person – sometimes quite selfish in her demands, and often comes across as very distant. As the two of them discover more about each other, Yuichi learns more about her life: she suffers a rare (and terminal) heart condition, and her time remaining is preciously little.
This is undoubtedly a love story, and people who’ve already decided they don’t get on with love stories should avoid this. However, this isn’t a Hollywood “and they all lived happily ever after” love story. The characters fight, have differences of opinion, all of which normal couples encounter. Yet the hospital setting and the inevitable outcome make them all the more poignant.
If you don’t mind love stories, this is a really good watch.