The "FL with a terminal illness" trope is one that has been used (and sometimes, abused) over and over in Japanese cinematography, be it in movies or in dramas. It would therefore be quite understandable that viewers might feel a bit wary of the Nth tale featuring said trope. But if they were to shy away from this movie because of that, well, they'd make a terrible mistake, imho. This one is a fresh take on the old trope, graced by some nice writing, by a fantastic performance from both leads (Nagasaku Hiromi and Sasaki Kuranosuke), and last but not least, by a light approach on this tough topic which gives it a somehow original flavor.