A Review of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas

Please note: the following review contains spoilers for I Want to Eat Your Pancreas.

When I first came across this film, I honestly did not find the title appealing at all. I Want to Eat Your Pancreas sounded so strange and awkward that my first reaction was simply, “What kind of title is that?” It did not immediately make me curious in a good way, and instead made me assume the story would either be overly weird or just not my style. I also thought it would probably be one of those emotional coming-of-age films that never really work for me. Because of that, I went into it with fairly low expectations.

But after watching it, my opinion changed completely.

What surprised me most was how different the film felt compared to the impression the title gave me. At first glance, it seems like it might just be another sad story about a sick girl and the quiet boy who comes to understand her. In some ways, that is true. The female lead is bright, energetic, and full of life despite carrying the burden of a serious pancreatic illness. The male lead, on the other hand, is quiet, emotionally distant, and the kind of person who keeps the world at arm’s length. Their personalities are completely opposite, and that contrast is what makes their relationship so interesting to watch. As they spend more time together, share small adventures, and slowly become important to one another, the story starts to build a warmth that feels very genuine.

What I liked was that the film did not rely only on sadness. It takes time to show how these two people gradually affect each other’s lives. The girl brings movement and color into the boy’s closed-off world, while he gives her a kind of calm and honesty that others do not. Their bond does not feel flashy or dramatic in an unrealistic way. Instead, it grows quietly, which somehow makes it hit even harder. You begin watching them with the expectation that you know where the story is headed. It seems like a film that is preparing you for a tragic but beautiful farewell, the kind where everyone knows it is coming and the audience braces for the inevitable.

That is exactly why the actual turn in the story feels so shocking.

I really thought the film would follow the more predictable emotional path. I expected a sad ending, of course, but I thought it would be the kind of sadness the story had been carefully guiding us toward from the beginning. Instead, it suddenly throws the audience into a completely different kind of tragedy. That abrupt, cruel twist felt far more devastating than the expected ending would have been. For me, that was the moment the film became something much more memorable than just another tearjerker. It did not simply tell a sad story. It reminded me how random and merciless life can feel, and how people are not always taken from us in the ways we prepare ourselves for.

Since I tend to like darker and more tragic stories, that part left a huge impression on me. It was shocking, but also strangely refreshing. Not because it was enjoyable in a happy sense, but because it refused to settle for a safer emotional payoff. A lot of stories like this aim for sadness in a familiar, carefully arranged way. This one does something harsher and, in my opinion, more powerful. It leaves behind a different kind of emptiness. Even after the film ended, that feeling stayed with me for a long time. It made the story feel less like a fictional drama and more like something painfully close to real life.

I am not a particularly emotional person, so I did not cry while watching it. Still, I could completely understand why so many people do. Anyone who is more sensitive or emotionally open than I am will probably have a hard time getting through it without tears. The film builds its emotions so naturally that when the sadness finally lands, it does not feel forced. It feels earned. That is one of the reasons it works so well. At the same time, because of the themes it deals with and the emotional weight of the story, I do not think it is necessarily something I would recommend for young children or for a casual family movie night. It is not inappropriate in a cheap or sensational way, but it does carry a heaviness that may not be right for everyone.

What makes this film even more special to me is how much my feelings changed after watching it. Before I saw it, I judged it almost entirely by the title and assumed it would not be very interesting. Afterward, I ended up becoming completely absorbed in the work as a whole. I was so drawn in by the story and the emotional impact it left on me that I started looking into the original novel, the live-action adaptation, and even the manga. To me, that says a lot. There are plenty of films that are enjoyable in the moment but disappear from memory soon after. This was not one of them. This was the kind of story that stayed in my head and kept coming back to me even after it was over.

In the end, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas is a perfect example of why it is a mistake to judge a work too quickly by its title alone. What first seemed odd and unappealing turned out to be a deeply moving and surprisingly brutal story about connection, loss, and the unpredictability of life. If you enjoy tragic endings, emotionally painful stories, or works that leave a lasting ache in your chest after they are over, I would strongly recommend this film. It completely overturned my expectations, and for me, it deserves a 9 out of 10. It is one of those rare stories that starts with doubt and ends by leaving a deep mark on your memory.