"Only Yesterday": An Underrated Gem from Studio Ghibli

Only Yesterday (1991)

Rotten Tomato: 100%

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel, and Alison Fernandez

Written & Directed by: Isao Takahata

Production Producer: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Animation, Melodrama, Romance

Runtime: 118 Minutes

Rated PG for thematic elements, some rude behavior, and smoking

Only Yesterday (1991), the fifth animated feature from Studio Ghibli, was the highest-grossing Japanese film in 1991. Until July 5, 2016, it was the only theatrical Studio Ghibli feature not yet released on home video in the United States (although a subtitled version of the film was aired on Turner Classic Movies in January 2006, as part of their "Miyazaki Month"). Is it actually a good movie, or was it only released so fans could own all of the Studio Ghibli movies?

The critics' consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says, "Only Yesterday's long-delayed U.S. debut fills a frustrating gap for American Ghibli fans while offering further proof of the studio's incredibly consistent commitment to quality." Well said! I couldn't agree more. Only Yesterday is a wonderful animated feature that I would recommend to everyone, to both fans of Studio Ghibli and newcomers alike!

(Left) Hayao Miyazaki, Production Producer. (Right) Isao Takahata, Director

Studio Ghibli, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with them, is one of the most successful and beloved animation studios in the world. Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki after the international success of his animated, sci-fi epic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. This world-class animation studio is known for producing works with extraordinary designs that capture the imagination of adults and children alike. Next to Walt Disney and Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki is probably the most famous and beloved animation producer of all-time.

Only Yesterday (1991) is an adaptation of the 1982 manga of the same name by Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone. Miyazaki enjoyed the comic tremendously and wanted to make it into a feature film. However, Miyazaki found the task of turning the comic too daunting. Miyazaki would serve as a production producer, and choose his good friend & rival, Isao Takahata, to write and direct the picture.

The plot of Only Yesterday is quite unusual for a Japanese animated film (or any animated film for that matter). Only Yesterday is about Taeko Okajima (voiced by Daisy Ridley, Murder on the Orient Express), an ordinary 27-year-old office worker from Tokyo, who takes a vacation to a safflower farm in the Japanese countryside. The trip reminds Taeko about memories of her fifth-grade year. The narrative switches back and forth between Takeo's vacation and memories of her fifth self (voiced by Alison Fernandez, Orange is the New Black).

(Left to Right) Toshio, Naoko, Adult Taeko, 5th Grade Taeko

The plot is unusual for a traditional animated film because it is a realistic melodrama. The hero of Only Yesterday is not a warrior princess, but rather an ordinary 27-year-old bachelorette. The setting is not a dangerous, post-apocalyptic world, but rather the Yamagata countryside. The love interest is not a prince, but an organic farmer named Toshio (voiced by Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire). In lesser hands, this film could have been rather dull. However, in the hands of Takahata and Miyazaki, Only Yesterday is a visually mesmerizing film that explores how the memories of our childhood shapes who we are as adults.

Only Yesterday may not be a fantasy movie, but there are some spectacular visual metaphors. Remember how you felt the first time you fell in love in grade school? Almost like you could leap, right into the sky? Only Yesterday features a beautiful sequence of 5th grade Takeo "flying" home in a lovely haze. While a sequence like this could work in a live-action drama with the same plot, I think that it works much better in animation. There is a beautiful sunrise sequence that is, in my opinion, one of the best put to film, right next to The Lion King. All of the details in the animation, right down to dew on the safflowers, is top-notch.

Screenshot of a sunrise over the safflower farm. "Only Yesterday" (1991)

Unlike most Japanese animation, there aren't any of those odd, stereotypical "super-deformed" facial expressions. Rather, the characters move and talk like real people. You can actually see the character's facial muscles move when they talk. This does not mean that I don't like cartoons that are, well, cartoony. On the contrary! However, the animated medium can be used to tell many kinds of stories. Only Yesterday showed me that melodramas aren't only limited to live-action shows and movies.

Overall, I give Only Yesterday an A! If you love Studio Ghibli's other works, then you'll also love this one. If you have never seen a Studio Ghibli movie before, I would still recommend that you check this one out. Only Yesterday (like all of Studio Ghibli's movies) can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of culture.

And if you typically do not care for Japanese animation, I would still implore you to give Only Yesterday a watch. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.