Nostalgic reflection is nearly always a sure-fire route to artistic success. Some of my favourite novels such as Alain-Fournier's "Le Grand Meulnes" and L P Hartley's "The go between" demonstrate how successful nostalgia can be as a subject when handled with expert care and attention. For me, "Only Yesterday" manages to achieve the same high standard not only in cinema but also in the animated medium. "Only Yesterday" is proof, if it is needed, that animation can produce cinema as effective as anything with live action. As a recent fan of Studio Ghibli's work, this is the most creative and artistically successful film they have ever made and stands head and shoulders above more celebrated films like "Spirited away."
I think that the film's achievements are attributable to a number of factors. To start with, despite this film is only available in Japanese with English sub-titles, the script is exceptional. It works on three levels:- as conversation in the present, as a reflective and profound monologue upon the past experienced by the prinicple character Taeko and ,utlimately, in the scenes that take place when she was ten years old. The childhood scenes seem to resonate with truth in their depiction of awkwardness and serve to show how society changed in the decades that followed the 1960's. Take for example the scenario with the new experience with the recently introduced pineapple which is dealt with in a bittersweet fashion that obviously attempt to replicate Proust's famous madelaines.
It goes without saying that the quality of illustrations from this studio are of the usual high standard but "Only Yesterday" offers two styles of images. The "recent" scenes are all drawn in the familiar Ghibli style. On the other hand, the scenes with the 10 year old Taeko set in the 1960's feature backgrounds which are a kind of washed out water colour with the characters seem a little more cartoonish although with no less expression. I felt that this was a brave decision by the film makers and totally inspired. It also allows a few liberties to be taken with reality such as the conclusion of the scene where Taeko meets the base-ball playing friend who has a crush on her in a street and both characters are too embarrassed to say anything other than to ask each other what their favourite kind of weather is. I found this scene to be especially effecting and it ends in a totally unexpected fashion. However, the film's trump card is not played until the film appears to have ended when Taeko boards the train home to Tokyo from her holiday in the countryside. As exceptional as the film had been up to that point, I felt this was truly the icing on the cake.
It is not difficult to explain why a film about a 27 year old woman reflecting upon an awkwards childhood should appeal to this 40-something, male reviewer. Despite being set in Japan, it shows that childhood has plenty things about it which are universal and nicely records how seemingly insignificant events can have a bearing on how a child develops. Most people will be able to recognise many of the incidents recounted in this film themselves regardless of their gender. "Only yesterday" is also very much a "feel good" film even though this is a film that has been made by people with intelligence and vision. The only point that I felt to be slightly uncomfortable for me were the scenes concerning "female development" which did shock me a bit but the whole issue was dealt with in a delicate fashion and it served a purpose to illustrate Taeko's embarrassment. Ultmately, it did manage to retain a degree of dignity as well as humour. Not a subject that you would expect to encounter in cinema but I doubt if it could have been dealt with more sensitively as in this film. Much of the film's success is also due to the fact that Taeko is a modest and admirable character. The parts of the film concerning struggling at mathematics also amused me - the first time I've ever seen the questioning of the logic of dividing fractions by another fractions! I'm on Taeko's side with this one! Another scene shows her responding to a younger child in a fashion that contrasts earlier with her own treatment at a similar age by her parents and older sibblings. Miyazaka's film are usually notable for their strong, female characters and it is difficult not to fall a little bit in love with Taeko who is one of Ghibli's finest creations. She is not a 2-dimenstional character and finely etched as a very admirable human being in a superior piece of script writing.
In conclusion, this film is not only the most exceptional film from the Ghibli stable but also one of the finest pieces of film-making from the 1990's. "Only yesterday" offers ample reason to jettison those reservations about both foriegn language films and animation. An essential addition to any film collection.
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Top reviews from other countries
Ian Thumwood
Simply one of the best films of the 1990's....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2012Verified Purchase
Scriabinmahler
Beautifully crafted & deeply touching animation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2011Verified Purchase
Abby Lea
Fantastic Story, classic Ghibli [update: blu-ray edition]
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2016Verified Purchase
Adam H
A wonderful tale of self discovery.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2016Verified Purchase
Jeff Davies
What a wonderful surprise
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2012Verified Purchase
