September 2006
Japanese Title: Omoide Poro Poro
English Title: Only Yesterday
Episodes: 1 Movie
Year: 1991
Studio: Ghibli
US Distributor: Disney has the rights, but plans to distribute it have been shelved indefinitely.
Genres: Josei, Drama, Progressive
WRITTEN BY: Isao Takahata (script), Hotaru Okamoto (manga), Yuko Tone (manga)
DIRECTED BY: Isao Takahata
OVERVIEW:
Like any good example of progressive animation, Only Yesterday is a film that uses full advantage of the animated medium to tell a story that normally would be told through a live action film. There is no one better than master director Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) to make an animated film like this.
Studio Ghibli is most commonly associated with the better known director (and also Takahata's pupil) Hayao Miyazaki. Even Takahata's critically acclaimed Grave of the Fireflies has been little seen by general audiences, and this one has been seen even less thanks to the fact that Disney has not decided to distribute it despite the fact that they own the rights. However, I understand that Disney's thoughts on this film are that it could stain their image of a producer of family films, and while Only Yesterday does not have any violence or foul language, it does have some aspects that you don't normally find in Disney films.
Only Yesterday is a story that presents many real life situations, but thanks to the fact that it is animated, a little magic is poured into it. There are many scenes in which a character's imagination comes to life on screen. The first that comes to my mind is when the main character meets her first love. She imagines flying up to the sky and into her room until she's tucked in bed, and then a huge pink heart emerges from her room's window. Again, that's only possible thanks to the animated medium, a medium that knows no limitations, despite of how realistic the characters look. Takahata knows this advantage and uses it for his expressionistic vision; he puts more emphasis on feelings than just simple actions.
Despite the fact that Only Yesterday is a drama, the plot moves at an intense pace. This film certainly feels shorter than it is, and that's only thanks to Takahata's ability to add interest to even the slightest of human actions. You won't find any other animated film that spends an entire scene showing how a family eats a pineapple for the first time, or that shows elementary school children poking fun at menstruation ("oh no, I'm going to catch a period!"). Basically, no other film tells such a common life story in such a way that it keeps you hooked every minute of it.
Films like this and Grave of the Fireflies make me think of Isao Takahata as a FILM director rather than just an anime director. His films can't be put on the same shelf as most other anime films. It's something that you have to see for yourself to understand. I highly recommend Only Yesterday, and I recommend it from the very beginning to the very end, because it has one of the best endings I have seen in an anime, an ending that extends even beyond the end credits.
-rjxsapri®
SYNOPSIS:
Taeko is a 27 year old woman that has lived her entire life in Tokyo. She takes a vacation from her desk job to visit a relative of her elder sister-in-law's who lives in the countryside. While traveling by train from Tokyo to Yamagata, she begins to recall memories of her childhood days, and how her life and her personality have changed since then.
After arriving at her destination, she becomes amazed by the beauty of rural life. Every day of her vacation, she learns something different about country lifestyle, while recalling memories of her childhood, and imagining how her life whould change if she moved there.
-rjxsapri®
Live Action Anime Rating: **** (Masterpiece)
0.5 (Atrocious) 1 (Horrible) 1.5 (bad) 2 (Fair) 2.5 (Good) 3 (Very Good) 3.5 (Excellent) 4/4 (Masterpiece)
Pictures:
Takeo in both her 27 and 10 year old versions.
