Only Yesterday (おもひでぽろぽろ) is a slice of life drama by Takahata Isao. It is based on the manga Omohide Poro Poro by Okamoto Hotaru and Tone Yuko The movie originally saw a theatrical release in Japan in 1991 and was brought to American theaters for its 25th anniversary in 2016.
Taeko is approaching 30 and laments her city life as she is on her way over summer vacation to work at a farm. She has never been satisfied with living in Tokyo and even in her youth yearned for an escape to the simpler world, away from the hustle and bustle. As she embarks on her trip memories of her life as a fifth grader in the 60's overwhelm her. She is the youngest of three daughters in an affluent family during the beginning of the economic boom in Japan. Her only struggles were the hand me downs of her older sisters, math tests and the boys learning about menstrual cycles. She became affixed momentarily with visiting 'family' in the country side, as many of her classmates were apt to do on vacation. Much to her disappointment she doesn't have any family in the countryside.
As an adult trapped in a seemingly pointless existence as a single office worker she begins her annual retreats as a way to capture some of that lost simplicity she never got to experience. The memories of her childhood force her to question her intentions and conviction. On her trip she meets an eager man named Toshio who has recently become an organic farmer. When comparing her actions to his, she questions if she is being honest or just pretending. The memories of ten year old Taeko's world remind her of the spoiled girl who only went along with the crowd instead of applying herself as an individual. If she were given the opportunity to suddenly change her life would she be capable of doing it?
I am ashamed to say that until the news of the films release in America with a current dub, I had never been aware of it. Takahata may be my favorite director in Studio Ghibli and this movie is another hallmark of his excellent story crafting. But there is a glaring issue with it that didn't make me enjoy the movie until more than halfway through it. It is difficult to understand the ultimate direction of the film until at least the half way point. The beginning is a confused mess of flashbacks mixed with current times as you are introduced to both versions of the main character, her family and the set up for her adult fascination with rural living. Once you realize that the movie takes place in two different time lines it settles in to showing many of the mundane struggles that 10 year old Taeko encounters. Around the half way point the story shifts more to showing 27 year old Taeko on her trip to the country and her participation in cultivating safflower. At this point the flashbacks are mixed in to help underline her building mental battle.
It is difficult to watch a movie that does not have an apparent end goal, it makes for an anxious viewing, distracting you from the context in search of the plot arc. I wasn't able to calm down mentally until well over an hour into the film. Now that I understand the direction the story was planning on taking I need to watch it again so I can more thoroughly enjoy the entire thing. The first half, which heavily focused on the 10 year old's world was incredibly entertaining and sweet. I would become annoyed though with the interspersed returns to the 27 year old world, not knowing what the point of her story was going to be. It then shifted to focusing more on the 27 year old story with less and less interspersed antics of the 10 year old world. By this point I understood the direction of the narrative enough to enjoy both world. In the end the movie was enjoyable and well done if it was difficult to tell its ultimate direction, just like life its self.
As with everything Ghibli the animation is impeccable. Beautiful landscapes and city scenery. The segments set in the 60's are filled with nostalgia and realism. I was only able to catch some of the popular items showcased discretely in the 10 year old world; such as her eating Marble Chocolates at one point and holding a copy of Margarete magazine in another. I'm quite sure there were many more items and things that anyone who grew up in Japan in that time period would fondly remember from their own childhood. In the end this is a beautiful and well done film that plays on personal nostalgia and finding your place in the world.
The film is currently not available on disc in North America, but it will in time. The English dub features the voice acting of Daisy Ridley and Dev Patel. The version I saw in the theaters was actually the original Japanese language track with subtitles so I have yet to experience the English dub, that will be covered when I add the Bluray to my collection.
Taeko is approaching 30 and laments her city life as she is on her way over summer vacation to work at a farm. She has never been satisfied with living in Tokyo and even in her youth yearned for an escape to the simpler world, away from the hustle and bustle. As she embarks on her trip memories of her life as a fifth grader in the 60's overwhelm her. She is the youngest of three daughters in an affluent family during the beginning of the economic boom in Japan. Her only struggles were the hand me downs of her older sisters, math tests and the boys learning about menstrual cycles. She became affixed momentarily with visiting 'family' in the country side, as many of her classmates were apt to do on vacation. Much to her disappointment she doesn't have any family in the countryside.
As an adult trapped in a seemingly pointless existence as a single office worker she begins her annual retreats as a way to capture some of that lost simplicity she never got to experience. The memories of her childhood force her to question her intentions and conviction. On her trip she meets an eager man named Toshio who has recently become an organic farmer. When comparing her actions to his, she questions if she is being honest or just pretending. The memories of ten year old Taeko's world remind her of the spoiled girl who only went along with the crowd instead of applying herself as an individual. If she were given the opportunity to suddenly change her life would she be capable of doing it?
I am ashamed to say that until the news of the films release in America with a current dub, I had never been aware of it. Takahata may be my favorite director in Studio Ghibli and this movie is another hallmark of his excellent story crafting. But there is a glaring issue with it that didn't make me enjoy the movie until more than halfway through it. It is difficult to understand the ultimate direction of the film until at least the half way point. The beginning is a confused mess of flashbacks mixed with current times as you are introduced to both versions of the main character, her family and the set up for her adult fascination with rural living. Once you realize that the movie takes place in two different time lines it settles in to showing many of the mundane struggles that 10 year old Taeko encounters. Around the half way point the story shifts more to showing 27 year old Taeko on her trip to the country and her participation in cultivating safflower. At this point the flashbacks are mixed in to help underline her building mental battle.
It is difficult to watch a movie that does not have an apparent end goal, it makes for an anxious viewing, distracting you from the context in search of the plot arc. I wasn't able to calm down mentally until well over an hour into the film. Now that I understand the direction the story was planning on taking I need to watch it again so I can more thoroughly enjoy the entire thing. The first half, which heavily focused on the 10 year old's world was incredibly entertaining and sweet. I would become annoyed though with the interspersed returns to the 27 year old world, not knowing what the point of her story was going to be. It then shifted to focusing more on the 27 year old story with less and less interspersed antics of the 10 year old world. By this point I understood the direction of the narrative enough to enjoy both world. In the end the movie was enjoyable and well done if it was difficult to tell its ultimate direction, just like life its self.
As with everything Ghibli the animation is impeccable. Beautiful landscapes and city scenery. The segments set in the 60's are filled with nostalgia and realism. I was only able to catch some of the popular items showcased discretely in the 10 year old world; such as her eating Marble Chocolates at one point and holding a copy of Margarete magazine in another. I'm quite sure there were many more items and things that anyone who grew up in Japan in that time period would fondly remember from their own childhood. In the end this is a beautiful and well done film that plays on personal nostalgia and finding your place in the world.
The film is currently not available on disc in North America, but it will in time. The English dub features the voice acting of Daisy Ridley and Dev Patel. The version I saw in the theaters was actually the original Japanese language track with subtitles so I have yet to experience the English dub, that will be covered when I add the Bluray to my collection.
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