Watched Only Yesterday (1991) to commemorate the passing of Isao Takahata (1935–2018).
As with many other of his films, it is very subtle and Japanese; so awkward for the international market, it wasn’t dubbed until 2016, 25 years after the initial release. While it is nice to see that it enjoys high acclaim outside of Japan, it is still a very subtle and slow film. It’s not recommended for an anime beginner.
To be honest, I found the story mostly inconsequential from a writing standpoint. The flashback scenes do not connect to the modern part save for a few in the beginning and the end. Each past scene is so nostalgic that they evoke my own memories, but ultimately they are unrelated scenes that do not go anywhere.
It is a story well told though. The background art by Kazuo Oga makes a beautiful distinction between the past and present. Needless to say, the animation is so delightful.
I have listened to both Japanese and English versions, the latter of which were dubbed by Daisy Ridley and Dave Patel. The English team did a fantastic job, especially the script writers and Ridley. Patel’s character is in rural Japan, but he speaks in British accent, while the rest of the village speaks more like Americans.
Only Yesterday is rated very high on review sites almost among the best of Ghibli, but I think it comes from the 25 years of hype of seeing a hidden Ghibli film; and it is overrated. It is a subtle and emotional film whose appeal is not immediate and I will need time to let it sink, but as of now I give it around 7⁄10.
I think my internal Ghibli ranking is very different from most people (e.g. I rate Spirited Away (2001) pretty low but The Wind Rises (2013) as absolute best), please keep that in mind.
—toshi omagari
Flommist Toshi Omagari fights many things, most recent of which is the auto-correction of his title to florist. Copyright © 2018 Toshi Omagari.
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