Only Yesterday (おもいでポロポロ）- Isao Takahata/Studio Ghibli

I grew up in Japan so I grew up watching Japanese anime on a regular basis. Once I came back here to the states, everyone started going crazy over anime...and I just couldn't get the appeal. Mainly because it is something I grew up with I didn't think it was a big deal. In the late '90s I started hearing about other Japanese anime films - put out by this Studio Ghibli, and with the names being mispronounced. My Neighbor Totoro was the first film I heard about, followed by Princess Mononoke (theater release in 1999). I believe that Princess Mononoke was also the first Ghibli film I saw when I rented it. I found the animation reminded me very much of growing up, as well as Japan. Since that time I have watched and owned most of the Ghibli films that have become available.

Of all the Ghibli films I have seen so far, Only Yesterday may be my favorite. There are quite a few reasons. Before diving in though, the story told in the film is fairly simple. It is the story of a 27 yr-old woman named Takeo who has grown up in Tokyo and works there. She is making a trip north to Yamagata to spend time working on a farm that she went to when she was a 5th grade kid. The farm happens to be owned by a distant relative. The film switches back between her trip and her memories. The memories have a different style animation from the animation of her trip. This makes it clear which time frame we are watching...as well as the fact of her age, and the circumstances/environment. Her trip, along with her memories, help her make some realizations about her life and how she is living it, where her heart is, and what she truly desires out of life. The ending of Only Yesterday is a bit ambiguous yet also implies a happy ending.

So why do I love it so? It reminds me of my childhood, naturally. I never went to a Japanese Elementary school but the scenes that take place in them reminds me of walking by them, seeing all the schoolkids in uniform, doing their sports days...knowing they spend time every day cleaning their classrooms, delivering lunch to their classes, etc. The scenes in Tokyo, the clips of family life, how the family is set up in a very patriarchal way - all things I remember of Japan. To be clear, while I totally disagree with the patriarchal way of society, it was still a big part of how families were run while I was there and so that is why it reminds me of Japan. The family dynamics both in Taeko's immediate family, as well as the family in Yamagata are both very traditional and wonderful to watch the interactions. The other aspect of this film that I really treasure is that it takes time. It takes some time getting into the story but more than that it allows time to take in some of the gorgeous scenery. There are quite a few scenes where the camera just lingers and lets you, the viewer, take it all in. I love moments like that in film and on stage.

Yamagata is in northern Japan and very much a part of my life. I grew up in Iwate-ken, and spent time on the coast where the Tsunami hit six years ago on 3/11. Further North are the mountains where our mission had a camp. It stood (and still stands) just outside a very small village. A village you could easily walk through in 15 min down the main (and only) street. The trip up there via car took us through areas where they were still farming in the traditional manner and dress. This film shows scenes of that and wow - it brings back the memories. And that is what the film is all about - remembering a childhood while taking stock in where you are and how you got there. Watching the film makes me do the same and reminds me of the childhood I had. For very personal reasons, this is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films. Take a watch and tell me what you think.