When people talk about Studio Ghibli, they usually go straight for the heavy hitters. You know the ones. Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, maybe Princess Mononoke if they're feeling a bit edgy. But there’s this one film that often gets left out of the "best of" conversations, mostly because it doesn't have any cat buses or fire demons. I'm talking about Only Yesterday Studio Ghibli, directed by the late, legendary Isao Takahata.
It's a weird one. Honestly.
If you grew up in the West, you might not have even seen it until 2016, which is wild considering it came out in Japan back in 1991. For twenty-five years, it just sat there, a masterpiece gathering dust in international licensing limbo because Disney—who owned the distribution rights at the time—basically didn't know what to do with a cartoon about a woman’s period and the nuances of organic farming. They thought animation was just for kids. They were wrong.
What Actually Happens in Only Yesterday?
Most Ghibli movies are about magical worlds. This one is about a 27-year-old office worker named Taeko Okajima who takes a vacation to the countryside to harvest safflowers. That's it. That’s the plot.
But it’s not just that.
As Taeko travels, she’s haunted—not by ghosts, but by her 10-year-old self. The movie constantly flips between 1982 and 1966. You’ve got the adult Taeko, who feels kinda stuck in her Tokyo life, and the young Taeko, who is dealing with the mundane traumas of growing up. It’s a dual narrative that feels less like a movie and more like a therapy session you actually want to attend.
Takahata did something revolutionary here. He insisted that the voice actors record their lines first, and then the animators drew the faces to match the muscle movements of the speech. If you look closely at the adult characters, they have visible cheek muscles and realistic laugh lines. It looks "ugly" to some people used to the smooth, "moe" style of modern anime, but it adds a layer of psychological realism that is practically unmatched in the medium.
The Problem With "Ghibli Magic"
We tend to associate Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki. His style is whimsical, sweeping, and often focuses on the "what if." Isao Takahata, the co-founder, was the opposite. He was the realist. While Miyazaki wanted to fly, Takahata wanted to walk through the mud and show you how the dirt felt between your toes.
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Only Yesterday Studio Ghibli is the peak of that philosophy.
There is a famous scene involving a pineapple. It lasts several minutes. The family has never seen a fresh pineapple before; they only know the canned stuff. They wait for it to ripen. They cut it. They eat it. And... they hate it. It’s hard, acidic, and disappointing.
Most directors would cut that. Why spend five minutes on a fruit that tastes bad? Because that's life. Takahata understood that nostalgia isn't just about the "good old days." It's about the specific, crunchy, disappointing reality of being a child. It’s about the time you didn't get the toy, or the time your dad hit you for being stubborn, or the time you realized you weren't actually good at math.
Why It Took 25 Years to Reach the US
The history of this film's distribution is a bit of a mess. When Disney signed their big deal with Ghibli in the 90s, they brought over almost everything. But Only Yesterday stayed behind.
The rumor—which is basically a confirmed fact at this point—is that the "puberty" sequence was the dealbreaker. There’s a scene where the young girls in 1966 talk about menstruation. They’re confused, scared, and curious. Boys tease them. It’s handled with incredible grace and honesty. But back then, North American distributors felt that "cartoons" with such frank discussions of female biology wouldn't sell.
It wasn't until GKIDS picked it up for a 25th-anniversary theatrical run that we got an English dub. And they did it right. They cast Daisy Ridley (from Star Wars) as Taeko and Dev Patel as Toshio. It finally gave the film the prestige it deserved.
The Animation Style Shift
One thing you'll notice if you watch the film is that the two time periods look completely different.
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- The 1982 Scenes: These are lush, detailed, and vibrant. The colors are saturated. The backgrounds are painted with a sense of "present-tense" weight.
- The 1966 Scenes: These look like fading memories. The edges of the frame often bleed into white. The backgrounds are minimalist, like a watercolor painting that hasn't been finished.
This isn't an accident or a budget constraint. Takahata wanted to visually represent how we remember things. We don't remember every detail of our childhood bedrooms; we remember the feel of the sunlight or the color of a specific blanket. Everything else is a blur.
The Organic Farming "Problem"
A huge chunk of the movie is basically a documentary about organic farming and the production of safflower dye. Some viewers find this boring. Honestly, if you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, you're in the wrong place.
But there’s a deeper meaning here. Toshio, the love interest (if you can call him that—he's more of a catalyst), spends a lot of time talking about how "nature" in Japan isn't actually natural. It’s a landscape shaped by humans over centuries of farming.
This mirrors Taeko’s journey. She thinks she’s "natural" or "city-made," but she’s actually a product of all the small choices and traumas of her 10-year-old self. She’s been cultivated. It’s a heavy metaphor, but it works because the film doesn't hit you over the head with it. It just lets you sit in the field with her.
Addressing the "Nothing Happens" Critique
If you search for reviews of Only Yesterday Studio Ghibli, you’ll see a common complaint: "Nothing happens."
It’s true that there is no villain. There is no ticking clock. There is no world to save. But for an adult, "nothing happens" is actually the most relatable thing in the world. The conflict is entirely internal. It's the "quarter-life crisis" before that was even a buzzword.
Taeko is grappling with the fact that she didn't become the person her 10-year-old self expected. Is she okay with that? Is she happy? The film doesn't give you easy answers. It just shows her eating a peach or driving a small car through the rain.
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Key Cultural Touches
- The Beatles: The film uses the craze of "Beatlemania" in 60s Japan to ground the flashback scenes in a specific historical moment.
- The Frill-Necked Lizard: There’s a brief mention of a commercial featuring a lizard that was a massive pop-culture moment in early 80s Japan.
- The Song Choice: The ending features a Japanese cover of Bette Midler’s "The Rose." It sounds cheesy on paper, but in the context of the final scene, it’s a total tear-jerker.
How to Watch It Today
Thankfully, the days of hunting for bootleg fansubs are over. You can stream Only Yesterday on Max (formerly HBO Max) in the US, or on Netflix in most other territories.
If you're going to watch it, I highly recommend the subtitled version first. While the English dub is great, the original Japanese performances capture the specific "mumblecore" energy that Takahata was going for. There’s a certain rhythm to the way Taeko laughs and sighs that feels more authentic in the original audio.
Practical Steps for Your First Viewing
If you're ready to dive into this Ghibli deep cut, here’s how to get the most out of it.
First, clear your schedule. This isn't a "background movie" you can watch while scrolling on your phone. If you miss the small facial expressions, you miss the whole point of the movie.
Second, pay attention to the music. The score by Katz Hoshi is incredibly eclectic, featuring everything from Romanian folk music to Italian pop. It’s meant to feel like a "global" memory, reflecting how Japan was opening up to the world during Taeko's childhood.
Third, watch the credits. Do not turn the movie off when the screen goes black. The actual "ending" of the story happens during the credits. It’s one of the most beautiful sequences in animation history, showing how the past and present finally merge into one.
Lastly, don't expect a typical romance. This isn't a "girl meets boy and they live happily ever after" story. It’s a "woman meets herself and decides she’s okay" story.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re just performing the role of an adult while secretly feeling like a confused kid, Only Yesterday Studio Ghibli is going to hit you like a freight train. It’s quiet, it’s slow, and it’s absolutely essential.
Go find a quiet evening, turn off the lights, and let yourself be bored by a pineapple for five minutes. You might find that it's exactly what you needed.