Japanese Title: Omoide Poroporo
Similar: Millennium Princess
The Ocean Waves
Watched in: Japanese & English
Genre: Slice of Life Romance Drama
Length: 1 hr. 58 min. movie
Positives:
- The childhood scenes.
- Depiction of children.
- Pleasant art and music.
Negatives:
- The adulthood scenes.
- Pretty boring unless you strongly relate.
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Now for something a little different from the usual Studio Ghibli fantasy fare. Fourteen years delayed in receiving a Western release, Only Yesterday is a nostalgic story of a ‘typical office lady’ returning to her hometown in the Yamagata countryside, where she will rediscover herself. Familiar places bring back memories of her childhood, relating in particular to the fifth grade and her strict father.
The primary story is her adult life and romance to an old acquaintance, with the childhood advancing pieces at a time as triggers recall the next step of the story. Only Yesterday is simultaneously charming and boring. The charm oozes from the childhood story. The adulthood story, on the other hand, is dull. I wonder if they could not have found someone with a more interesting life story to tell. Genuinely, nothing remarkable happens to this woman. She goes to the country, meet an old friend, chats a bit, works on a farm, chats some more, and experiences little conflict. This would be fine if we received a character study instead of this honest, yet unengaging life. Watching this woman was like listening to a stranger on the train tell you about their life, when you are too polite to tell them to you want to sit in silence. They aren’t rude or anything – I simply wouldn’t suggest they make a film of their story.
The childhood is a different matter. It should come as no surprise that Ghibli’s superior child representation manifests beautifully in Only Yesterday. The school scenes had me smiling ear-to-ear – when someone reveals their crush on you, or when complaining about having to finish ALL your lunch (“Who drinks raw milk? Yeuch!” – little me), and that goody-two-shoes classmate we all had that wanted to introduce more rules (you know who you are).
Conflict arises through her troubles with learning maths and her abusive (in my opinion) father, who berates her without making an effort to help her. This conflict is a relatable example of how children see the world as unfair. Sometimes they are right; it is unfair, but once grown, we do also realise our parents may, perhaps…possibly, you know, have been right…a little – on occasion.
It is my understanding that the childhood scenes come from the source manga, whereas the adulthood scenes are additions by Ghibli to tie the childhood together without having to detail every scene in between. I have to admire this approach. It certainly works, never feeling fragmented. If only the grown up story was more engaging. Apart from one heart-warming scene where she sees spectres of herself and classmates as children around her, it doesn’t quite have the charm to match.
If you can relate to someone travelling back through childhood, you are more likely to enjoy Only Yesterday. For better personal rediscovery movies, see Millennium Princess and Bollywood film Three Idiots (a must watch).
Art – High
High quality art and animation, but there isn’t much to see. I like the storybook watercolours used for childhood scenes.
Sound – High
Only Yesterday has a good multinational soundtrack and good acting, save for the adult protagonist’s stiff delivery in English.
Story – Medium
An office lady takes a sabbatical to the countryside, triggering a flood of memories from her childhood and questions about her path in life. Only Yesterday is a realistic and accurate portrayal of childhood and reminiscence. That doesn’t make it particularly interesting, however.
Overall Quality – Medium
Recommendation: Try it if the story sounds relatable to you. If you can’t directly relate to her journey, Only Yesterday is unlikely to elicit the emotions required to keep you engaged to the end.
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Awards: (hover over each award to see descriptions; click award for more recipients)
Positive:
Negative: None
Nefarious Reviews 
I can tell you were incredibly bored and struggling to pay attention to the adult part of the movie. The girl isn’t traveling to her old home or meeting old friends. She grew up in the city and, now that her sister has married a man with relatives in the country, is taking advantage of family who can give her a new experience while she’s on vacation. She barely knows any of the people there or is just meeting them for the first time as far as she can recall, as is the case with the young man you took as a childhood friend.
Don’t worry though, it took me until half the movie was over to realise that the young girl and the older girl were one and the same. I’m finding it has an incredibly high rewatch value, because now that I know the “boring”parts won’t last long, I don’t zone out right a way and I can enjoy and understand what’s happening during them.
Thanks for linking to similar films, I’m definitely looking for movies that have a similar taste and feel to them. If you want to watch an anime movie that captures the same child like moments without the adult ones, then I’d suggest Mai Mai miracle. It’s a good film about kids that takes place roughly during the same time period.
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