7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Taeko Okajima is a typical "office lady" in a big company in a big city. When she takes a sabbatical to the countryside in Yamagata Prefecture, the hometown of her brother-in-law, the journey recalled her memory of her 5th grade year. During her stay in Yamagata, she works hard and happily as a farmer and is surrounded by friendly relatives and villagers, bringing up more memories. Their hospitality makes her to reconsider her choice of life.
Starring: Toshirô Yanagiba, Yoko Honna, Mayumi Izuka, Sumalee Montano, Yorie YamashitaForeign | 100% |
Anime | 86% |
Romance | 16% |
Comic book | 12% |
Coming of age | 8% |
Drama | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS 2.0
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
As Studio Ghibli ends operations, one of their earliest efforts finally makes it to American audiences. Better late than never. 1991’s “Only Yesterday” is the company’s fifth feature and, for an animation house known for creating faraway lands and fantastical creatures, it’s also one of their most human, turning to memory and regret to inspire an emotional journey of a woman who yearns to reclaim and reassess an earlier, simpler time in her life. Gorgeously animated in the distinct Ghibli style, director Isao Takahata manages to understand the erratic flow of childhood impulses and curiosity, while pinpointing the moment when nostalgia transforms into personal need. “Only Yesterday” is 25 years old, but it remains surprisingly relevant, warmly conceived and executed from beginning to end.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is remarkable for the fact that it takes a 25-year-old film and makes it look as though it was completed in 2016. Without sacrificing a filmic appearance, "Only Yesterday" finds an ideal home on Blu-ray, where the feature's exceptional artistry is put on display, resulting in a long line of pauseable moments. Colors are bright and communicative, identifying timelines with subtlety (contrasting softer hues that underline innocence with bolder ones to emphasize the modern world), handling primaries with care. Delineation is never threatened, and textures for the hand-crafted effort are easily observed. Source is clean and sharp, offering interesting detail on characters and distances during exterior visits.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't built for a dynamic listening event, but it carries the softer mood of "Only Yesterday" wonderfully, leading with precise dialogue exchanges that register with deep emotion and lighter playfulness. Scoring efforts are supportive and evocative, delivering precise instrumentation. Atmospherics aren't charged up, but group activity is presented with precision, while train movement is felt.
"Only Yesterday" retains a few pop culture touches that probably made more sense in 1991, but its heartbreak is universal, isolating traumatic incidents and friendly mischief that shapes identity, with Taeko longing to restore the sense of adventure she shared as a kid. It's amazing how easily the picture taps into primal feelings, helping to understand Taeko's mission as she files through a particular time, finding restoration in the strangest of places. "Only Yesterday" is beautiful, patient work, adding to the Studio Ghibli tower of achievements, offering a riveting break from the more fantastical titles typically imported to local art-houses. Here, the concentration is on the human experience, with all its fragility and growth. Takahata constructs a cinematic time machine that's nearly impossible to resist.
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