Only Yesterday 1991

     This movie is based on a manga series of comic vignettes of a small girl of 11 years old in Japan of 1966.  Taiko is a 27-year-old office worker in 1982 and she travels to the countryside to work on a farm.  As she is riding on the train, she thinks back to her home life and her childhood in school.  Taiko loves the time she spends away from her technical job and out in the country.  Doing farming work is the complete opposite of office work.

     The dialog is spoken in English by US actors and it is released by The Walt Disney Company.  There is another release by Studio Ghibli-Tokuma that is dubbed in English.  Adult scenes were added to the film and were not included in the manga to connect expand on the childhood scenes.  Taiko’s family purchases a pineapple, they aren’t sure how to cut it and they are not used to the taste.  Imported fresh fruit was very expensive and uncommon in 1982.  Most Japanese people had only eaten canned pineapple.  I really like the animated films produced by Studio Ghibli-Tokuma.  I like the colors and the intricate drawings plus the very good stories.  4* (I really liked this movie)

118 min, Animation directed by Isao Takahata with Miki Imai, Toshiro Yanagiba, Yoko Honna, Mayumi Izuka, Mei Oshitani, Megumi Komine, Yukiyo Takizawa, Masashi Ishikawa, Michie Terada, Masahiro Ito, Yorie Yamashita.

Note:  Imdb 7.7 out of 10, 100% critic 86% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 129 reviews, Rolling Stone Peter Travers 3.5* out of 4*, Metacritic 90 out of 100 with 19 critics 8.5 of 10 with 69 reviews, The Guardian Peter Bradshaw 5*.

Special Note:  The Walt Disney Company acquired the US distribution rights from Studio Ghibli-Tokuma.  Disney wanted to eliminate one of the scenes from distribution in the US.  There was a clause in the contract that prohibited Disney from altering the scene.  This film was a surprise box office smash when first released in Japan.  It was the highest grossing domestic film in 1991.  Named #61 on the Tim Out Magazine’s list of 100 Best Animated Films of All-Time in 2014.  There is another film with the same title from 1933.