• Home
• Only Yesterday

Page

Only Yesterday

• Summary
• How to watch
• News & features

Watch trailer

01:42

Only Yesterday

Save

• Animation
• Drama

• 1991
• Isao Takahata
• 118 mins
• PG

Summary

Animated drama from Japan in which an unhappy Tokyo office worker reflects on her childhood and is forced to examine some of the decisions she has taken in her life.

Ad

Powered By

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Sloan Freer

The soul-searching of a jaded Tokyo woman makes for an engaging yet uncharacteristic Studio Ghibli experience from Grave of the Fireflies director Isao Takahata. A sweet and simple exploration of how even the smallest childhood events can colour the future, it focuses on the random memories of office worker Taeko as she nostalgically reflects on her 10-year-old self during a rural working holiday. Youthful delights and disappointments are vividly captured, charmingly combining humour and melancholy. These beautifully drawn flashbacks give this slow-paced picture a richness that the somewhat preachy countryside sequences can't match. But the film's best moment comes in the final credits, when past and present converge to tear-jerking effect.

imdb-square

7.6/10

How to watch

Loading

Streaming

• Netflix

Credits

Cast

rolenameTaekoMiki ImaiToshioToshiro YanagibaTaeko as a childYouko HonnaFatherMasahiro ItoHirotaYuuki MasudaYaekoYuki MinowaMotherMichie TeradaNanakoYorie Yamashita

Show more

Crew

rolenameDirectorIsao Takahata

Details

Released on

1995-06-23

Languages

Bulgarian | Japanese

Available on

DVD

Formats

Colour

News & features about Only Yesterday

• 
  
  Love Island 2026 final date officially confirmed in ITV schedules
  
  The end is in sight!

• 
  
  Monarch of the Glen favourite Alexander Morton dies, aged 81
  
  Morton also starred in series including Shetland and River City.

  Ad

• 
  
  Meet the man behind some of the most iconic theme tunes – and why he's now finally releasing his first ever full-length symphony
  
  Mike Batt found fame writing the music for The Wombles – now he’s written a symphony!

• 
  
  Superman review: James Gunn has delivered an entertaining relaunch
  
  Some characters are left underused, but David Corenswet makes for a genial hero and his chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan bodes well.

• 
  
  The Traitors producers announce "wickedly immersive" new cut-throat reality show The Inheritance
  
  The new series comes from the team behind The Traitors UK and Squid Game: The Challenge.

• 
  
  Who won Celebrity Big Brother 2025? Winner revealed for second ITV season
  
  The winner has been crowned!

• 
  
  This week's Radio Times is a Premier League preview
  
  Your complete TV guide to the new season - including full fixture list and pundits' predictions.

  Ad

• 
  
  Season 15 winner revealed
  
  A glorious competition has come to an end!

• 
  
  CoD MW3 Season 5 Reloaded: Release date, UK launch time and what to expect
  
  MW3 Season 5 is about to be reloaded.

• 
  
  26 podcasts you have to listen to in 2026 - from Dua Lipa’s Service95 Book Club to Sean Bean’s Get Birding
  
  It seems as if every celebrity has a podcast, but some stars use theirs to indulge their passions and interests. From pets to poltergeists, here's RT's exclusive list of the top 26 for 2026.

• 
  
  Joker: Folie à Deux review – Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga shine in downbeat sequel
  
  The sequel lacks the intensity of Joker but is still a brooding tale that works hard to reinvent the comic book movie.

• 
  
  Ncuti Gatwa quizzes Millie Gibson after joining Doctor Who in new video
  
  The new Tardis team chat about how Millie got her companion role in a newly-released video.

See more about Only Yesterday

Ad

Ad

Ad