Critic Reviews

Like “Kaguya,” it functions as a highly sensitive and empathetic consideration of the situation of women in Japanese society—but it’s also a breathtaking work of art on its own.

Only Yesterday is unabashedly modest, but in its twin dialogues between the past and the present, and the undying lure of the country and the city, it’s a singularly specific story whose message echoes decades later.

Only Yesterday may have been released in 1991 and take place in 1982 and 1966, but Taeko’s reflection on girlhood is truly timeless.

[A] calm, reflective, gorgeously uneventful slice of nostalgic romance.

Only Yesterday is animated, but rarely cartoony, in either its design or its storytelling.

It's both an important part of Ghibli's history and a gem in its own right.

Mr. Takahata’s psychologically acute film, which was based on a manga, seems to grow in impact, too, as the adult Takao comes to a richer understanding of what she wants and how she wants to live.

Only Yesterday is a realistic, personal story made universal in a delicate way.

It might have come out in Japan in 1991, but you could think of it as a new film — Only Yesterday is truly timeless.

Only Yesterday is a mature work of art, no matter what the genre, no matter what the format, no matter what.