I’m cheating on the title here, and I know it, but: Only Yesterday, one of the earliest films by Studio Ghibli co-founder and all around genius Isao Takahata, has enjoyed neither a theatrical run nor a home video release here in North America since the film premiered twenty five years ago. (That, of course, doesn’t mean people in North America hasn’t seen it, but still.) So technically, yes, this is a 1991 picture, but at the same time it is brand new to American theaters and even to many dedicated American moviegoers. If you want to quibble over that, have at it. If you just want to read about how fucking great Only Yesterday is, you’ll have to take a trip down the click-link rabbit hole to Paste Magazine, which is where my review is posted. Short version: the film feels like an animated cousin to the classics of Japanese cinema. It’s wonderful.
A Constant Visual Feast 