Film — Only Yesterday

In the vast, fantastical library of Studio Ghibli—filled with giant wolves, floating castles, and magical spirits— Only Yesterday stands alone as the studio’s most profoundly realistic and quietly devastating film.

In one of Ghibli’s most famous sequences, young Taeko’s family brings home a fresh pineapple. No one knows how to cut it. They struggle, slice it wrong, and finally eat it. The family unanimously declares it "not as good as expected." Taeko, alone, forces herself to eat the whole thing, insisting she loves it. It is a perfect metaphor for the child’s desperate need to make effort worth it—a feeling every adult recognizes. only yesterday film

Takahata draws a stark contrast between Tokyo’s sterile, artificial life and the countryside’s messy, organic reality. Taeko is horrified by caterpillars and the smell of manure, but slowly realizes that her "perfect" city life is actually the sterile one. The film is a gentle but firm critique of Japan’s rapid modernization and a longing for the traditions being left behind. In the vast, fantastical library of Studio Ghibli—filled

It is a masterpiece of stillness, regret, and radical, quiet hope. (and a box of tissues). "I still like that rainy, cloudy, and snowy day the best." – Young Taeko, on her one unusual preference. By the end, you will understand why. They struggle, slice it wrong, and finally eat it