Only Yesterday

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Only Yesterday

PG

1995

1h 58m

Drama

Anime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

A put-upon 27-year-old Japanese office worker travels to the countryside and reminisces about her childhood in Tokyo and what life could have been.

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Critics Consensus

Only Yesterday's long-delayed U.S. debut fills a frustrating gap for American Ghibli fans while offering further proof of the studio's incredibly consistent commitment to quality.

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Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

Aug 2, 2016

3.5/5

Only Yesterday is one of Studio Ghibli's films aimed primarily at female viewers ... an intentional story that is emotionally honest.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Jun 2, 2016

5/5

There is real artistry here: it is a must.

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Jun 1, 2016

4/5

A(nother) animated marvel from one of cinema's unsung maestros.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Jul 4, 2025

3.5/4

... gently, but profoundly, explores questions of memory, identity, and purpose.

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Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

Aug 12, 2024

4.5/5

Only Yesterday is a beautiful, bitter-sweet animation which touches upon such...topics as the “grip” of persistent childhood memories...the benefit of re-discovering oneself in a different setting...and the imperative of letting go.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

Aug 2, 2024

A-

Only Yesterday is absolutely beautiful and further showcases the prowess of Studio Ghibli.

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GungaDan

Aug 17, 2026

My first time seeing this one, and I loved it! 🤓❤️

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Wendy

Aug 13, 2026

Beautiful story...will resonate differently for everyone I am sure. A young lady revisits her 10 yr old self and you see how different things affected her later self and why she made certain choices. Gorgeous scenes as most Ghibli Studio films are.

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TATSUYA I

Aug 12, 2026

This film reminds me that how precious it was spending my childhood in rural in Japan.

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Stephen

Aug 12, 2026

What a beautiful movie. A lot of meaning and different lessons can be found in this movie. I will be rewatching this many times in the future. The artwork was amazing as well.

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Grady

Aug 12, 2026

Really good movie, was hard to understand the message and follow along with the movie at first, but once you got a bit further in, it started to make more sense. Really liked how this one was more about life and growing up/learning new lessons/realizing new things about oneself, and not all magic like other Ghibli films.

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Roy

Aug 10, 2026

Awesome story as always from Studio Ghibli

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Isao Takahata

Director

Daisy Ridley

Taeko Okajima

Dev Patel

Toshio

Ashley Eckstein

Yaeko

Alison Fernandez

Taeko Okajima (5th Grade)

Isao Takahata

Screenwriter

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Synopsis

A put-upon 27-year-old Japanese office worker travels to the countryside and reminisces about her childhood in Tokyo and what life could have been.

Director: Isao Takahata
Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Screenwriter: Isao Takahata
Distributor: GKIDS
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 23, 1995, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 17, 2019
Runtime: 1h 58m

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