Forum - View topicBuried Treasure - Only Yesterday
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GATSU
Posts: 15570 |
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If they can take a chance on Pom Poko, Only Yesterday should do alright. |
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vapwaazu
 Posts: 115 Location: Sydney, Australia |
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There's also an Australian R4 version as well. Japanese only of course.
Great movie, and as you said, I should really buy it myself 
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Anime World Order
 Posts: 390 Location: Florida |
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The version of Only Yesterday that I have--which I'm fairly certain is legal--is a Region 2 PAL 16:9 anamorphic release from an outfit called Optimum Releasing. Included on the disc are storyboards and a Making Of featurette along with some Ghibli trailers. This same company also released a Region 2 PAL DVD for Horus Prince of the Sun under the title "Little Norse Prince." I would be aware of neither of these things were it not for the efforts of this crazy Irish cat from the Internet.
Man. It's been nearly 15 years since I first saw this movie, and about three since I last rewatched it (for the sake of the AWO review of it over here). But of all the Ghibli films, this is one I commonly cite as "the best" if forced to pick one. I'll bet I still have my old VHS fansub of this from the "PoroPoro Project," a group of fans (some of whom I've since met...I think) that gathered together for the sole purpose of acquiring, translating, and releasing a high-quality fan translated version of Omohide Poro Poro. This was perhaps among the second batch of fansubs that I ever requested during my teenage years back in the mid-1990s as I was trying to acquire all the Ghibli films I'd heard so much about. I don't know if it was the reputation which preceded it, but I recall instantly taking a liking to the movie despite the fact that there's not a whole lot in there for a then 15 year-old guy to relate to. After all, it's an animated movie meant primarily for "middle-aged" adults, which in Japan is considered to be like...25 or however old Taeko is. Looking back, I think what intrigued me was the fact that there was virtually no fantasy elements whatsoever. It was an animated movie that could easily have just been a live-action film. Such a thing is a novelty when it's among the first anime you ever see. Heck, it's STILL a novelty. Last edited by Anime World Order on Wed May 20, 2009 11:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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rinmackie
 Posts: 1040 Location: in a van! down by the river! |
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I saw this on TMC a few years ago. I don't remember any nudity though. It was really good and I saw myself in it, too. Too bad it probably won't get a legal release here.
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Afraid not. The list price of IVL's edition is HK$191 = US$24.64, while the BVHE Taiwan (now dissolved) / Deltamac (current distributor) edition in Taiwan is NT$650 = US$19.82. And I wonder why Justin forgot mentioning Taiwan when there's a staff who entered most cast information of Only Yesterday in the Encyclopedia happens to have been living here. ADDENDUM: Not to mention that R3TW is NTSC (same with US and Japan) while R3HK is PAL (suitable for European countries). Last edited by dormcat on Thu May 21, 2009 3:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Maidenoftheredhand
 Posts: 2634 |
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I finally got fed up waiting for Disney to release this and I ordered the UK R2 release. One of my best purchases I think.
And you know while this might not sell as well as Spirited Away I am sure with the Ghibli name attached to it would still sell fairly well. Also I watched this movie again fairy recently and I don't remember any nudity. I do remember them talking about the menstrual cycle and I am convinced that is why Disney refuses to release this film. Last edited by Maidenoftheredhand on Wed May 20, 2009 11:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Kenotic
 Posts: 167 |
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The nudity is quite innocent, it's Takeo standing in a bathhouse and quickly fainting. It's about as long as the bath scene in Totoro and not even as detailed.
Thank you for highlighting one of my all-time favorite movies. I'm with you on this movie quite a bit, when I'm a little down or just a bit wistful I pull this out and let it wash over me. Between this and a few panels of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou I get a ton of responses at work about where I get my wallpaper. It's one of those movies where scenes and frames that last a few seconds deserve to be paused for a little while. All of this is making me want to go give it another view. Incidentally, I picked up my copy from Amazon's UK site awhile back. I just noticed it's still for sale new and quite reasonably priced now that the Dollar is worth a little more than it was a few years back. It's subbed and has English menus, which might be a little more accessible for some. They shipped it out to me in the US with no problem, and playing R2 on my computer and DVD player wasn't an issue. Thanks again for highlighting some true gems! Last edited by Kenotic on Thu May 21, 2009 12:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Yay. I'm glad someone else liked it as much as I did. Yeah it was long, but it didn't feel long. The voice work was just outstanding, and the careful focus made the cast seem like real people, not 2D characters. It was an amazing journey of self-discovery.
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Sam Murai
 Posts: 1051 |
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I'm so, so glad that Only Yesterday got covered here and I agree with much of the review. It's more "arthouse" than the most "arthouse-y" anime films, and perhaps far more deeper and fulfilling, though I consider it to be more of an "indie" when compared to the more popular, "mainstream" types of anime out there (even in respect to other Studio Ghibli works). I remember watching it during TCM's Ghibli festival a few years ago, and perhaps outside of Nausicaa and Spirited Away, it's conceivably their best work. It is a beautiful masterpiece all around, and mature in its artwork (which had a nice European-style feel to it) and storytelling. Despite its leisurely pace, you could still be enraptured by it--the mark of a well done slice-of-life work.
I have mixed feelings about it's marketability, as it would be nearly impossible to sell to the mainstream, but I could see it being more readily accepted by anime fans (no comparison in possible sales, but it could at least move units among word-of-mouth and the "Ghibli" brand name). In terms of censorship, Pom Poko may have had their "raccoon pouches", but OY did have that extended scene that may cause greater discomfort with some, though it was tastefully done. I don't know when or if Disney will release the film, despite subtitling it and allowing it to be broadcasted, but I hope that either Ghibli notices, Disney markets it to the arthouse and anime crowds, or sub-contracts it to another distributor (to "clean their name of it")--unlikely as all of it seems. Regardless, it's a real shame that it's still not out on DVD here, yet. |
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kiches
Posts: 10 |
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I had the priviledge of watching this during when my college was doing a "ghibli" film festival. It was the first time I was able to watch it, and other films like Pom Poko and Totoro which hadn't been put on dvd subbed yet. It's one of my favorite films and while I didn't catch some of the cultural references, I still found it highly enjoyable. I was super lucky to find a used copy of the Japanese R2 dvd for only $12, so of course I snatched it up.
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bahamut623
 Posts: 1463 |
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Like several people here, I once saw it just the one time when it was on TCM, but that one time was enough for me to fall in love with it. It was a truly great film and I hate that Disney hasn't done anything with it, even if the reasons are understandable.
Also "Memories: Boo Hoo" had me cracking up.
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Fronzel
Posts: 1906 |
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Wow.
I hated it. I could never tell what bearing the flashbacks had on the present, from which I got nothing from but "Waah! I don't like Tokyo! I wanna be a farmer!" Agrarian sentimentalism is a pet peeve of mine. I had difficulty taking things seriously when that overwrought shot of the old woman smiling amongst the safflower came along. Ghibli’s animation was pretty, as always, and I did enjoy seeing a depiction of mundane 1960’s Japanese life, but I really got very little out of this one. Maybe, having read Justin's impressions, I'd get more out of a second viewing....but I really don't want to try. |
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kallisti
Posts: 10 |
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It sounds to me like you haven't seen Only Yesterday to compare it to Pom Poko. While a story about tanuki is a difficult sell to a non-japanese mainstream audience, it does have selling points as a childrens movie in it's slapstick and action. Only Yesterday will leave kids fidgeting in their seats in no time flat and throwing popcorn or pulling out their nintendoDS shortly after. Kids are simply not the target audience and it is unfortunately a fact that animated movies must still be marketed towards children as pure kids movies or family movies for them to be able to recoup investment in western theaters. |
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Ai no Kareshi
 Posts: 561 Location: South Africa |
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You're certainly not alone. I think many people feel discomfort regarding their prior selves. I know I do. My dad's also been digitalizing the old family VHS archives recently, and I couldn't stand watching any of them (the ones that contain me, anyway).
I'll admit, though, that most of my regrets about my past self come from my high school years. My memories of that era come to haunt me on a regular basis. One thing that was a great therapy for this ghost was the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Tapestry, which teaches a valuable lesson about how past mistakes shape us into the people we are today. Here's a quote from Picard in that episode, "There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of... there were loose threads... untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I pulled on one of those threads... it had unraveled the tapestry of my life." Though I'm far from a Ghibli fan myself, maybe I should check out this film, if only because I feel I could relate. |
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nicomorr
 Posts: 127 Location: London, UK. |
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I really like this film & I'm always sad that Takahata Isao is so much in the shade at Ghibli. I saw a wonderful ARTE docu (on Howl I think) in French - showed Takahata unrolling an ancient scroll with leaping animals and it cut in and out of the Tanuki film .... his face was so reverential, moved me a lot. I think I would like him as a person.
"I have a lot in common with Taeko, the woman haunted by the fine details of her childhood". I would not say haunted. But of course we read our own childhoods in here - you got that right Justin 
Optimum Releasing info - here's a list of their anime DVD releases: http://www.optimumreleasing.com/dvd_search.php Go to 'search' box and limit to 'Animation' - it's an impressive little list and their QA is excellent. All Dogs Go to Heaven Appleseed Asterix and Cleopatra Asterix and the Vikings Asterix The Gaul Asterix, The Collected Adventures of Barefoot Gen and Barefoot Gen 2 Brave Story Castle of Cagliostro, The Cat Returns, The Film Noir Fire & Ice Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure Grave Of The Fireflies Grave of The Fireflies - Single Disc Howl's Moving Castle Howl's Moving Castle - Single Disc Jin-Roh Kiki's Delivery Service Laputa Castle In The Sky Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Little Norse Prince My Neighbour Totoro My Neighbours The Yamadas Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Only Yesterday Persepolis Persepolis Blu-Ray Plague Dogs Porco Rosso Princess Mononoke Rock-A-Doodle Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends Complete Season 1 Spirited Away Spirited Away - Single Disc Tales From Earthsea Tales from Earthsea - Single Disc Twelve Tasks of Asterix, The Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Whisper Of The Heart They're in the UK and that makes me proud. All newly packaged and with additions in many cases and high quality. Nico M edit: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Only-Yesterday-DVD-Isao-Takahata/dp/B000GHRCFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1242888562&sr=1-1 to purchase (NOTE: PAL TV system only. Will not play on NTSC-only DVD players sadly - you'll need a multi system player) |
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