Every Studio Ghibli Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Only Yesterday represents something of a curiosity int he context of the rest of the Studio Ghibli output: it was consciously designed to be different, adding detail in animation not usually seen in anime, and sought a more realistic style for this slighter story of a woman seeking to find herself by removing herself from her life.

There's a similar sort of nostalgic approach to the fantasy of escape as in most Ghibli work - whether it's done through more overt fantastical elements or simply by heading into the past - and further vindication of those who might not feel quite right with the mundanity of accepted existence. Like every other Ghibli film, it wants us to dream.

Isao Takahata's second film for Studio Ghibli was a landmark proving that animation could be both adult and complex, and that plot doesn't necessarily have to be bursting with spectacle and thrills. The more gentle approach means there's more opportunity to focus on core humanist values and universal issues like love and loss, amidst a general agenda to get the viewer to remember what made them.