Only Yesterday (1991, Isao Takahata)

Revisiting the world of Ghibli after a long hiatus nurtured my senses back to the times when I was head over heels for the superficial realism and the adequately sufficient value of philosophy it made into a coalescent piece of coherency.

Having explored all the collaborations of Miyazaki with this studio, it was time to venture into the magical mindspace of another stalwart the then animator, Isao Takahata. While Grave of the Fireflies struck the swansong of a sibling during the times of warfare and distress to create a painful memorial saga which rippled minds with tears and agony, Only Yesterday gives the most realistic outlook to the teenage wasteland animation has ever produced. 

I can't stress enough on how accurate was the depiction of the entire act of adolescence. With the small blushingly gaze of looking at your childhood love to the internal confliction of an adult reeling from the yesteryear mistakes represented by subtle altercations in the body language, Takahata Sensei pulled off yet another blistering masterpiece, that stands the test of time. While films based on magical realism or the distressing anecdotes of war violence can only be felt, films like these has the indisputable potential to touch the cohort human psyche with heavy dashes of nostalgia and reality check at the same time. 

Yet, after being so downright truthful and honest on the messaging, the film subverts and reverbs back to the sweet sweet world of fantasy and alluring atmosphere embedded with reveries and daydreaming.

Never really expected this film to touch those sky-high expectations of my subconscious mind, and now it lives in the zenith of my comfortable mindspace, unscathed, unscratched, and rent-free.