BLAST FROM PAST GETS NEEDED ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Previously only available in Japanese, Isao Takahata’s plaintive and low- key animated drama has finally been translated for its 25th anniversary. Much more in a realist mode than even other Studio Ghibli films — it feels like a 19th- century French novel in line drawings — Only Yesterday follows Taeko, a disaffected Japense salary woman, on her vacation to the country. As she rides the train, she reflects on her childhood; Takahata gives this both a fun and mournful quality, capturing the sadness and sweetness of reflecting on our younger selves, while also showing how hard it is to escape our preteen patterns. Overall it’s a melancholy affair, but one that’s quite likely to leave you feeling like you’re floating on a cloud. Only Yesterday opens on Feb. 26 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto. ΩΩΩ