Omohide Poro Poro (Only Yesterday)

Studio Ghibli, the world’s premiere anime movie studio, who along with master storytellers, Isao Takahata, and Hayao Miyazaki have brought such epic masterpieces as 2002's Academy Award Winning Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away), Tenkuu no Shiro Rapyuta (Laputa: Castle In The Sky), Kurenai no Buta (Porco Rosso), Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro), Mimi wo Sumaseba (Whisper of the Heart), Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko (Pom Poko), Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind) mysteriously still have one masterpiece yet to be released on DVD in the United States.

Omohide Poro Poro (Only Yesterday) is very much in the spirt of Mimi wo Sumaseba. It is also the last film of the Disney-Tokuma deal which is yet to be released as a Region 1 DVD, though it has most other places including subtitled in the UK on Region 2. Sadly it seems that it is not likely to be released soon either according to information found on nausicaa.net. Equally interesting is how this could be true since Omohide Poro Poro ranks high on the lists of many people as being one they desire to see on home video. On Turner Classic Movies Not-On-Home Video it ranks as second, TCM's Not-On-Home Video Rank: 2 behind only 1938's Marie Antoinette on Turner Classic Movie's most requested films not on DVD.

Omohide Poro Poro was a surprise for me. During this past January when Turner Classic Movies was having it's "Month of Miyazaki" tribute it was one of the many first time Studio Ghibli movies for me. Unlike ones such as Tenkuu no Shiro Rapyuta, Kurenai no Buta , Tonari no Totoro and Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko, which just blew me away with their spectacular animation and epic stories, Omohide Poro Poro, much like Mimi wo Sumaseba, shocked me with again with it's masterful storytelling but this time with two stories based more in reality.

While all these movies have depth of characters, are must see's for anyone who has yet to discover their powerful storytelling abilities, those two held more realism and touched me on a way anime, movies in general have not in a long time.

This time instead of following the almost heoric or spiritual archetypes found in other Studio Ghibli films, the story follows Taeko who comes across much more like someone you might work with, or see when walking around your neighborhood. In truth the story itself feels like a good friend or family member just having a great chat about their life.

Even fifteen years later the animation remains stunning, the backgrounds, as with all Studio Ghibli films, create the feeling of looking out a window rather then at a screen. You can almost smell the flowers, feel the rain as it is falling, and believe this is a place that you not only can go but have been in the past.

A masterful film with such magical abilities should not be so easily overlooked by those brining over Studio Ghibli films. Granted it might be overlooked for perhaps being based too deeply in realism, for that magical feel of not watching a movie but of talking to a good friend about their life, but it is one that is demanded by the fans, one that after seeing it even subtitled, a way I normally hate to see things, I couldn't see enough times. Sadly so far I've only been lucky enough to see it once, and for that I thank Turner Classic Movies.

In the days to come I will be reviewing and talking a little bit about each of the Studio Ghibli movies that I mentioned here and ones yet to be mentioned in the hopes of sharing this love of these special movies with those who have yet to see them and who have yet to discover their epic magic that makes each watching feel like returning to an old friend.

In the meantime I ask those reading to follow the advice on nausicaa.net and try to help bring Omohide Poro Poro (Only Yesterday) to Region 1 release, hopefully dubbed but at the very least in the subtitled version that already exists.