There were a couple times in my life when I got to live in the countryside. First when I was only around 3-5 years old the memories of those times I could barely remember and last when I was in high school. I was around 12-15 years old at that time. And I must say, it was the most interesting and fun years especially of my teenage life.
The reason why I was able to reminisce those times is the anime I watched with my mama sometime last month. It's called ONLY YESTERDAY.
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It's about a 27-year old woman named Taeko who has lived in Tokyo since she was very young. In her younger years, she envies her friends and classmates who enjoy going back to their family's hometowns in the countryside. She wanted to do so as well, but her family's hometown has always been Tokyo and they didn't have any relatives in the countryside to visit or have a vacation in.
When one of her sisters got married, she finally got the chance to visit her brother-in-law's family in the countryside. She was already a working adult when she experience the things she has always wanted to try. On one of her trips to the countryside, she reminisced a lot of things during her childhood while on the train.
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She reminisced the time she spent with her family... the fun and not-so-fun times. The picture above might be one of my favorite memories she has shared. There's an interesting story behind that pineapple. It's so cute. haha
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The memory of her cute little puppy love was so adorable as well. As she reminisced her childhood in the film, I was able to do some reminiscing myself. It's so relatable that I somehow sympathize with her and the other characters in the movie. There were also other memories she recalled as puberty struck her and her peers -- how they adjusted to the changes and stuff.
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While in the countryside, she helped her now relatives in their farm work like harvesting safflower and different other stuff. She really enjoyed every moment she spent there. The view of their place was awesome. I guess it's expected since it's a Ghibli movie. Well, excluding the magical part of it. I really like realistic Ghibli stories, too! The fields, mountains, forests, everything is so beautiful. Well, it was released in the 90s, so it also reflect life around those times like smoking and not-so-good things. haha
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I just like the humor and the positive vibes this animated film has brought. And oh, there's a subtle love story between her and Toshio who is (if I remember correctly) a distant cousin of her brother-in-law. Their personalities compliment each other and I can't help but smile whenever I see both of them interacting. They're just so cute to look at despite their age. You can still feel their innocence. haha
All in all, I enjoyed watching this animated film. It made me want to live in the countryside again. I miss the view of the fields and mountains on one side and the sea on the other side. Yes, I used to live in such place in high school. It was calm and amazing, but we had to go back to the city for my college and papa's work that time. But really, if the internet connection (for work and entertainment purposes) becomes more stable in the countryside, I'd definitely go back and live there again. For now, I'd try to keep calm and continue living in the city... I don't go out often anyway. lol
A lot of my high school friends still live in the countryside and it's really fun to see their posts on social media. I hope to spend time with them again. Last time I did was during our reunion a couple years back. Hopefully we could have one again once the situation becomes much better. <3
