Note: This review is spoiler-free and intends to succinctly tell you, the potential viewer, about various aspects that make this show interesting. Unfortunately, there are no pictures here :)
While I'm sure there are all sorts of romances out there, chances are high that you probably haven't run into anime that chooses to do "realistic" romance. This is not surprising, as the medium ends up wanting to satisfy younger audiences with dramatic stories and relatable yet inspiring characters. There are few who would like to be amazed at the incompetence of Ikari Shinji or the likes. We would rather prefer reading an Adachi Mitsuru work or watching Hachimitsu to Clover.
The charm of Yesterday wo Uttate could be encapsulated in saying that it is an anime that chooses to strongly ground itself in real-life characters with the purpose of exploring adolescent ennui, the resulting incompetence all in the context of understanding male-female relationships.
With a stellar voice-acting cast and some remarkable animators who were willing to produce an anime by giving it the right amount of time, introspection, and love, Yesterday wo Uttate is an excellent example of a good production.
Striving for realistic aesthetics in anime is a tough thing to do. Yesterday wo Uttate does this by developing unique mannerisms for each character and pairing it up with seiyuu's, hand-picked for emulating just the right mood and emotions. What are we talking about here? Imagine something as simple as one's countenance or speaking habits - the way in which we nod gently while listening to someone speak, or how we might hunch over a little a stroke our hair while waiting for someone. All this and so much more! The human world is full of an intricate system of movements. Yesterday wo Uttate gives special attention to these movements - animates them with the right frames and pacing.
This gives the anime a very slick visual feeling - neatly drawn water-colour-like backgrounds on which some extremely realistic characters and movement are juxtaposed. Yesterday is not alone in this respect - Tsuki ga Kirei, Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai, Just Because, Koe no Katachi come to mind.
Pretty much everything in this show has been given appropriate time and thought - the ending songs by yourness and Sayuri - lyrics and accompanying animation, voice actors, photography, paneling and even the camera angles - from close-ups to shaky pov's to smooth pans and some excellent body shots. (Ah Shinako's finger movements!!!)
Kobayashi Chikahiro's work in Beastars and Yesterday has been exceptional. The way in which he incorporates natural pauses and deliberation into his accent is an excellent fit for your typical self introspecting seinen MC who finds themselves brooding over stuff. And I can't begin to describe why HanaKana was THE choice for Shinako! The insecurities of an otherwise alluring late twenties female who is confused about her interpersonal relationships couldn't have possibly received a better voice than hers!!
Having said all that, let's come back to what this anime is about - confusion, procrastination, and the illusion of love.
What do I want to do in my life? Why should I work hard?
How do I make a satisfactory living for myself?
Why do I want to fall in love? Why do I like someone? Why does someone like me?
Yesterday takes the above mass of questions (and many others) and implements the above techniques to explore emotions that all of us have but are in fact scared to admit. As a consequence, we look at characters who aren't very inspiring, but they are very real and beautiful. Yesterday does not mean to preach HOW YOU SHOULD LIVE, it's about just another set of humans struggling to make sense of life.
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