Yesterday wo Utatte (Sing "Yesterday" for Me)

Rikuo Uozumi has all but resigned himself to a bleak future, aimlessly working at a convenience store in Tokyo after graduating from college. His monotonous life is interrupted when the peculiar Haru Nonaka makes a lively appearance, frequently dropping by his workplace to befriend him. When Rikuo learns that an old college friend and crush, Shinako Morinome, has moved back into town, he reaches out to further their relationship. Unbeknownst to Rikuo however, Shinako is carrying painful memories from her past that were holding her back from accepting his feelings. Meanwhile, as Haru continually opens up to Rikuo, he discovers that she, much like him, is living by herself and wants to step out of her comfort zone into an uncertain future.

The past lingers long in the mind, and the future remains elusive. At a crossroads along their intertwined paths, these three experience what it means to let go of their feelings of yesterday and embrace the change that tomorrow brings.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:	Yesterday wo Utatte
Side story:	Yesterday wo Utatte: Haishin-ban Episode

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Morinome, Shinako

Main

Hanazawa, Kana
Japanese

Nonaka, Haru

Main

Miyamoto, Yume
Japanese

Uozumi, Rikuo

Main

Kobayashi, Chikahiro
Japanese

Yuzuhara, Chika

Supporting

Kitamura, Eri
Japanese

Kansuke

Supporting

Maekawa, Ryouko
Japanese

Hayakawa, Rou

Supporting

Hanae, Natsuki
Japanese

Kinoshita

Supporting

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa
Japanese

Minato, Kouichi

Supporting

Ono, Yuuki
Japanese

Sayama, Kyouko

Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya
Japanese

Fukuda, Takanori

Supporting

Terashima, Takuma
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Kamata, Hajime

Producer

Kabashima, Manami

Producer

Aoki, Yasuhiro

Assistant Producer

Fujiwara, Yoshiyuki

Director, Episode Director, Script, Series Composition

Edit

Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

Edit

Ending Theme

	1: "Kago no Naka ni Tori (籠の中に鳥)" by yourness (eps 1-6)
	2: "Aoibashi (葵橋)" by Sayuri (eps 7-9)
	3: "Yesterday wo Utatte (イエスタディをうたって)" by agehasprings feat. TaNaBaTa (eps 10-11)

More reviews

Reviews

Jun 20, 2020

cigare

Not Recommended

Spoiler

[Spoiler Alert]

Never in my life have I felt so angry, depressed, displeased, irritated, and resentful as when watching this anime. It's the first time that this has happened and all because of a girl. It was not because of the hatred I felt towards her, but instead of love. The love that I had for her is not something that a mere being like me can express as she deserves but it doesn't matter, I know it's there.

Yes, I'm talking about Haru Nonaka - an 18-years-old girl whose only desire was to be loved. Did you know her Height is 153cm and Weight 42kg? You ... probably have forgotten about that but surely I haven't. I remembered that since the first time she said it to Rikuo. The latter barely gave a shit even though, when "realistically" speaking he should have. People think "realistic" means stuff that might happen in the real world too, but without realizing everything we know is not that real, to begin with. What it really means is the way you envision it to be.

So, to make it fair I visualized myself as the main character and according to me, I'd instantly fall in love with Haru. Remember when in the first couple of minutes of the first episode Haru shows up and asks for a bento? Asking for such a thing, a cute girl with a voice of an Angel would surely make anyone fall in love. Unfortunately, in this abomination of an anime that didn't happen because the protagonist is an incompetent homunculus. He is by far the worst thing of the entire anime. Because of his inability to see through people's feelings (something he should be able to do with ease), he has made suffer over and over again Haru but the worst thing about this is that he never realized that.

When Haru said to Shinako that she wasn't going to lose to her, I immediately knew that the latter was going to be a pain in the ass. Which it turns out she was. Shinako (the main villain of the series) is the girl who had told Rikuo several times that she didn't want to date him and that they were just friends. The truth is, because of the contrived writing that doesn't turn out to be the case since you know, Rikuo has spent more time with Shinako rather than Haru, you know, the promised girl. In all of this, it also turns out Shinako has loved somebody else but in the present storyline, he is dead. As Rikuo wasn't enough to have gotten manipulated by Shinako, it also turns out she has also manipulated his once lover's little brother which it turns out, he loves Shinako, because of course, he does. Of course.

It's all confusing that serves nothing but to make Haru suffer, just for the sake of it. Is like, why? Shinako rejected Rikuo many times, yet, the two still meet but not as friends but rather as... I guess lovers? For the lack of a better term, I'll go with that. In the continuity of the story, it doesn't make any sense and it shouldn't have gone that way at all. I don't think there's anything else to talk about since it's the same stuff. Only misunderstandings that aim to solely wound Haru. Everything goes like that and It's repellent. It sickens me.

As for the finale - I would be lying if I said that I'm not happy for Haru ending up with Rikou, but there's a big NO here. There was little to no development here. It should have been more development on the two's relationship for that to work. What I saw was futile. Not worthy but Haru was at least lovely, so there's that. Still giving 1 for all the suffering Haru has gone through, though.

I'm sorry for continuously repeating "Haru" but goddammit if that's frustrating. Don't you think that way as well? You don't? It's fine - yet every time I see her being left alone, my soul gets empty. I can't avoid that. Do I really have fallen in love with her? Huh, it seems so.

Open

Gift

Jun 20, 2020

SingleH

Not Recommended

This is a show about a bunch of permanent adolescents who whine and bitch about stupid shit they shouldn’t be whining and bitching about anymore, and they do so all whilst acting like the petty elements of their lives which they’re whining and bitching about are actually mature in their complexity and worthy of deep contemplation. Ultimately, this show is either one of two things: a very young, amateur author’s idea of what adults’ emotional tribulations look like, or a cynical ploy by a very intelligent author who knows exactly how to pander to impressionable audiences and trick teenagers into watching a show by presenting ... it as being more high-minded than it actually is. Your ability to relate to the show on any given occasion is predicated on whether or not you’re a fucking crybaby, which would honestly be fine if all the characters were petulant little brats, but they’re not, at least not physically. They’re (petulant little) young adults...right? Is that not the selling point of the show? Because I forgot as it dragged on, and the show refused to remind me, because despite the fact all the concurrent events have the characters in their twenties, every plot-relevant detail to the drama is drama which took place in their highschool and college years—which, if nothing else, is the true marketing genius of the show: giving young viewers adult characters to project themselves onto yet also keeping the ideas at hand simple enough for even a toddler to lament.

The main guy is a loser who never came to terms with being a loser, and seeing as he had no reason to become genuinely, seriously depressed, he just became a gloomy incel who works as a convenience store cashier to get by with his shoebox apartment. Despite having no human worth whatsoever, he still holds feelings for his college idol who’s ninety lightyears out of his league—but wait! Her being above this guy in every way and the two having zero chemistry isn’t the real issue, the real issue is she herself held feelings for someone else, that someone else died, and she can’t get over him and move on. Then there’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl, a highschooler who breaks down the awkwardness between the two by turning the whole thing into a contrived love triangle where no one is actually in love with the right person because drama. Main Guy likes Tragic Heroine but that can’t happen because she’s held back by Dead Plot Device Boyfriend; Tragic Heroine insists she likes no one despite constantly leading on Main Guy and giving Manic Pixie Dream Girl the idea she has a rival; and Manic Pixie Dream Girl herself likes Main Guy because she borderline stalked him after they had one single human interaction which was so insignificant, he literally forgot it happened between them. There’s more characters, of course, like Seemingly Asexual Best Bro or Anti-Romance Younger Sibling, but if you’re looking for a character which can’t be permanently defined by an archetype you’ve seen too often to count, you’ll find yourself very much out of luck.

The show tries to come across as down-to-earth and relatable by keeping things quiet, but seeing as no character has even the thinnest shred of a personality, the plodding nature of the show just comes across as torturously boring, and that’s not even mentioning how much the set-up itself utterly butchers everything which it’s blatantly attempting to rip-off. If any facet of the concept sounded familiar to you, it’s probably because it is familiar. It unabashedly steals dramatic pretexts from genre staples like Maison Ikkoku and Welcome to the NHK and keeps forcing together this bizarre concoction of unoriginal plot devices out of their bastardized elements until the monstrosity that’s left can actually stand and walk on its own two feet, even if it’s less of a walk and more of a drunken stumble through meaningless interactions, trite conversations, and an absolutely depressing lack of any lasting character development whatsoever. Like, it couldn’t be content with just being vapid, it had to then go and reel people in with dramatic familiarity and unfounded nostalgia only to outright disrespect them, seeing as the price of admission for relating to this cardboard cutout of a show on any given occasion is your ability to project your real feelings onto the fake ones this show instates upon its non-characters for the sole purpose of killing time: both its and yours. A worthless coming of age starring individuals who should’ve already done so which glorifies the fact they have yet to.

Which I suppose is the one and only silver lining to this pathetic realization of a fundamentally hackneyed script, because if you take it to be intentional, you could then make the argument it is, indeed, actually the thematic heart and soul of the work. “The Asuka in your head and the Asuka in hers.” Shinseiki Evangelion described this dynamic ingeniously over two decades ago, and while I think comparisons to one work are not valid criticism for another, I also think watching three uncharismatic assholes project their emotions on one another until they’re all caught up in this maddening downwards spiral of melodramatic nausea and childish misunderstandings which don’t even resolve themselves over the course of twelve full episodes of TV anime is the dictionary definition of hell on Earth, and if that’s your idea of engaging media, then my review will be of no use to you. This show is cold, hard proof the current generation—Gen Z, Millennials, Zoomers, whatever you want to say—is so pathetically coddled, their immaturity has effectively pushed back the age at which teen melodrama can be acceptably portrayed in media. It repurposed elements from more mature and meaningful works as a vehicle to deliver on a product not only inferior and worth no one’s time, but a product which is so mind-numbingly juvenile, the stolen elements cease to even reach their intended audience any longer, and do little more than add to the already towering mountain of melodrama. While it’s easily Doga Kobo’s most beautifully animated project in years, it’s just as easily their most unenjoyable project since ever.

Thank you for reading.

Open

Gift

Jun 20, 2020

dlxuniuniu

Recommended

Life is complicated, especially when it comes to love.
Who do we have feelings for, are they enough for a close and familiar relationship or is it more of a friendly nature? This anime focuses on these aspects and presents them in everyday situations that can also be imagined in real life.

Yesterday wo Utatte was one of the most hyped series for the Spring season in 2020, so let's take a closer look at it:

STORY:
Friendzone or more? Many of us have already gotten into this situation. If the feeling of love is only one-sided, even friendship is in danger. Our protagonist Rikuo is also affected ... by this and experiences how difficult and uncomfortable it can be. Initially without big goals and dreams, he continues to develop with the help of his friends. He really loves his old college female friend Shinako but she had a sad past and lost the person she loves the most. She isn't sure about her future...in the meantime we also get to know Haru, our energetic and happy girl. She loves Rikuo and is willing to do everything for him. Also Haru had a hard past where she dropped out of school even. But in the end it doesn't matter how hard or uncomfortable the past was, whether old love reappears, the most important question is how the future looks like. Where do I get the motivation to change my life? Our protagonists must also ask themselves all these important questions.

CHARACTERS:
The characters play an enormously important role for love relationships, they are the absolute main aspect. Without being able to understand their thoughts and actions, this anime would not have succeeded. The nice thing is that you can put yourself in the role of the characters. We can understand their joy and their pain very well. We experience how they develop, set new goals and all of that step by step. Love relationships are complicated, but every person wants to love and be loved.

ART:
The environment gives you a very idyllic, but also realistic feeling. Every single scene was presented as it could be in real life: from the houses, buildings to the decoration in the rooms, everything was very well thought out. The expressions and emotions of the character also come out well. Not even the smallest detail has been forgotten.

SOUND:
Nowadays we experience not many animes that do not have an OP. "Yesterday wo Utatte" is one of the few exceptions. After a short opening scene where we normally expect the opening song, it is left out. In the beginning maybe a little unusual, but suitable for this anime. During the episode everything was well thought and even the smallest detail are presented perfectly: We hear quiet engine noises during a dialogue in the background, we can hear their emotions from the characters' voices, even the pouring of water sounds like in reality. Perfect ED songs complete the whole thing. The lyric of these are suitable for the feelings and also the music is tuned accordingly.

ENJOYMENT:
After the first episode, this anime got my full attention. The everyday situation, a complicated love affair, all of this captivates the viewer. Everyone wants to know what's going on. Where does the journey of our characters go, who gets together with whom ... the anime answers all these questions a little more with each episode. One or the other will probably ask herself/himself what she/he would have done in such a situation.
BUT!!! Without spoilering anything, it can be said that 12 Episodes is definitely not enough to cover the whole plot. A rushed ending can give you a very unsatisfying feeling.

All in all, I recommend everyone to give this anime a try, even if you might not like such genres in general. With all its good aspects, "Yesterday wo Utatte" will surely get your attention.

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Adults in relationships

by Ariies_

48 Entries · 67 Restacks

Anime Based on Significantly Older Manga

by MeanMrMusician

17 Entries · 32 Restacks

Forbidden Love Story (Incest, Heram and LGBTQ+ anime not included)

by ZXEAN

49 Entries · 128 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

Spring 2020 Simulcast List [Update 4/28]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of anime acquired for simulcast release during the Spring 2020 season. Anime series licensed for home video rel...read more

Mar 25, 2020 8:58 PM by Snow | Discuss (68 comments)

Spring 2020 Preview

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of Spring 2020 titles with an accompanying promotional video (PV), commercial (CM), or trailer. This post will ...read more

Mar 16, 2020 1:45 PM by Snow | Discuss (17 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Yesterday wo Utatte Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Jun 20, 2020	436 replies	by Mr_Fudgee »» May 24, 8:14 AM
Poll: Yesterday wo Utatte Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Jun 13, 2020	203 replies	by Mr_Fudgee »» May 24, 4:37 AM
Poll: Yesterday wo Utatte Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jun 6, 2020	128 replies	by Mr_Fudgee »» May 24, 1:44 AM
Poll: Yesterday wo Utatte Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - May 30, 2020	105 replies	by Mr_Fudgee »» May 23, 9:44 PM
Poll: Yesterday wo Utatte Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - May 23, 2020	177 replies	by Mr_Fudgee »» May 23, 7:10 PM

Recent Featured Articles

In Numbers: Spring 2020 Premiere Rankings

The season is now fully underway, but which shows took off running and which tripped at the starting line?

by Shymander

56,317 views

Yesterday wo Utatte

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Morinome, Shinako

Nonaka, Haru

Uozumi, Rikuo

Yuzuhara, Chika

Kansuke

Hayakawa, Rou

Kinoshita

Minato, Kouichi

Sayama, Kyouko

Fukuda, Takanori

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Yesterday wo Utatte

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-