Yesterday wo Utatte ou Sing “Yesterday” for Me (free translation: Sing “Yesterday” for Me) is a slice-of-life seinen anime that differs from other anime of the season due to its complex characters with common problems, making it easy for the viewer to relate to them.
Yesterday manages to show how mundane lives have special aspects that don't usually receive attention, such as deep feelings hiding behind trivial actions, the subtle value of everyday life.
The author Kei Toume began “Yesterday wo Utatte” inspired by the song of the same name by the band RC Succession (which was used as the 3rd ED in the anime), which is inspired by the song Yesterday by The Beatles , and to better understand this work and analysis, I strongly recommend listening to them before reading.
The four main characters of the story presented here are: Rikuo Uozumi, Haru Nonaka, Shinako Morinome , and Rou Hayakawa.
The following text is based on the beginning of the anime and not on the complete work.
Warning! Spoilers below!
Rikuo Uozumi
Uozumi finished college 6 months ago. He had planned to confess his feelings to his friend Shinako on graduation day, but he didn't.
With no clear goal in mind and feeling lost, he started working at a convenience store, where he met a strange girl named Haru, who would always visit him at work. Although he felt uncomfortable with it, he always found himself thinking about her.
However, Rikuo reunites with Shinako in Tokyo and ends up confessing his feelings, only to be rejected. Despite all the disappointment and sadness, he finds a hobby in photography, but remains insecure about taking the next step.
Haru Nonaka
Nonaka dropped out of high school because her school disapproved of her work at the "Milk Hall" café because it sold alcoholic beverages at night. Despite being a cheerful and positive girl, she has her moments of sadness, but always with consistent reasons.
Haru has feelings for Rikuo and says she met him 5 years ago, but initially he doesn't remember her because of her drastic change in appearance; she used to be a girl in a uniform with her hair tied up, and now she's an extravagant and sincere person who has a crow named Kansuke as a pet.
Having dropped out of high school, she tries to avoid Shinako, who was her former teacher, but after learning that Rikuo likes Shinako, Haru confronts her and declares war, saying that she will not lose to her former teacher.
Shinako Morinome
Morinome is depressed because her high school sweetheart passed away due to an illness, which caused her to leave her hometown of Kanazawa and move to Tokyo. However, her late boyfriend's father and younger brother live in Tokyo, and she visits them frequently, leaving her with a void in her heart, always carrying the weight of her beloved's death on her chest.
In addition to the fact that her deceased love's younger brother, Rou, is romantically pursuing her, leaving her with a feeling of guilt for causing this kind of behavior in someone she considers a brother.
For these reasons, Shinako can't close the doors to her past or open new ones to the future. Not knowing how to respond to Rikuo's feelings, and even with her former student Haru declaring war against her over Rikuo, their conversations always keep her grounded, inspiring her to move forward.
Rou Hayakawa
Hayakawa is a high school student and the younger brother of Shinako's deceased boyfriend. He used to enjoy drawing, but stopped after his older brother's death, only returning to it years later.
He harbors unrequited feelings for Shinako, feels the need to provide the support his older brother couldn't, forcing himself to mature faster so that Shinako will consider him a man, but continues to act like a spoiled child, seeing Rikuo as a rival.
Conceptual map demonstrating the relationships between the characters
Yesterday wo Utatte is an anime adaptation by studio Doga Kobo consisting of 12 episodes and 6 specials, which premiered in April 2020 and is based on the manga by writer and illustrator Kei Toume, published between December 1997 and June 2015 by Shueisha in the magazines Business Jump (1997-2011) and Grand Jump (2011-2015), totaling 11 volumes.
"Life is 49% about the past and 51% about the future."