Film Name: 昨日青空 / Crystal Sky of Yesterday
Almost every year sees a blockbuster animated film, such as Monkey King: Hero Returns, Da Hai, or Dahufa. If Crystal Sky of Yesterday is fortunate enough to become this year’s hit animated film, then the biggest reason should be its “smallness”—the “small” details, “small” scenes, ‘small’ character designs, and “small” moments of beauty.
Every tiny detail in the film tugs at the heartstrings: the ugly, oversized school uniforms; the noisy senior high classrooms; the steaming breakfast stalls; the Coke from the school store; the video games you could never beat; the homeroom teacher’s constant nagging… What floods over you isn’t nostalgia, but the palpable, tangible reality of life.
The familiar scene in the arcade (I’m crying—Tank Battle and Thunder Fighter on the left, Naruto on the right)
The familiar drinks and snacks in the convenience store (with Raccoon Instant Noodles and AD Calcium Milk in the back)
Do you still remember those textbooks from back in the day?
Beyond the maddening little details found everywhere, every scene in “Crystal Sky of Yesterday” feels so authentic it makes you believe you’ve time-traveled. The film depicts it all with a simple yet delicate style: the streets of a small town, the scenery across the seasons, weather ranging from wind and rain to snow, rushing rivers, and ripening fruit—this is the real southern small town. The breakfast stall forever stuck with its three classic dishes, bicycles whizzing by, the “The First Slam Dunk” anime playing in the corner store, and handheld game consoles in nearly every hand—this is the authentic 1999. Textbooks piled high on desks, perpetually noisy classrooms, the well-meaning homeroom teacher, and the looming college entrance exams just around the corner—this is the authentic life of a senior year student. This authentic portrayal offers us a chance to revisit our youth. Frame by frame in this flashback journey, these ordinary moments become the most beautiful scenes.
Yes, “Crystal Sky of Yesterday” speaks to the youth we all know all too well—no complex characters or plots, no earth-shattering settings, no brutal coming-of-age tales or melodramatic romances. It offers only simple, nostalgic authenticity that strikes a chord with audiences.
For most people, the term “college entrance exam” carries an unspoken weight akin to the Japanese phrase “summer has ended.” It marks the threshold where youth concludes and a new chapter of life begins.
The film instantly transports viewers back to that tense, bustling senior high classroom. Not long ago, we too sat in such classrooms, filled with both uncertainty and hope for the future. We see Peanut sprinting to jump onto Tu Xiaoyi’s bicycle seat, both dashing into class as the bell rings. We witness Tu Xiaoyi, an average student, and Yao Zhetian, a top performer, becoming friends through creating a bulletin board. An accidental “basketball showdown” Tu Xiaoyi, Yao Zhetian, and the rebellious Qi Jingxuan gradually draw closer. Watching these four high schoolers with contrasting personalities ride bikes together, discuss college, the audience’s heart softens bit by bit. Back then, we too sneaked into class avoiding our homeroom teacher, we too cycled through our small town’s scenery during winter and summer breaks, we too dreamed of the future with our best friends, only to eventually go our separate ways.
Love in youth is a hand that reaches out yet pulls back. “Crystal Sky of Yesterday” authentically recreates those fleeting, unfulfilled romances of adolescence. Seeing Tu Xiaoyi secretly adore Yao Zhetian yet dare not speak, finally getting Qi Jingxuan to post his drawing in the mailbox only to cover it up before Yao noticed, witnessing Yao tugging Qi’s sleeve and whispering, “If you don’t take the college entrance exam, I won’t either”—in the darkness, the audience quietly sobs. This youthful romance finally draws to a close, leaving viewers nostalgic for their own tender first loves. Those youthful affections are like a bowl of ginger soup after a downpour—spicy upon tasting, yet warm in memory.
This is likely what sets “Crystal Sky of Yesterday” apart from other hit animations and youth films: it portrays youth with the utmost sincerity; it narrates heartbreak with beautiful strokes; it explores friendship and love without fixating on outcomes. Compared to fictional worlds and plots that seem thrilling yet are actually melodramatic, I’d much rather revisit my youth through an animation that celebrates these “little moments of beauty.”
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