Tear Jerker / Only Yesterday

• Taeko overhearing her mother say that she isn't "a normal child" after she does poorly on her maths test. Hearing such heartbreaking words from one's own parent, especially at such a young age, is an absolutely terrible feeling to go through.
• Taeko getting slapped by her father for going outside without shoes. It's a very sudden and unexpected moment, and both her mother and sister are visibly shocked at his action. Taeko crumples to the floor, crying her eyes out as her family watches. Older Taeko later explains that it was the first and last time that he ever physically hit her, implying that he very much regretted what he had done. It is the only time in the film we see the father display any kind of strong emotion at all.
• Taeko's father refusing to let her act in a major play for a university theatre, and demanding her to cease her interest in acting at once. Her dreams of becoming a big child star were quickly dashed in the matter of a few seconds, and for anyone who has ever experienced the pain of being forced to miss a major opportunity in their lives, it hits pretty close to home.
• Taeko's sister being consistently mean and their parents doing nothing to stop it. All siblings fight but when one sister drops her purse on the other sister's head it is sad that the parents don't say a word.

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