About Look Back
Look Back is a Japanese one-shot film, but originally a manga that Tatsuki Fujimoto wrote and illustrated, published in 2021. Fujimoto is most famous for his other works, Fire Punch and the ever-popular Chainsaw Man.
This year has had some big anime film releases such as My Hero Academia: You’re Next, HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle, and Ultraman: Rising.
Manga
Look Back is a 143-page one-shot manga that Tatsuki Fujimoto posted online on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ in 2021. In February 2022, Viz Media announced that it had licensed the manga, and they published it in September of the same year.
Look Back Film
In February 2024 an anime adaptation was announced on X, formerly Twitter. The adaptation is produced by Studio Durian, who helped in the production of The Boy and the Heron. While Kiyotaka Oshiyama directed the adaptation.
The film had a worldwide theatrical release, in select theaters. With a runtime of just under an hour. Additionally, on November 7, 2024, the film became available to stream on Prime Video.
Synopsis
Ayumu Fujino, a fourth-grader, regularly draws four-panel manga for her school newspaper and is known for having the best artwork in her class. One day, her teacher asks her to give up one of her manga slots for a student named Kyomoto, who skips school. When Kyomoto’s panels appear next to Fujino’s, it gets a lot of praise for its detailed art, making Fujino very jealous.
Determined not to be outdone by someone who rarely comes to school, Fujino works hard to improve her drawing skills. However, as time goes on, she finds it harder to catch up to Kyomoto. By the time she’s in sixth grade, she decides to stop drawing manga altogether.
On graduation day, a teacher asks Fujino to deliver Kyomoto’s graduation certificate. By chance, the two finally meet face-to-face, and this unexpected encounter leads them to drawing together.
Anime Trailer
What I Liked about the Look Back Film
Visuals & Animation
The story focuses on the struggles of artists, and mangaka’s in particular. There will always be people better than you, it’s inevitable. I’m not an artist, so I don’t understand the struggles that Fujino and Kyomoto go through. However, the visuals help with that.
The visual storytelling is clear, and smooth. Director Oshiyama translated the manga panels into animated form very well.
More than just struggles of artists, the story shows struggles in friendship, and passion. Fujino gets bullied in middle school because she likes to draw, and that’s seen as a ‘childish’ thing for middle schoolers. Even when she loves drawing and does everything in her power to improve, she seemed ashamed of it.
All these struggles didn’t need any dialogue. That’s how clear the visual storytelling of Director Oshiyama was.
Art Style
I’m a fan of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s art style. I personally have not read or watched any of his other works, however it’s impossible to have not seen them. His works, especially Chainsaw Man, are famous and mainstream for many reasons. One of them being the art style.
The art of Look Back isn’t any different. It has that Fujimoto style, so fans of his will recognize it. Both the manga and anime film look great.
Would I Recommend You Watch the Look Back Film / Read the One-Shot Manga?
The first time I read the manga, the story was a bit confusing at the end. I had to re-read the ending to fully understand it. The other 95% of the story was clear and was great.
If you enjoy stories of friendship, Look Back might be something you could consider to add to your watch list or to-read list. If I had to pick one, I would recommend you watch it instead of reading it. The visual storytelling is just too good. However, if you like reading more, there isn’t anything wrong with the manga.
