Look Back is a film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original manga by the same name. You may know Fujimoto by his most popular work, Chainsaw Man.
Look Back, directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama and featuring music by Haruka Nakamura, was released in the United States on July 14, 2024. With a run time of 60 minutes, Look Back explores the story of Fujino and Kyomoto. Both of these young girls create four-panel comic strips for their elementary newspaper. Fujino begins to realize her inferiority to Kyomoto’s stunning background artwork. And so, she decides to focus exclusively on improving her skills. After around two years, she still cannot reach Kyomoto’s skill level and decides to give up on art.
After graduating from middle school, Fujino is tasked with delivering Kyomoto’s diploma to her house. The two end up meeting, and this sparks Fujino’s interest in art again. They end up becoming friends and working together to create a one-shot (one volume manga that contains a short story) that ends up winning a competition. They continued to make manga together through high school under the name “Kyo Fujino.”
To avoid spoilers, I’ll end the plot introduction here. This story explores the love of art, the frustrating creative process, but more importantly, the inseparable friendship between Fujino and Kyomoto. On top of that, it also explores the process of grief and the experience of love and loss.
Overall, Look Back has been regarded as a “must-watch” film by critics and audiences. I highly recommend you at least check it out! It’s only an hour, has beautiful animation and visuals, and may capture your heart!
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Personal Opinion and Spoilers:
I personally found Look Back to be somewhat disappointing. The major issue with the film is its length: it’s far too short. The movie relies on the audience getting attached to the two main protagonists. I, however, found them somewhat unlikable and did not make enough of a connection. Fujino is egotistical and boastful (while being very self-conscious underneath the surface), while Kyomoto is shy, reserved, and awkward. Fujino just comes off as a prick, even going as far as saying, “keep your eyes on my back and you’ll grow too.” It feels like there isn’t much of a reason for Fujino to like Kyomoto other than the fact that she boosts her ego. It leaves these characters feeling somewhat flat and uninteresting. It’s overt that they care about each other by Fujino missing Kyomoto when they separate later in the film. Or by Kyomoto collecting all of Fujino’s work. But why should I care? I think if it spent more time was spent on showing them together, other than through slideshows and a short sequence of them hanging out in the city, it could do a lot of justice for these characters and connect them to the audience.
Beyond that, their bond is heavily relied on in regards to the ending. To me, Look Back is more of a film about love and grief than it is about art. Art and the creative process are not really a focus of the film, as reviewers may make it out to be. It’s more so a film about how these two bond over a shared interest, how it influences their dynamic, and why it also tears them apart and leads to a decent depiction of overcoming grief. That’s why the issue of their relationship and their dynamic not being stronger is such a big issue to me. The whole film hinges on their bond being believable and endearing.
The depiction of grief is the part of the film I found to be the most interesting.
After Kyomoto and Fujino graduated from high school, they were offered the opportunity of having a serialized series in Shonen Jump (manga publishing company). Fujino is pumped, yet Kyomoto is unwilling to take the opportunity. Instead, she wants to further her education at an art school. This leads them to be torn apart. Later on, during Kyomoto’s education, she is murdered by an enraged student at her school. This horrifies Fujino. She ends up visiting Kyomoto’s house, where she feels guilty for ever bringing her out of her room in the first place (before Fujino and Kyomoto met, Kyomoto never really left her house)(if she hadn’t, she believes Kyomoto would have never met the man who murdered her). Fujino tears up a comic strip she drew of Kyomoto when they first met, and it slips under Kyomoto’s door. Going under the door, we are taken to an alternate timeline where they hadn’t met yet. Instead of Kyomoto dying in college, she’s saved by Fujino, and they end up drawing manga together afterward. In the real timeline, Fujino enters Kyomoto’s room and reminisces on their old memories. Despite them splitting up, Kyomoto had been reading Fujino’s serialized manga. From this, Fujino can accept Kyomoto’s death and returns to her work, which is where the movie ends.
I found the use of doors interesting. But, as I said before, the movie hinges on a relationship that isn’t properly explored. It’s also a pretty short sequence of nostalgia. On top of that, Kyomoto would have gone to college regardless in both timelines. A possible solution to the issue of run-time and the weak bond is to change the sequence of the film’s events. Perhaps start the film at the end with the mourning of Kyomoto. Then, perhaps move their childhood after to build context. Maybe this would give them more time to spend on their bond, what they think, how they feel. But overall, the original timeline could’ve worked better if the film was longer.
Overall, Look Back is a good movie; I personally just didn’t like it. If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend checking it out and seeing what you think! At the end of the day, everyone else seems to love this movie. Most audiences seem to have found deep and great meaning within the film. As artists, it’s especially easy to relate to these two characters and their struggles. Just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean that you’ll feel the same way!
Featured Image: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Look-Back/0UA9Q3CLPT1Q1GZL2M0N4JRHRL
Look Back Manga Cover: https://www.amazon.com.tr/Look-Back-Tatsuki-Fujimoto/dp/3755500930
Chainsaw Man Volume 1 Cover: https://www.amazon.com/Chainsaw-Man-Vol-1/dp/1974709930
Fujino Drawing: https://cinemadailyus.com/reviews/look-back-is-an-immersion-in-the-inner-world-of-manga-artists/
Kyomoto and Fujino: https://fromthefourthrow.com/2024/10/07/look-back-review-a-beautifully-animated-film-that-should-have-been-longer/
Fujino and Kyomoto Running: https://www.wheninmanila.com/look-back-manga-adaptation-film-review
Kyomoto and Fujino Drawing Together: https://awardswatch.com/look-back-review-tatsuki-fujimotos-manga-masterpiece-becomes-a-beautiful-hour-of-anime/
Kyomoto and Fujino Eating Together: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/look_back_2024
Kyomoto and Fujino Nervous: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2024/06/26/film/look-back-anime-review
Fujino Mourning: https://screenrant.com/look-back-movie-fujimoto-changed-how-i-see-art
Kyomoto and Fujino as Kids: https://comicbook.com/anime/news/look-back-anime-movie-us-release-date/