2024 saw many anime-movie adaptations, especially those of popular series like Haikyuu! The Dumpster Battle or Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, focused on subplots focused on side characters. However, one of the most exciting anime adaptations may be Look Back, an adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot (single manga chapter) of the same name. Tatsuki Fujimoto is best known for his series Chainsaw Man, which skyrocketed in popularity with its series adaptation in 2022. Chainsaw Man has won over audiences with its action-fantasy world and elaborate fighting sequences, but Look Back is critically acclaimed for its tender, emotional sincerity, reaching millions of readers in the first day of its debut as a manga chapter. The film has achieved critical acclaim as well, winning over critics and audiences alike with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100% and an audience score of 99%.
Look Back begins with Fujino, a fourth-grader who draws silly four-panel comic strips in her school newspaper. In addition to being outgoing and popular, she is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics and as a result, is extremely confident of her artistic skills. Later, she is asked to share the slot with another student, Kyomoto, whom she does not know. Confident in her abilities, she arrogantly accepts and becomes immediately humbled and dismayed by Kyomoto’s technical skill in depicting landscapes and places. The movie brings their artwork to life, breaking out of Fujimoto’s style in a fun surprise when it portrays Fujino’s comic strips in their childlike style while capturing the serenity of Kyomoto’s drawings in fleshed-out paintings.
Envious of Kyomoto’s abilities, Fujino fixates on improving her own art, exhibiting a trance-like dedication as she begins to neglect her studies and social life, much to the concern of those around her. Told through montages of Fujino hunched over a desk against the backdrop of changing seasons, classrooms, and gradual accumulation of art-related memorabilia, the film stays true to its original medium in depicting Fujino’s tenacity, not holding back from depicting the mundanity and hard work behind the creative process.
At one point, Fujino gives up on art; she becomes disillusioned with improving and fails to see the payoff in all her hard work. It isn’t until she meets Kyomoto, who professes her admiration for Fujino’s comic strips, that Fujino’s passion for art is rejuvenated along with the beginning of a new friendship. The scene plays out in the pouring rain, where Fujino cooly accepts Kyomoto’s praise before walking home, escalating her steps into stomping and skipping across a muddy dirt path as a hopeful and rejuvenating score plays, mirroring Fujino’s excitement. She rushes home, abandoning her wet backpack on the floor of her bedroom, and returns to drawing in the same hunched stature.
They end up collaborating on a project, ensuing a montage of the two drawing, hunched and sprawled over in different parts of Fujino’s bedroom through changing seasons and times as more paper, pencil and materials accumulate around them, and their tenacity pays off after placing second in a manga competition. Though Fujino and Kyomoto are foils to one another— Fujino’s outgoing confidence and imagination contrasts Kyomoto’s reclusive nature— their shared interest makes for a productive team, with Fujino working on the story while Kyomoto embellishes with background art. Fujino’s jealousy, from learning of Kyomoto’s admiration, evolves into frenzied motivation as Fujino realizes the impact her art can have. Kyomoto, previously secluded and isolated, finds an outlet for her art through Fujino, who has the energy and ideas to execute projects that Kyomoto would never have done on her own. In one scene, the girls celebrate their hard-earned prize money in a trip to town (a trip Kyomoto would never take on her own), where Kyomoto is seen fawning over a book on background art.
The two drive each other to draw and improve, to the point where they begin to pursue art seriously in work and school. Fujino ends up as a manga artist, serializing her first series and Kyomoto ends up going to art school much to Fujino’s dismay. As Kyomoto enrolls in school, the two separate ways, and the film skips to Fujino hunched over a large drawing tablet, tapping away while taking a phone call. Her diligence has extended to adult life, working while isolated, until her trance is broken with news regarding her old friend.
It is at this point that she questions why she bothers drawing in the first place, thinking of how tedious and grueling it is to sit at a desk for hours and draw. The movie makes this clear through its drawing montages, mirroring the manga’s original portrayal of wordless panels that span on for seasons and pages. But when she thinks of Kyomoto’s excitement, passion, and admiration, and of the time they spent together, she sits back at her desk and continues drawing.
Look Back doesn’t glamourize the creative process; Fujimoto stays true to the persistence and Sisyphean dedication behind working, even Fujino wants to give up at multiple points. But the idea that your work could have a lifelong impact on others and that your art can lead to one-of-a-kind friendships is unmatched. The reward is not in the glory or the fame, but hard work does pay off in what you can do for others.
The adaptation is faithful to its source, maintaining Fujimoto’s hand-drawn look as animators opted for a more two-dimensional look. Some of its sequences are still, changing from one scene to the next like flipping through a storybook. Still, the film stands on its own, with its heartfelt, sentimental score, realizing the film’s emotion and ridiculous, often slapstick humor to the fullest. It’s a must-watch for Fujimoto fans, who will be rewarded with references to his oeuvres, but it’s also a must-watch for the sincerity, heart, and humor contained in such a short time. You don’t necessarily have to be a creative or an artist to enjoy the movie— though it may resonate to a greater extent, seeing the girls grow and change, their relentless dedication, and their passion is enough.
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