by The “Look Back” manga was released on the “Shonen Jump +” comic distribution site in July 2021. It is a masterpiece by Tatsuki Fujimoto, a manga artist known for “Chainsaw Man,” it was viewed more than 2.5 million times in 24 hours after its release, drawing rave reviews from many fans, including famous creators.
The coming-of-age story pierces readers’ hearts while vividly depicting the two girls, Fujino and Kyomoto, who continue to create manga with all their hearts. Such “Look Back” was made into a theatrical animation and released on June 28.
Yumi Kawai, who gained recognition for her role in the TBS drama “Fukakute mo Hodo ga Aru!” and continues to appear in famous works such as the lead role in the movie “Ankoto” (2024), “Namibia no Desert” (released September 6, 2024), and “Hakkenden” (scheduled to be released in October 2024), plays the role of the proactive and competitive Fujino. Kyomoto, who is shy but has a talent for drawing, is played by Mizuki Yoshida, who has been active in films and stage productions, including the Netflix original drama “Alice in Borderland” (2020) and TBS Sunday Theatre “Dragon Zakura” (2021). The voices of these two young actors are in the spotlight.
The film was officially screened at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the world’s largest animation film festival, held in France from June 9 to June 15, and has been attracting much attention from Japan and abroad. “Look Back” is undoubtedly a film that should be seen in the theater. Whether you know the original work or not, you should see this film on the big screen. This column will be an opportunity to make that happen.
Watch my back
I was always a middle school student. In works by manga artists, such as Fujiko Fujio’s autobiographical manga “Manga Michi” and “Bakuman,” written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, manga artists start taking action in their early teens.
This is a testament to the passion and drive of adolescence. However, “Look Back” is not a hot youth story of a boy’s manga, where the characters move forward while struggling. It is never refreshing. The protagonists are not passionate up-and-comers. I think this is a work that selects its readers.
However, it firmly grabs the viewers’ hearts and gradually shakes them. “I wanted to show their backs.” The original author, Tatsuki Fujimoto, said this about the production. “Manga production is not all fun and games. I want people to know that it is monotonous, without drama.” In both the original work and the theatrical anime, there are many scenes where the characters sit at their desks. You don’t know what they are doing, but it doesn’t matter. There is something conveyed by the backs of characters seriously facing something. Many idioms use the word “back,” such as “growing up by watching someone’s back,” “pushing someone’s back,” and “back to back.”
If you watch “Look Back” with the keyword “back” in mind, you will feel a unique emotion, so please remember it. Fujimoto commented on the theatrical animation: “This work was made to digest something inside me that I couldn’t digest forcefully. As for whether I could digest it by drawing it, I don’t know if I could do so or not.”
As I wrote, “Look Back” does not leave you feeling refreshed. In addition, there are no explanations. It is up to the reader and the audience to imagine and feel. My confused heart never clears whenever I think about things that have no answers. I will add a little more to this work, even if it is rude, that there is a scene that recalls the Kyoto Animation arson and murder incident that occurred on July 18, 2019.
It is a tragic incident that shocked anime fans all over the world. Fujimoto, who was also influenced by ATG (Art Theatre Guild) films such as Shinji Somai’s “Typhoon Club” (1985) and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s “Summer with Strangers” (1988), would not be surprised if he included the helplessness of the plot to the Kyoto Animation scandal, which is still in court.
This film also shows an answer to the Sharon Tate case, which Quentin Tarantino, a fan of Fujimoto, revealed in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019). When you look back on your childhood to the present, is there something that has been smoldering deep in your heart or that has been bothering you? “Look Back” looks at that.
