The autobiographical anime film, Look Back, about 2 manga artists finally makes its way to the US through GKids, coming October 4th!
About "Look Back"
Look Back (2024) is a film based on the hit one-shot manga by the same name, made by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Fujimoto is the mangaka of Chainsaw Man. Contrary to his larger series, Look Back focuses more on a realistic development of Ayumu Fujino, a young aspiring manga artist, and her direct competitor through school, Kyomoto. The story follows these two through a rural Japanese town, both working to refine their craft. Fujino gets salty before eventually giving up, only to finally meet Kyomoto face-to-face, where they begin to work on their dreams filled with art together.
This is the story of a character artist and a background artist coming together to refine their dreams, right? This heart-wrenching story has made its mark on anime and manga fans alike.
This is a Must-See Film
Look Back initially premiered at Anime Expo 2024 to a small panel room of just about 200 people. In that panel, they announced that this film fell just under North American theater standards, meaning that as an independent film, it could not be screened. The usual accepted time is about one hour and ten minutes, Look Back falls short at just over an hour.
However, the amount of support the film garnered that night gave it a huge spike in popularity. Fans of both Fujimoto, the director Kiyotaka Oshiyama, and the movie itself gained the attention of GKids, known for screening films such as The End of Evangelion (1997) in theaters across the globe.
It was only a matter of time after it passed 1 million yen in the Japanese box office, and after a long wait, anyone begging to get their eyes on this film can finally do so in theaters October 4th, 2024!
The film is beautifully animated, has a lot of deep cuts to Fujimoto’s work, oozes with the style of the original manga, and has one of the most impressively beautiful soundtracks to top it all off. This is not a film anybody that’s a fan of Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2020), A Silent Voice (2016), and Your Name (2016) will want to miss. Although it is not a romance, the story of two best friends hits just as hard, especially considering this is based off of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s own experiences.
Where to Watch
Look Back is available in select theaters through the GKids website. And while you wait, the soundtrack is currently available on Spotify.
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