‘Look Back’ at your puddle of tears
Manga creator Tatsuki Fujimoto was enjoying a breakout success rarely seen in the industry with his “Chainsaw Man” series, but wanted to take a break after toiling away on said series after three years. Little did he know, perhaps, that his “break,” the one-shot “Look Back,” would become a heartbreaker of a gem shared all over the world.
Originally published online before being released in a print version, “Look Back” has now been adapted into its own anime special, written and directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, who also led character design. Fujimoto’s designs are still the basis, but Oshiyama is able to add another layer, even preserving the sketchy nature of Fujimoto’s art in unclosed lines and varying line weights. The story is also pretty much preserved, and retains its emotional power.
Fujino is a school kid with a knack for gag manga strips, which she gets published in the school paper, to the delight of her classmates. Basking in the praise, she gets an informal challenge when another student starts getting their manga printed next to hers, and the art puts hers to shame. It’s the work of a shut-in named Kyomoto, and Fujino takes it upon herself to improve her craft, buying books on anatomy and putting more and more hours to practice.
Unhappy with the results, she quits manga and concentrates on schoolwork, but when an opportunity comes upon graduation to actually meet the mysterious Kyomoto, their encounter sets off a chain of activities that will go on to define the rest of their lives.
Moving and satisfying
Oshiyama and his team have delivered one of the most moving and satisfying experiences you are likely to have in a cinema this year, carefully distilling the essence of Fujimoto’s inspirational source material into something especially potent, especially with the boost from Haruka Nakamura’s score. Multiple, beautiful montages ease the transition of the story over its period, which goes from the two girls in school to college age.
The animation is fluid, the color palette soft and easy on the eyes, and everything is so charming until it isn’t; a sweet coming-of-age tale that has its own obstacles, even when those obstacles are the characters’ own shortcomings.
If you like “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!,” and other stories about the value of imagination and creation, then you will enjoy “Look Back.” If you like stories of outsiders finding their tribe, especially kids from small towns, then you will enjoy “Look Back.”
There are many moments that creative kids will find familiar, like working together in silence, or excitedly checking if your contest entry made it into the local publication. Some of the best bits are watching Fujino gently coax Kyomoto out of her shell, actually going outdoors, whether it’s on train rides or into the city. Also satisfying is paying attention to how they are drawn and how it changes as the years in the story pass; their body shape and size, even their posture.
But “Look Back” has more on its mind. The dangers of codependence, the redemptive (perhaps illusory) power of art, regret at things unsaid. “Look Back” uses all these and more to shape a narrative that will last long in the memory, a testament to holding on to what is valuable, and to not let petty grievances become mistakes you’ll spend the rest of your life making up for.
