LOOK BACK

Look Back is a 2024 anime film about two girls who love to draw. It runs only about one hour, but many critics called it one of the best anime films of the year. It is based on a one-shot manga, a single complete story, by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man. Fujimoto first posted it online in 2021. Kiyotaka Oshiyama directed the film, wrote the script, and also designed the characters. It was made by his own small company, Studio Durian.

The story begins in elementary school. Ayumu Fujino is in fourth grade, and she draws a short comic for the school newspaper. Her comics use the four-panel style, a common format in Japan where a joke or short scene is told in four boxes. Her classmates love her work, and she enjoys being known as the best artist in her grade. Then she learns that another student, Kyomoto, also wants to put her comics in the paper. Kyomoto never comes to school. She stays at home all the time and does not talk to other kids.

When Fujino sees Kyomoto's drawings, she is shocked. They are much more detailed and skillful than her own. Fujino feels jealous and hurt, but she also feels a strong push to get better. She starts to practice for hours every day. Over time, the two girls meet, and their rivalry turns into something warmer. They begin to work together, with each one bringing her own strengths. The film follows them as they grow up and chase their dream of making manga.

Look Back is a quiet, honest story about art, friendship, and hard work. It shows how drawing can be lonely, and how much it means to have someone who truly understands your work. It also shows how the choices we make can change other people's lives. The film becomes sad and serious later on, and it deals with loss and grief. It handles these themes with care and does not rush them. Many people say the ending stays with them for a long time.

The art style is one of the film's biggest strengths. Oshiyama kept much of the feel of hand drawing, so the lines look loose and alive, almost like a sketchbook. Long scenes with little or no talking let the pictures tell the story. The calm piano music is by the composer haruka nakamura, and the theme song "Light Song" is sung by urara. Yuumi Kawai voices Fujino, and Mizuki Yoshida voices Kyomoto.

The film first showed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France in June 2024. It opened in Japanese theaters on June 28, 2024. GKIDS brought it to North American theaters in October 2024, and it started streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in November 2024. Critics praised it very highly, and it holds a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. It won many awards, including Film of the Year at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards and Animation of the Year at the Japan Academy Film Prize. For anyone who has ever loved making art, it is a short but deeply moving watch.