https://blacknerdproblems.com/look-back-review/

Months ago, I wrote a primer guide introducing audiences to Look Back once the trailer for its animated adaptation dropped.

Look Back follows the coming-of-age tale of Ayumu Fujino, a super confident girl and her shut-in classmate, Kyomoto. The two first cross paths over a friendly rivalry that started in elementary school upon discovering their shared love of manga creation, which eventually blossoms into camaraderie as they mature into their young adulthood.

As for my favorite Tatsuki Fujimoto manga, I could not wait for the animated adaptation that brings a tale on growing up, maturity, and cherishing those we call friends. I knew that I wanted to go watch and review it, so off I went Sunday night to do just that.

Spoilers big and small up ahead!

I was so looking forward to watching Look Back in theaters, and the first five minutes or so cemented that it was in fact, a great idea on my end. Opening to artist Ayumu Fujino and her artwork by way of her four panel manga strips, audiences get to see her short manga animated on the big screen! Seeing those comics come to life visually stunned me and caught the theater by surprise as laughter could be heard around the room. I LOVE the artistic flair that is added to certain scenes through the film as decided by the animation team, like exploring the emotions of Fujino in the scene where she walks home in the rain after first meeting Kyomoto.

Let me set up the scene for you: Fujino–after giving up on manga- has met her then-rival, found out that she was looked up to and seen as a mentor, even referred to as Sensei-teacher by the then shut-in but incredibly talented student. She leaves the girl feeling validated and almost marches home with glee, stomping and jumping in puddles–her body language really alive on the screen and the animators took time to emotionally express the culmination of her younger self’s victory. It is an impressive animation segment of the story where I believe Studio Durian asked themselves: How can we extend the scene from the few pages in the manga and make the audience feel a part of this character’s emotions?

The music in Look Back is composed by Haruka Nakamura (composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Tokyo, Japan) who some anime fans may know for his work on a Nujabes tribute and for Trigun Stampede. Here, his dedication to the piano in the making of the soundtrack for the film gave me a new appreciation of the musical instrument and how at home it sounded in all the music I heard for the film. Look Back’s title song, “Light Song” with vocals by Urara (which is included in the film trailer) sets a nostalgic tone for the film which tonally feels appropriate and helped make it a song I wanted to listen to again and again.

Sometimes when fans talk about adaptation in anime, some of the finer points of the original work gets lost in the sauce–to much disappointment from fans everywhere. While watching the film in theaters, I was happy to see the motifs and visuals from the manga: see the back of Fujino at her desk over the years, starting in elementary school, later with Kyomoto at her feet at her own desk. Seeing the windows, doors and the two girls together in their youth, especially with  the overly confident Fujino leading the way for her friend through crowds and streets helped me place the story beats in my head as I watched them along with others in the dark theater. 

Seeing such attention to detail in the four panel comics and the montages of the girls creating manga and enjoying themselves included in the movie reminded me that this was an adaptation made with much respect to Tatsuki Fujimoto and his widespread, critically acclaimed manga that the film adapts. I am obviously a big fan of this adaptation, and I’m placing it on a personal list of ‘anime adaptation done right’ in my head–glancing at social reveals that many fans feel the same. The film also holds a pretty decent surprise via Rotten Tomatoes, as well.

Actress Yumi Kawai, perhaps best known for her roles in Plan 75 (2022), Desert of Namibia (2024) and Shigatsu ni nareba kanojo wa (2024) stars as the voice of the more confident Ayumu Fujino. Mizuki Yoshida is perhaps best known for her acting in Alice in Borderland (2020), The Lump in My Heart (2022) and Mayhem Girls (2023) accompanies Kawai as her best friend and creative collaborator on screen as the more timid Kyomoto. 

While most fans make take to their more explosive and confrontational scenes in the film, I think both actresses really show us their mettle in the quieter scenes like when Mizuki Yoshida (as Kymototo), thanks Yumi Kawai as (Fujino) for getting her– a shut in student out that room– and into the world. Such quieter and more subtle scenes like this in the film help flesh out the friendship of the girls and the years that bond them together.

The animated credits, that I highly suggest that you sit through, is a subtle and moving part of the story–even if it serves as an animated end-cap. Paying attention to the voice acting talent section will reveal a surprising and beloved voice acting talent credited! (Big Hint: I’m high-fiving my fellow The Vision of Escaflowne fans!) The credits also serve as a quiet time for reflection for viewers seeing that solo character coming back to her desk and working, having a piece of their former friend with them.

Look Back’s North American film distributor included a wonderful surprise after the film (as they are known to do, we love GKids extras!) I was able to watch a prerecorded, subtitled Q&A with director Kiyotaka Oshiyama and two of the main voice actresses of Kyomoto (Mizuki Yoshida) and Fujino (Yumi Kawai). The director who also wrote the screenplay elaborated on taking his time on adapting the original and stopping and coming back to the project to give it his best effort when he felt it wasn’t quite heading in the right direction. 

My fellow audience members in the theater got to watch him talk about the care and consideration that went into respecting and adapting the original source material in detail. With the animation, he spoke about the free reign they, as a team, had in making certain scenes ‘pop.’ My fellow BNP contributor Mikkel reminded me of Oshiyama saying that as a director, he went back and made sure the animators didn’t erase their sketch lines because he wanted that imperfection included in–this just stands as an incredible glimpse into the process of making this film and how aligned the creative team were in honoring Fujimoto’s manga.

Watching the segment with the voice actresses talk about their roles revealed so much like Yumi Kawai’s admission that this was her very first voice acting role and the actress favorite lines in the film! I was moved by them admitting their nerves and working around trying to best present the characters’ (voices) for the film. It is my hope that this special is accessible to viewers everywhere once the film hits streaming services and DVD. 

Look Back isn’t a long film, the run time is maybe a few minutes short of an hour–and it doesn’t need to be longer, to be a stand out film that emphasizes friendships, connections and creative outlets. When I think back on this film, I know that I highly recommend it to others. If I could paraphrase what I wrote in the Black Nerd Problems Discord: I wanted to watch this again the next day–everyone should bring tissues whether you watch it in theaters or wait for it to be on streaming services.

Seeing Fujino back at her desk and the changes she makes through the film alone, then with Kyomoto and then alone again helps me process their story of pride, validation, creativity. and the heart-breaking tragedy that separates them. I am reminded of why I loved the manga in the first place. This brilliant coming-of-age story that dared to stand out and becomes a great force to recognized with here on the big screen, animated. Look Back is a delightful, heart-breaking film adaptation dedicated to the main core of its source material: focusing in on art, artists, and the pursuit to make and the sacrifices made in that pursuit.

LOOK BACK from Kiyotaka Oshiyama based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto in theatres starting October 4

See screening times, additional cast information and more of the GKIDS website.

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The post REVIEW: ‘Look Back’ is the Stand Out, Coming-of-Age Adaptation We All Need to Watch appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.