Beautiful and heartfelt with a devastating conclusion, Look Back is a Studio Durian adaptation of the one-shot manga by Chainsaw Man‘s Tatsuki Fujimoto, directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama (Shishigari). Considering the success of Chainsaw Man, it’s no surprise to see another of Fujimoto’s works get the anime treatment, though rather than cutting carnage with DIY themed demons, Look Back cuts its themes of regret through an emotive coming-of-age story with enough resonance to fell even the most stoic audience.
All right, the sky is the limit for my artwork, too. We’ll get better together.
Fujino
Young manga artists Ayumu Fujino and her reclusive classmate Kyomoto form an unlikely, rivalry-driven friendship which leads the pair to pursue a successful career making manga together. However the duo breaks apart as their career begins to take off in their teenage years when Kyomoto decides to follow a different path, and it isn’t long before tragedy strikes. It seamlessly raises themes of regret and guilt, reflecting on how tragic occurrences can make us think about the choices we made and can’t go back on, or regret things said or left unsaid. In particular, how our lives could have played out differently if we could only go back and make different choices. Aptly named, Look Back explores a poignant yet essential part of growing-up that elevates its themes which are otherwise overlooked by the usually optimistic coming-of-age stories seen elsewhere, typically concluding with a young protagonist overcoming obstacles to fulfil a heroes journey narrative. In this way, Look Back offers something more grounded, if bitter-sweet.
Our characters are similarly more grounded compared to the hyper Shonēn tropes found in Fujimoto’s other popular manga: for one thing, neither protagonist features a protruding power tool appendage. Ayumu (Yuumi Kawai) exudes confidence, creating exciting 4-panel manga (yonkoma) for her school newsletter popular amongst her peers, while Kyomoto (Mizuki Yoshida) is a shut-in who enters the narrative as a competing mangaka and fan of Ayumu’s manga with a comparatively more proficient and detailed illustration style. They’re contrasting personalities create a uniquely genial rapport that’s hard not to find charming, reflected in the way their art sensibilities help to compliment one another, even when this becomes a point of contention.
I’m so glad I was able to leave my room today. I had so much fun going on adventures with you.
Kyomoto
This relationship is the focal point of Look Back‘s emotive narrative, effortlessly capturing the essence of the original manga’s narrative potency with a striking yet subtle animation style. It manages to faithfully capture Fujimoto’s unique art style, with attention given to his expressive line work and distinct use of negative space, where character animations make of use subtle effects to effectively heighten the emotion with a muted colour pallet that reminds you this is far from the action-heavy Shōnen Jump style Fujimoto’s fans might expect otherwise. If anything, it reinforces the flexibility and creativity of its original creator and the capabilities of the animation studio for their use of an understated, more restrained visual style that successfully carries a sense of emotional maturity integral to this animations themes while maintaining a striking visual look.
