Look Back

Ayumu Fujino may only be in the fourth grade, but she already basks in high praise for her hand-drawn four-panel comics featured in the school's newspaper. However, when she is asked to share the page with Kyoumoto—a reclusive student she has never met—Fujino feels inadequate for the first time: her free-spirited drawings look embarrassingly amateurish next to Kyoumoto's breathtakingly detailed art.

For a year, Fujino shuts out the world, obsessively studying manga creation and drawing tirelessly to catch up to her faceless competition. But Kyoumoto's talent far exceeds hers, and Fujino quits it all. Another year passes, and on the day of their graduation, Fujino finally meets Kyoumoto. This unkempt, shy, and stuttering girl has actually been Fujino's biggest fan all along. Their encounter reignites Fujino's passion for art and sparks the beginning of a years-long friendship built on rivalry, admiration, and their shared love of manga.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kyoumoto Main

Yoshida, Mizuki Japanese

Fujino, Ayumu Main

Kawai, Yuumi Japanese

Woman from 4-frame Manga Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Man Supporting

Oka, Kouta Japanese

Man from 4-frame Manga Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Caster Supporting

Miyajima, Takeshi Japanese

Classmate Boy Supporting

Fujino's Older Sister Supporting

Maki, Kureha Japanese

Fujino's Grandmother Supporting

Taira, Masumi Japanese

Classmate Supporting

Endou, Rina Japanese

Nagano, Yuuki Producer

Matsumura, Kazuto Producer

Shinozaki, Shinya Producer

Kawaji, Yukino Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jun 1, 2025

colelouch

Recommended

Look Back strikes an intensely personal chord: while the story feels as though it has been lifted straight from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s own life, its emotions are so universal that nearly anyone can see themselves in it. The familiar debate over innate genius versus hard-earned skill feels fresh here, because the characters channel both envy and admiration for their idols into the driving force behind their art. I was especially moved when Fujino first steps into Kyomoto’s room and sees it plastered with draft pages, a surreal reminder of what relentless effort can achieve and the spark that pushes Fujino forward. The film also explores social ... awkwardness, revealing both its charming side through Kyomoto and its darker aspect: loneliness and mental illness, in the tragedy midway through. That event even made me question the story’s realism, as though Fujimoto were nodding to a real-world incident he may have witnessed. The closing “what-if” sequence is classic Fujimoto, underscoring how our core traits inevitably steer us toward certain outcomes regardless of the choices we make. In the end, Look Back is hard to critique analytically because it resonates so deeply; every viewer will uncover something personal within it. Despite its subdued energy, the film ultimately gave me the courage to keep moving forward.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Feb 2, 2025

Bee-ku

Mixed Feelings

I'm going to talk about the usual. I really liked the animation, especially the part where the animation of the characters' eyes changes, there were moments where they looked very detailed and I feel that it was a very good touch, since it fit well with the emotions that the characters felt at that moment. As for the story, I apologize if I say something wrong, since I didn't do much research on the subject, but the fact that the story is based on an event that happened in real life (referring to the Plot Twist part), made me have mixed feelings. I understand very ... well what the main character was feeling and then knowing that there was such a case in real life (I think in 2019) leaves me a lot to think about. I give it that rating because even though I liked it, I'm still trying to process the plot.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Feb 1, 2025

cynfest456

Not Recommended

Look Back: A Guide on How to Create an Incoherent Product and Still Get People to Consume It

In recent years, a trend has emerged in storytelling: rather than investing effort into crafting meaningful narratives and memorable characters, some creators have adopted a different approach. Their philosophy seems to be, “Let’s rely on shock value as our hook.”

Instead of building compelling stories or well-rounded characters, these works lean heavily on unexpected twists, bizarre plot developments, and sensational moments designed to grab attention. Coherence is often sacrificed, as the primary goal isn’t to tell a cohesive story but to generate enough noise to keep people consuming. ... This type of writting is called misery porn—a style of storytelling that replaces cohesion, character development, and emotional depth with a relentless barrage of traumatic events, only to end them abruptly and then we are left in shock. This is a high. This isn't meaningful.

Imagine attending a college theater production where the students prioritize shock value over substance, desperately trying to draw in crowds because they have nothing meaningful to say. They lack a basic understanding of writing or character arcs, yet they exploit raw emotions and expect applause for their efforts. This is the essence of the incoherent product we’re discussing.

Let’s break it down:

-The Story? It skips over crucial details, making it painfully obvious that the author was rushing to reach the next shocking moment before viewers could even question what the story was about.
- Character Growth? It’s been entirely replaced by cheap shock tactics, leaving no room for meaningful development.
- Memorability? You won’t remember these characters a year from now—or even sooner. And if you do, it’ll only be to realize that this is yet another shock-value story flooding the market since the 2010s.

So, why do authors write like this now? Because it’s easier nowadays. Instead of investing time and effort into crafting a solid narrative, they rely on sensationalism to grab attention. They’re creating stories in the fastest, laziest way possible, hoping that shock alone will distract audiences from how hollow everything else is.

The director pushed this to hit theaters in what many consider one of the driest years in modern cinema history so it gathers noise with content creators, desperate for clicks praising this product despite its glaring flaws and without earning it.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the industry is pushing anime toward a more corporate direction copying Netflix/Amazon/HBO-style shock value, rather than fostering innovative storytelling. This is why we saw more marketing for this film than for The Boy and the Heron, which executives seemed to actively push down its release just so theaters demand it gets shown everywhere. LOL

The box office results in Japan speak for themselves: The Boy and the Heron earned $60 million with virtually no marketing, while Look Back—despite its Rolling Stone cover and aggressive promotion and even using the great Kojima—grossed just over a billion yen (around $7 million). LOOOL. Bro, even the Bocchi the Rock! films of a 2 YEAR OLD ANIME available in streaming and that offer absolutely nothing new made a billion yen because there was nothing to see in theaters last year.. LOL

Its becoming obvious that there's a corporate push to elevate Fujimoto as the next big author is transparent because reddit hyped him as a storytelling genius, but the actual Japanese audience isn’t buying into the hype. Corporate executives are trying to steer audiences and anime in a direction that contradicts what has worked since the 1980s, prioritizing internet hype over creativity. The result? A growing divide between what audiences truly want and what the industry is forcing upon them and it's very obvious Look back is being forced. That's why unexpected stories like Frieren are becoming big hits and having more cultural impact than what corporate execs are obviously trying to push...

In the end, shock value might grab attention momentarily, but it’s no substitute for genuine storytelling. Without coherence, character development, and emotional depth, these products are destined to be forgotten—no matter how much noise they make. Japan better learn this lesson because streaming services ran out of shock value stories to hook people in and most are bleeding subscribers andfor anime it will end up bleeding the customers it took over 20 years to have

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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The winners of the Anime of the Year categories from the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2025 (TAAF 2025) were announced on Friday. A panel of judges selected the winners...read more

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The official website of the Look Back anime movie unveiled additional staff, the theme song, a trailer, and the key visual (pictured) on Wednesday. The movie is sche...read more

Apr 16, 2024 3:31 PM by DatRandomDude | Discuss (25 comments)

	best anime movie of the tokyo anime award festival 2025 deg - Feb 1	9 replies	by BenKenogy »» Jun 1, 7:13 AM
	Poll: Look Back Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) IzanaSolos - Jun 14, 2024	188 replies	by KamikazeKeeg »» May 16, 11:16 PM
	Look Back and Kyoto Animation incident Bagus_Resol - Nov 11, 2024	19 replies	by AtroArtician »» May 1, 7:52 AM
	Pretty Curious About How Goodbye Eri Will Be Adapted wisnuyoga78 - Apr 20, 2024	14 replies	by AtroArtician »» Apr 30, 8:12 PM
	CSM references in Look Back Greentreefrog - Oct 12, 2024	7 replies	by bajanbi »» Mar 28, 4:39 PM