Look Back

ルックバック, or in English, Look Back, is a coming-of-age drama film based on the one-shot manga of the same name by renowned author Tatsuki Fujimoto. First published on Shōnen Jump+ in July of 2021, later adapted into anime by Studio Durian premiered in June 2024, it is without a doubt one of the best animated films I have ever seen.

Look Back is based around the story of elementary student Ayumu Fujino who has a knack for drawing manga, and Kyomoto, who shares a similar talent, but due to her arogaphobia has never been able to step out of her home. When they first meet, nevertheless, Kyomoto rushes out of her room to see Fujino face-to-face, and enthusiastically expresses her admiration for Fujino’s artistic abilities. Although Fujino had been originally less than thrilled to see Kyomoto, who she had perceived as a defiant truant who skips school, she slowly learns about the comfort of having someone by your side as you chase your dreams, and Kyomoto, in turn, learns about the world outside her comfort zone experiencing new things. The two girls form a bond throughout the story, growing closer and closer to each other through their art.

Alas, tragedy catches up to them. After a heavy argument about Kyomoto’s aspirations, leaving the two girls to go their separate ways, Kyomoto is attacked at her university. Upon finding out, Fujino blamed herself for the incident, thinking that if she had never encouraged Kyomoto to come out of her room, her fate could have been avoided. Later, however, after visiting Kyomoto’s childhood bedroom, she comes to realise that wallowing in despair forever in meaningless, and chooses instead to cherish her memories with her childhood friend, keeping her close by as Fujino continues pursuing her ambitions.

It is through Look Back that I realised that nothing could be more honest than the art that we create. Kyomoto And Fujino, despite their differences, came together through the art that they spent countless hours drawing, painting and perfecting. They communicated through their pencils, bare their souls and inner thoughts through brush strokes. Spoken communication can be tough to interpret, either the words being too vague to pinpoint, or saying words that mean too many things and nothing at once. Art, however, in whatever form that it takes, is a genuine expression of oneself, through which its creator and viewer can relate to. 

By the end of Look Back, I was left reeling with the emotions this work had evoked within me, and the fact that it had changed my viewpoint of art in itself, for the rest of my life. I had gone to see this movie in September of this year with friends, and it had certainly made me walk out of the theater with its final scenes still replaying in my head over and over again. All in all, Look Back is an incredible piece of art that captures the complexity of what it means to be human, and a reminder to look back on what creativity has given us. I give this a ten-out-of-ten, and those who are interested in art, feelings, or those who simply want to see more of Chainsaw Man’s author’s work, this is for you.

Clara Chan

Secondary 2 Wisdom

2025