Film Review: Look Back 2024

Based from the one-shot manga written by Tatsuki Fujimoto (known for his other work Chainsawman) for Shonen Jump in 2021, Look Back the type of film you can show to people who think anime can be more than just fan service and surplus of expositions. In an hour, the film takes you to a roller coaster of emotions with it's pacing and twists and you can already guessed how much I love it.

I never read the manga and didn't have any high expectation when it comes to the cinematography. I saw this film with my brother and we were the only ones in the theater, like the whole place was all to ourselves because the town I'm in just doesn't seem to have a lot of anime fans. The viewing experience in this atmosphere was already something else entirely.

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Plot:

Fujino is the only school paper's manga artist that had her works featured weekly on the school paper until she had to share the slot with an awkward shut-in Kyomoto. Kyomoto's skills in drafting the 4 panel manga with only sceneries markedly contrasted dwarf's Fujino's works. This motivated her to spend several months training her drafting skills to surpass Kyomoto. After two years of hard work, Fujino gave up her passion to draw despite her improvement because Kyomoto's works looked consistently better. Upon graduation, she was tasked to deliver Kyomoto's graduation certificate where the two finally meet face to face. Kyomoto blurts out her admiration for Fujino's works which caught Fujino off guard and the two hit it off working together.

I don't want to focus on the story as I didn't put any spoiler warnings but the story has been around for 3 years now. I'll just limit the review to how good the story is as a film.

I went in blind watching this and by that I mean I didn't look up what the film was about or any spoilers. The first thing I noticed was the art design of the characters which reminded me instantly of Chainsawman. Fujimoto's art style in drawing facial features was distinct that I immediately knew this movie is going to be an interesting piece. Why? because the reputation of the man and his works have been consistently good that I knew Chainsawman didn't go popular by luck. Fujimoto's way of framing characters in a panel was also applied in the film where focusing on the face when subtly highlighting something for dramatic effect.

One of the most eye catching parts of the film was that a lot of the scenes lack detail that it highlights the idea of less is more. Unlike most shows where you'll see several lines within a frame, Look Back is between shows that give the average amount of details and minimal detail. I took note of this part because I viewed the show from an artist's lens and having an obsession with showcasing too much details that it ruins the piece. In the frames, Look Back shows that I don't need to be caught up with too much details just to keep the story rolling and things can be good enough as it is. It's funny to have this realization because Fujino's drawings were badly drawn like an elementary student but she was an elementary student. Kyomoto on the other hand showed technical skills that made her work average in relation to what an adult that has a little bit of knowledge in how to draw. But this small detail in comparing oneself while watching the characters compare themselves made the experience relatable.

Fujino isn't a likeable character from the start and way up to the end but somehow her characater development in the story convinced me enough to cut her some slack. She was relatable when her envy to Kyomoto's skills turned jealousy but instead of tearing down her competition, she dedicated her time to building herself up. We don't want to cheer for characters that give in to their envy and jealousy so that sets a negative tone but at the same time, we're shown that this negativity was converted into a positive thing as Fujino took it upon herself to get better at drawing due to that envy. You may not like the character but at least you are placed in a situation where you can relate and suspend judgment long enough for redemption. And this is one of the things that made Look Back good because the characters had real motivations for their behavior.

During times when the characters display swings of emotion, their animations become fluid to the point that it visually ignores structure to highlight the shift of emotions. When Fujino was running or stomping her feet in the rain, there were frames when it the image felt more loose and fluid. The voice acting for this film was spot on as not once did it felt like whatever is emotion the character was visually showing was out of sync with the tone. I liked Kyomoto's voice actress Mizuki Yoshida's take on the character because the timid and anxiety plagued voice made Kyomoto stand out as a character even with just a few lines. There was an abundance with emotion conveyed even in the most quiet times.

Look Back will be one of those films I wish I can watch again the first time because there's just so many things hitting at you at once within the hour. As an artist, I couldn't help but pay more close attention to every scene because my mind was evaluating everything from lighting, emotion, tone, animation style, music and etc., that it was difficult to just see the film like an average viewer. I'd say I ranked up a few experience points on the art department but I still need to revisit the film again.

Thanks for your time.