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Look Back (manga)

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Look Back
Volume cover
ルックバック
(Rukku Bakku)
Genre
Manga
Written byTatsuki Fujimoto
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics+
MagazineShōnen Jump+
DemographicShōnen
PublishedJuly 19, 2021
Volumes1
Anime film
Directed byKiyotaka Oshiyama
Written byKiyotaka Oshiyama
Music byHaruka Nakamura
StudioStudio Durian
Licensed by
ReleasedJune 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
Runtime58 minutes
icon Anime and manga portal

Look Back (Japanese: ルックバック, Hepburn: Rukku Bakku) is a Japanese one-shot web manga written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. It was published on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ in July 2021. It tells the story of Ayumu Fujino, a young manga artist who, driven by rivalry and friendship with a reclusive classmate, strives to improve her craft and finds purpose in creating art. An anime film adaptation produced by Studio Durian premiered in June 2024.

Plot

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Ayumu Fujino (藤野 歩, Fujino Ayumu) (voiced by Yuumi Kawai (Japanese);[3] Valerie Lohman (English))[4] is an elementary schooler with a talent for drawing manga, which she publishes in the school's paper. After being lauded for her exceptional skills, she finds herself challenged by another student, Kyomoto (京本, Kyōmoto) (voiced by Mizuki Yoshida (Japanese);[3] Grace Lu (English)),[4] who begins publishing her own manga alongside Fujino's but demonstrates herself as the superior illustrator artist between the two. Infuriated by this, Fujino throws herself into improving her art skills, which leads to her alienating her friends and family as she obsesses over overcoming Kyomoto. In spite of improvements, Fujino fails to meet Kyomoto's standards and quits drawing. When her class graduates from middle school, Fujino is tasked with delivering Kyomoto's diploma to her, as she is an agoraphobic truant who never left her house. Fujino enters Kyomoto's house and finds piles of sketchbooks. Finding a slip of paper, she draws a yonkoma mocking Kyomoto, but it inadvertently enters Kyomoto's room, alerting her to Fujino's presence. Kyomoto comes out of her room to meet Fujino, revealing herself as a huge fan who had been following her manga in the school paper for quite some time. Extremely flattered by Kyomoto's enthusiastic idolization of her, Fujino claims to have plans to submit manga to contests and takes up drawing again.

The two eventually team up to create manga, submitting multiple one-shots that receive high praise. During their teenage years, Fujino is told that she will be serialized, but Kyomoto opts not to join her as she wishes to get a formal education in art. Fujino continues on without her, working on her manga Shark Kick, which becomes popular enough to receive an anime adaptation.

One day, Fujino receives news of a mass murder at an art college and discovers that Kyomoto was one of the casualties. Overcome with guilt over the possibility that she had indirectly led Kyomoto to her death by inspiring her to pursue an art career, Fujino returns to Kyomoto's house and tears up the yonkoma she drew years ago. A scrap slips into Kyomoto's room, and seemingly time travels to the fateful day when the two meet. Kyomoto is too alarmed by the scrap to exit her room, preventing her from meeting Fujino. Despite this, she still develops a genuine interest in an art career and attends college anyway. She is nearly killed by the mass murderer but is saved by Fujino, who apprehends the would-be killer. The two catch up as Fujino is loaded into an ambulance for injuries, and Fujino offers to create manga with Kyomoto.

Returning home, Kyomoto draws a yonkoma of Fujino saving her from the murderer. A gust of wind blows the manga out of her room and into the view of Fujino back in the regular timeline. Shocked by the manga, Fujino enters Kyomoto's room, finding an open window and multiple copies of Shark Kick, showing that in spite of their separate paths, Kyomoto never stopped looking up to her.

Still despairing over her life choices, Fujino denounces drawing, only to remember all the times her manga made Kyomoto happy. Fujino decides to return and continue drawing manga, having taped Kyomoto's yonkoma above her workstation to remind her of why she continues despite the labor-intensive and seemingly unrewarding nature of creating manga.

Media

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Manga

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The 143-page one-shot web manga Look Back, written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto, was published on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ online platform on July 19, 2021.[5] The chapter was collected by Shueisha in a single volume, released on September 3, 2021.[6]

The chapter was published online in English by Viz Media and Shueisha's Manga Plus platform.[7] In February 2022, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the manga, and the volume was published on September 20, 2022.[8][9]

On August 2, 2021, it was announced that a scene depicting a man having a "paranoid episode" going into an art school with an axe, claiming plagiarism from a student, was altered post-publication due to reader feedback. This was due to concerns that portraying a schizophrenic man as a mass murderer could stigmatize the mental illness. An article on the English-language website Anime News Network implied that some Japanese readers also objected to the similarities between the scene and the 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack.[10]

Anime film

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In February 2024, an anime film adaptation was announced. It is produced by Studio Durian and directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, who is also in charge of the screenplay and character designs. It premiered in Japanese theaters—where it was released by Avex Pictures—on June 28, 2024. The music is composed by Haruka Nakamura; the film's theme song, "Light Song", is composed by Nakamura and performed by Urara.[11][12]

The film was screened at the French Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which took place from June 9–15, 2024, participating in the "Annecy Presents" category, a non-competitive category created to showcase a variety of international animated films to audiences.[13][14]

In the United States, the Japan Society screened the film on July 14, 2024, in Japanese with English subtitles, as part of the "Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Cinema" event at New York.[15] The film has been licensed in North America by GKIDS and premiered in theaters on October 4, 2024.[16] The film was released worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on November 7, 2024 (November 8 in Asia due to timezone differences);[17] it included the original Japanese audio with English subtitles and a new English dub.[4]

Reception

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Manga

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Look Back was acclaimed in Japan.[18][19] It reached 2.5 million reads on the first date of publication, and reached over 4 million reads in two days.[20]

The tankōbon volume sold 73,912 copies in its first week of release and 80,186 copies in the second, which placed it fourth and third, respectively, on Oricon's weekly manga chart.[21][22]

Look Back topped Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022 list of best manga for male readers.[23] It ranked 29th on the 2022 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine.[24] It achieved the special prize of the 2021 Twitter Japan's Trend Awards.[25] The manga placed first on "The Best Manga 2022 Kono Manga wo Yome!" ranking by Freestyle magazine.[26] It was also nominated for the 15th Manga Taishō in 2022 and placed second with 68 points.[27][28] It won the Rakuten Kobo's E-book Award in the "One Complete Volume! One-Shot Manga" category in 2023.[29][30] It has been nominated for the 2023 Eisner Award in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia category.[31]

Writer and editor Kazushi Shimada ranked it first on his top 10 manga of 2021.[32] Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart gave it a 7 out of 10. McNeil compared the story to Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man, stating that while Look Back is not a gore and violence story, it has the same type of storytelling, which "takes a character that's not all that likeable and makes us like them by challenging their point of view and having them grow." McNeil also praised the art, noting a "nice realism to it" and its visual pacing.[33] Danica Davidson of Otaku USA praised the manga for its story and called the artwork "very impressive", noting how the art style changes over the course of the manga, "sometimes being incredibly detailed." Davidson concluded: "Look Back is melancholic, bittersweet and unique, and a great opportunity for Fujimoto to show off his skills."[34]

Anime film

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Look Back made ¥1,017,961,780 (around $6.41 million) after eighteen days of its release at the Japanese box office.[35]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Look Back received a 100% critic rating based on 18 reviews with an average score of 8.7/10.[36][37] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 87 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[38]

References

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  1. ^ Rosberg, Caitlin (January 14, 2022). "The best comics of 2021 – Look Back (Viz Media)". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "The Official Website for Look Back". Viz Media. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Tai, Anita (March 13, 2024). "Tatsuki Fujimoto's 'Look Back' Anime Film Casts Yuumi Kawai, Mizuki Yoshida". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Mateo, Alex (November 7, 2024). "Amazon Prime Video Streams Look Back Anime Film with New English Dub". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  5. ^ 藤本タツキが143ページの大ボリュームで描く青春読切、ジャンプ＋で公開. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 19, 2021. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  6. ^ ルックバック (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Hazra, Adriana (July 20, 2021). "Viz Media, Manga Plus Publish Chainsaw Man Author's New 140-Page 1-Shot in English". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  8. ^ Mateo, Alex (February 14, 2022). "Viz Announces Fall 2022 Book Releases Including Mission: Yozakura Family, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe Manga, Jujutsu Kaisen Novels". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  9. ^ Mateo, Alex (September 22, 2022). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, September 18–24". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  10. ^ Morrissy, Kim (August 2, 2021). "Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back 1-shot Gets Changed Post-Publication to Avoid "Promoting Discrimination"". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Mateo, Alex (February 13, 2024). "Chainsaw Man Creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's 'Look Back' 1-Shot Manga Gets Anime Film". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Tai, Anita (April 16, 2024). "Tatsuki Fujimoto's 'Look Back' Anime Film Unveils Trailer, Theme Song, More Staff". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Mateo, Alex (May 10, 2024). "Tatsuki Fujimoto's 'Look Back' Anime Film Screens at Annecy". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  14. ^ 劇場アニメ「ルックバック」アヌシー映画祭で上映、藤野＆京本の新規カットも. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. May 11, 2024. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  15. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (June 20, 2024). "Japan Cuts Film Festival Screens Live-Action Blue Period Film, Tatsuki Fujimoto's 'Look Back' Anime Film". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  16. ^ Mateo, Alex (August 23, 2024). "GKIDS Screens Look Back Anime Film in N. American Theaters on October 4 (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 22, 2024). "Amazon Prime Video Adds Look Back Anime Film Globally on November 7". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  18. ^ 藤本タツキ「ルックバック」が与えた衝撃 「心臓の奥から泣いた」同業者・著名人・母校...止まぬ絶賛の声. J-Cast (in Japanese). July 19, 2021. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  19. ^ 藤本タツキ氏『ルックバック』単行本が9月3日に発売決定。話題の143ページ読切が早くもコミックス化. Famitsu (in Japanese). July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  20. ^ Harding, Daryl (July 21, 2021). "Chainsaw Man Creator's Newest One-Shot 'Look Back' Reaches 4 Million Reads in 2 days". Crunchyroll News. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  21. ^ 週間 コミックランキング 2021年09月13日付（2021年08月30日～2021年09月05日）. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  22. ^ 週間 コミックランキング 2021年09月20日付（2021年09月06日～2021年09月12日）. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  23. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 6, 2021). "Look Back, Umi ga Hashiru Endroll Manga Top Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022 Lists". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  24. ^ Mateo, Alex (December 6, 2021). "Demon Slayer Tops Da Vinci Manga Ranking for 2nd Consecutive Year". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  25. ^ Harding, Daryl (December 21, 2021). "Chainsaw Man Trends Higher Than Evangelion, Jujutsu Kaisen on Twitter Japan in 2021". Crunchyroll News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  26. ^ 真造圭伍「ひらやすみ」がブロスのマンガ大賞に、真鍋昌平×空気階段もぐらの借金対談も. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). December 23, 2021. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  27. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 17, 2022). "15th Manga Taisho Awards Nominate 10 Titles". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  28. ^ マンガ大賞2022発表！大賞はうめざわしゅん「ダーウィン事変」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 28, 2022. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  29. ^ 荒川弘「黄泉のツガイ」が注目コミック1位に、楽天Kobo電子書籍Awardの結果発表. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. May 9, 2023. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  30. ^ Mateo, Alex (May 10, 2023). "Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Look Back, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Manga Win 1st Rakuten Kobo E-Book Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  31. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 17, 2023). "Shuna's Journey, Black Paradox, Look Back, More Manga Nominated for Eisner Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  32. ^ Shimada, Kazuki (December 6, 2021). 漫画ライターが選ぶ「2021年コミックBEST10」島田一志 編 『ルックバック 』という収穫. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  33. ^ McNeil, Sheena (August 20, 2021). "Look Back (One-Shot)". Sequential Tart. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  34. ^ Davidson, Danica (September 16, 2022). "Look Back Manga From Chainsaw Man Creator is Bittersweet and Unique". Otaku USA. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  35. ^ Harding, Daryl (July 17, 2024). "Look Back Anime Film Passes 1 Billion Yen at Japanese Box Office". Crunchyroll News. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  36. ^ "Look Back". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  37. ^ Valentine, Evan (October 3, 2024). "Look Back, Anime's Top Film of 2024, Is Dominating Rotten Tomatoes". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  38. ^ "Look Back". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 5, 2024.

Further reading

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