Look Back Creator Tatsuki Fujimoto Says the Movie Moved Him to Tears

Look Back is now working its way through the theaters in Japan, and the creator behind it all has shared their first review for the new movie! Tatsuki Fujimoto took a break from the newest chapters of Chainsaw Man to share a few new one-shots telling all kinds of new stories. The first of these one-shots, Look Back, ended up being such a hit with Shueisha that now it’s gotten a full anime feature film debut. While the film has yet to reveal a release date for territories outside of Japan, Fujimoto himself finally shared his thoughts about seeing it in motion. 

“There is an expression like ‘the characters come to life,’ and it is so true, I felt as if I was watching the world in which Fujino and Kyomoto were living through the camera,” Fujimoto stated (as translated @Chainsawpedia on X) The drawings and voice actors’ performances were so natural and wonderful that I felt as if I watching the world in which Fujino and Kyomoto live.” 

How to Watch Look Back

“I cried because I thought that I would never be able to have my work made with such sincerity again in my life,” Fujimoto’s statement continued. “There were so many surprises and discoveries in the 58 minutes and that it is impossible to pick one by one and praise them all. A lot people were involved and it turned out really great, so I want to thank all of them. Thank you so much!”

Featuring an original story from Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto, Look Back‘s original one-shot story first debuted with Shueisha in 2021, and is now licensed for an English language release by Viz Media. You can find the physical release on shelves, and the digital release with the Shonen Jump app or Shueisha’s MangaPlus service. The feature film adaptation is written, directed, and with character designs provided by Kiyotaka Oshiyama for Studio Durian but does currently no have a release date for the United States as of the time of this publication.

Music for Look Back is composed by Haruka Nakamura, who also performs the theme song for the film, “Light song” together with singer urara. Yumi Kawai and Mizuki Yoshida are headlining the cast as the two main leads, Fujino and Kyomoto respectively. With a run time of one hour and two minutes, Avex Pictures teases what to expect from Look Back as such:

“Fujino, a fourth-grade student, serializes a four-panel manga in the school newspaper. Her classmates praise her work, but one day, her teacher tells her that they want to publish a four-panel manga by Kyomoto, a classmate who doesn’t attend school. The connection between the two girls is their earnest passion for manga. However, one day, an event shatters everything… A gripping and breathtaking coming-of-age story begins.”