2024’s Look Back will undoubtedly go down as one of the best anime movies of this decade. Directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, the 57-minute-long anime movie is based on the one-shot web manga by Chainsaw Man creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, published in 2021. The film brought audiences to tears when it was released on streaming late last year. With Look Back now firmly behind him, Oshiyama is turning his attention to his next project.
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Over his career, Kiyotaka Oshiyama has directed and worked on some major projects, like Shinichiro Watanabe’s Space Dandy, Netflix’s Devilman: Crybaby, Doraemon the Movie, and now the aforementioned Look Back. So, what does the future hold for the increasingly impressive director? According to Eiga, Oshiyama is humoring the idea of another movie, but not ruling out a TV series as his next project.
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Will Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s Next Anime Be Another Movie?
Look Back recently rounded out its awards season run by winning the Grand Prix award at the 3rd Niigata International Animation Film Festival. After accepting the award, Oshiyama answered questions from the press, and one of the first was about his next project. “For the time being, I would like to try a feature-length project,” the director said. However, he isn’t ruling out working on another series like Devilman: Crybaby or 2016’s Flip Flappers. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do a series. If I can make it in the process that I want, I would like to try a series.”
The director didn’t reveal any plot or story details about his next project. It is unclear if Oshiyama wants to work on another manga adaptation, or if he wants to follow Look Back with an original story. Whatever he does for his next project, Oshiyama said he wants to maintain a similarly small and intimate team if it is a hand-drawn project. “If it were 3D or live-action, I think the way of thinking would be different,” he said. “But, when it comes to hand-drawn, the work is heavily influenced by the individuality and habits of each artist. I think it’s absolutely best to have a small number of people.”
Look Back Is the Most Emotional Anime Movie of 2024
It’s funny to think that Look Back, a heartbreaking exploration of dreams and friendship through a grief-stricken lens came from the same mangaka that wrote Chainsaw Man, a story that boils down to one man’s journey to touch boobs. The film follows Fujino and Kyomoto, two kids who draw four-panel manga for their school’s newsletter. What starts as a rivalry turns into a strong friendship, as the pair decide to become professional mangaka together until their diverging career paths separate them.
Along with the various accolades at film festivals, Look Back was also awarded ComicBook.com’s Golden Issue award for the Best Anime Movie of 2024. The film also has some high-profile fans within the anime and creative communities. Video game developer Hideo Kojima declared his love for the film when it was released, while Studio Ghibli’s Toshio Suzuki is also a massive fan of the hand-drawn movie.
Look Back is streaming on Prime Video.
H/T: Eiga
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Image courtesy of Max
