Prime Video's Newest, Saddest Anime Movie Already Has the Hideo Kojima Seal of Approval

Look Back has overwhelmed audiences with a tidal wave of emotions. Based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the comparatively short anime movie (with a 57-minute runtime) is already a smash hit for Prime Video. The film secured a strong placement in the streamer’s Top 10 chart, and received perfect reviews from critics. As well as holding a coveted 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an almost perfect audience score of 99%, Look Back also has the unofficial Hideo Kojima seal of approval.

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Look Back is an uncharacteristically slow and poignant story from the creator of Chainsaw Man. Based on the 2021 manga of the same name, the new movie follows two aspiring manga creators across several years, examining their unlikely friendship, and the realities of “making it” as an artist. Fujino and Kyomoto are polar opposites. One is the most popular girl in her school year, while the other is a home-schooled recluse, too anxious to venture into the outside world. However, their friendship blossoms from their joint love of creating four-panel manga strips for the school newspaper. Constantly pushing each other to the next level as artists, they collaborate on a project for a competition, which propels their aspiring dreams into the spotlight.

Hideo Kojima Adores Look Back

Audiences across the globe are enamoured with Look Back. The film grossed ¥1 billion during its theatrical run in Japan. Following its release on Prime Video, western critics have sung the praises of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s love-letter to the industry. The film has even caught the attention of the legendary video game creator, Hideo Kojima, who declared Look Back as one of his favorite movies of all-time.

Kojima shared his overwhelmingly positive thoughts about Look Back during its theatrical run in Japan. “Look Back is one of the most remarkable anime of the past decade,” his Tweet began. Kojima’s praise continued, “I was shaken to my core! The tenderness, the kindness, the strength! Such rich expressions and sensitivity, surpassing even a live-action film! I was moved by the present and future of entertainment! Anime is truly incredible. I’ve already ordered Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original manga and can’t wait to “look back” on it.”

Hideo Kojima has become one of the internet’s go-to sources for unofficial movie, TV, and anime reviews. Fans often rush to watch Kojima’s recommendations, as the disparity between general audiences and critics continues to grow. Look Back isn’t the only major 2024 anime Kojima has given the thumbs up to. The anime adaptation of Dan Da Dan, which streams simultaneously on Crunchyroll and Netflix, has become a viral sensation. When Episode 1 debuted in October, Hideo Kojima rushed to social media to laud the premiere episode. “I haven’t read the original manga, but being from the generation that loves the occult and UFOs, it really hit home,” read a small snippet of his review.

Look Back Is a Letterboxd Sensation

As Look Back enamours western audiences, review platforms and apps like Letterboxd have become overwhelmed with positive reviews for the movie. Look Back holds an aggregate rating of 4.4 stars out of 5 from nearly 100,000 reviews. Amazingly, only a fraction of audiences (less than 1%) gave the film a poor rating.

The app is filled with viewers sharing their unexpectedly emotional reactions to the movie. One user wrote, “why did I let an edit fool me into thinking this would be cute? 😞 MY HEART IS SHATTERED??? what the hell. Fujimoto WHEN I CATCH YOU!!! 🙁.” After winning several competitions, Fujino and Kyomoto are given a contract for their own serialized manga. As well as exploring the friendship between the leading characters, the movie also serves as a window into the world of manga artists, and the pressures they face. A viewer who works in the industry said the movie hit incredibly close to home, writing, “As an animator, the film throws me back to a time where I didn’t care about people’s opinion and simply drew what I wanted for fun… I miss that, I really do.”

Without diving into spoilers, Look Back causes Fujino to evaluate her long but distant friendship with Kyomoto. She experiences the entire spectrum of emotions as Fujino first reflects from a place of regret and emotional pain, before realising the positive impact their friendship had on her. Many Letterboxd users have been posting the line that hit the hardest, simply writing, “‘Thank you for getting me out of my room.’”