I never imagined that Look Back would get an anime adaptation. I still remember the feeling I got when I first read it, how some of the simplest dialogue lines gave me chills. I could feel so much emotion emanating from it, and it resonated with me so deeply. This anime adaptation was everything I could ask for, and more. One of the cases where the source material is raised to new heights without sacrificing any of the charm and character that made the source as good as it is. Every element here is in service of telling this story and ensuring that this message is relayed accurately, while introducing new creative expressions to elevate it further. 

Any good piece of art dealing with the act of creating art itself feels delicate. It’s made with a level of care and consideration that is instantly felt by the viewer. It comes across in the manga, and it comes across even more in the film. It feels like the director, animators, voice actors, musicians and everyone else involved injected the same high level of attention into their work on this, and it really shines through. 

In an interview screened after the film, Kiyotaka Oshima discussed initially being apprehensive about taking on the project due to its lack of dynamic scenes. The story features a lot of character animation more than anything. They’ve done a stellar job in that regard, creating emotive expressions while retaining a lot of Fujimoto’s art style, and injecting the scenes with vivid colors mirroring the emotions felt by the characters in their adolescence; vibrant and dramatic. I think that because there are so few scenes with a ton of movement, the few story beats that do revolve around it, namely the skipping scene, are so much more impactful.

Throughout the story, Fujino’s arrogance pushes her forward, allowing her to have the confidence to just keep creating manga and submitting it for publications. Along with Kyomoto, they get multiple one-shots published before finishing high school, which eventually leads to a serialization offer. But more so than that, it was the joy she felt when Kyomoto told her how much she appreciated her art. Kyomoto’s words of affection, and later Fujino’s love towards Kyomoto allowed her to keep pursuing art. Despite her family not being supportive, despite her friends saying it was childish and she should grow out of it, despite the frustration she felt in the gap in skill between her and Kyomoto, she just kept drawing and drawing.

Her pursuits isolated her, it pulled her away from her friends and family. It was a sacrifice she chose to make, at least temporarily. But later on this is what allowed a strong bond to build between her and Kyomoto. She was closer to her than she was to any of her previous friends. They were able to better understand each other through their art. They spent all day together working on manga, rewarding themselves after their hard-earned successes. Together they experienced so many things, but eventually the pride and arrogance that had propelled Fujino this far drove the two of them apart. Fujino’s pursuits once again isolated her. 

Perhaps they eventually would have settled their dispute. I certainly think they would have. But they were never given that luxury. The horror etched in Fujino’s face when she hears the news, when she considers the mere possibility of her worst fears being confirmed shows just how much she still cared about Kyomoto. It’s a tragic ending to their relationship, one that was much too short, one that is unfortunately, not entirely fiction. 

This section mirrors the events of the Kyoto Animation arson attack, in which a man accused the studio of plagiarism while dousing it in gasoline and igniting it, killing 36 people and injuring 34 others. A senseless act of violence that no doubt left an impression on Fujimoto, innocent people who had dedicated their lives to creating art had died for no reason, people working within the same industry, people who’s creative struggles he knew well. Likewise, Haruka Nakamura, the film’s soundtrack composer, was friends with Nujabes, and the two were working on an album together when Nujabes passed away in a traffic accident. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, any of us could lose loved ones far sooner than we expect. 

I think this lies at the core of the message of this film. It asks us why we create, why do we try so hard, is it all for nothing if we die before we reach our goals? Is all this time and effort going to waste somehow, is there something else I should be pursuing? At a time like now where it feels like creating art is becoming more and more difficult, this film gives me some hope, as it aims to answer this question. 

None of this effort is going to waste. It’s not entirely about skill level, it’s about communicating a message. At the beginning of their journey, Fujino is best able to communicate with Kyomoto through her comics. A quick 4-panel doodle slips under Kyomoto’s door and their relationship begins. Likewise, after a glimpse at an alternate timeline, Kyomoto’s comic, “Look Back”, prompts Fujino to do just that. 

She reminisces on all the time they spent together. Fujino draws for Kyomoto. She draws to see that smile again. Despite their dispute, Kyomoto still silently supported Fujino’s serialized manga, she never stopped being her biggest fan. Realizing this, Fujino goes back to her apartment and starts drawing the next chapter. The end goal isn’t why we do this, it’s the journey that’s brought us to where we are today, every moment spent in the pursuit of creation is what makes everything worth it.

We create for ourselves and for our loved ones. We create because it allows us to communicate more clearly, it allows us to empathize and argue. We create because someone out there wants to see what we’re making, they want to know what’s next. We create because we can, because we can’t stop.