Look Back is a 2024 anime film Directed by by Kiyotaka Oshiyama and staring Grace Lu and Kayleigh McKee. The film centres around tow young girls that like drawing manga one overly confident and one a shut in that though a love of drawing draw the two together. Look Back is an interesting engaging film that anime fans should watch.
The direction in the film is good. The dynamic between the two main characters Fujino and Kyomoto and there dynamic with each other. Funjio is overconfident but is an average artist, however Kyomoto is a talented art but very shy as the two complement each other having skills the others lack creating a manga making powerhouse. The mood of the film is interesting. The film has a light-hearted comedic tone as the relationship between the two of them is cute. However, the film has a serious edge to it as well with sadness between the breakdown of the relationship between the characters. The style of the film is interesting for the most part the film has a realistic feel to it, however there is a surrealistic element to the film with the manga they draw animated.
The acting in the film is good. Kayleigh McKee does a good job as Fujino. She plays an overly confident character crushed by the realisation that she is not the best manga artist and manages to find enjoyment in herself with her collaboration with hr newfound friend. Grace Lu does a good job as Kyomoto. She lays a talented but shy manage artist that though her relationship with Fukino comes out of her shell to be a normal person.
The writing in the film is good. The film ultimately has a simple plot done well. The film is ultimately about two teenage girls forming a friendship through manga, but the film is so sincere and well l oden in its depiction of this that the films simplicity works to its strength. There characters in the film are good. They are both similar and opposites with an overconfident but mediocre artist and a very talented but shy artist. There dynamic in how they work off each other and become one unit works well and creates a good dynamic in the film. the film has a good, interesting, and unique theme at its core with the realisation that you are not the best at something but that’s ok. It teaches to admire someone even if they have given up and from this the characters find each other. The film also has a genuinely sad and emotional ending which I will not spoil.
The anemography in the film is good. Although not anything amazing the film looks good and everything is clear in the film. The animation is also good the amination is very clean and looks well done with a lot of time and talent clearly gone into the animation. The film also has some interesting styles to it with rough animation used to show their manga.
Look back is a unique personal feeling film that anime fans should watch.
