LOOK BACK

Two Young Mangaka Discover the Power of Art

Venue(s): Tollywood Shimokitazawa
Jan. 26 (Sun), 2025; Feb. 2 (Sun), 9 (Sun), 12 (Wed), 16 (Sun), 19 (Wed), 23 (Sun), 26 (Wed), 2025. Details check at the theater site.
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Official website: lookback-anime.com
Theater website: tollywood.jp/
Theater website: tollywood.jp/address
Trailer: https://bit.ly/4aIhaer
Tariff: General: ¥1,900, Students: ¥1,500, Senior: ¥1,200, High school students: ¥1,000, Service days (1st, 11th, 22nd of every month): ¥1,200), Disability ID holder: ¥1,000
Advance tickets: Please check on the theater sites.
Talk event: Please check on the theater sites.

Title: ルックバック (Rukku Bakku)
Director: Kiyotaka Oshiyama (押山清高)
Duration: 58 min

The small arthouse theater Tollywood Shimokitazawa is screening an English-subtitled run of the popular 2024 animated film Look Back by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, a story about friendship, the passion for creation and overcoming crippling social anxiety through art. The quiet coming-of-age tale is also about the power of friendship, with two young female protagonists who have warmed the hearts of Japanese audiences and beyond.

Look Back is based on a short story by manga artist Tatsuki Fujimoto, and follows Fujino, who loves drawing gag manga, and Kyomoto, a skillful artist with a unique sensibility, as the two meet and first decide to collaborate. While they continue to be rivals of a sort, they also influence each other as they grow up. And then, as often happens, tragedy strikes. Look Back then offers a “what-if” style scenario that deepens the meaning of the story prior to that moment.

All Images above: © 藤本タツキ／集英社　(C) 2024「ルックバック」製作委員会

The mid-length feature conveys the joy and struggles of those involved in creative work, detailing the small turning points of everyday life, using  its tranquil visual beauty to deliver an ultimately profound story.

Tollywood Shimokitazawa