Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Artistry will delight anime fans, but themes may worry kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Look Back
What's the Story?
In LOOK BACK, fifth grader Fujino (voiced in the original Japanese by Yumi Kawai) enjoys the attention she gets as the cartoonist of a popular comic strip that runs in the school newspaper. When the paper also starts publishing the more artistic four-panel strip of homeschooled student Kyomoto (Mizuki Yoshido), Fujino feels threatened. But once the two girls meet, they bond over their shared passion for manga. Friendship is forged, and their collaborations lead to success, but when Kyomoto wants to follow her own path, the two have a fight that will never be resolved.
Is It Any Good?
With lovely artistry and a short running time, this beautiful tragedy is a love letter to anime lovers and creatives alike. Look Back is full of manga-referencing Easter eggs that will likely make young fans squeal with delight. In montages of the passing years, the girls are shown furiously sketching on separate papers even while together in the same room, just one of many moments that speak to the experience of being an animator. There's plenty for artists of all sorts to relate to and for fans to appreciate, but, without question, this one feels particularly made for those who work in the industry.
As its title indicates, Look Back is a reflection on a friendship. It's also an essay in grief, intensified by silence that makes the shock of loss all the more profound. Surprisingly short, it benefits from its conciseness. There's no neat and tidy ending, and viewers won't walk away feeling like there's a moral to the story, but this collaboration between manga creator Tatsuki Fujimoto and director Kiyotaka Oshiyama will stay with viewers nonetheless.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how our friendships help shape us. What do Fujino and Kyomoto gain from each other in Look Back? Is there any negative impact from the relationship?
What is perseverance? Discuss how this character trait is destructive to Fujino when fueled by envy but constructive when fueled by collaboration.
Talk about how the violence is (and isn't) depicted in Look Back. How did it make you feel? Compare it to how this subject might play out in other films or TV shows. How would a more obvious visual depiction have felt? Which approach do you prefer?
What are the typical hallmarks of anime? Do you see them in Look Back?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 4, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : November 7, 2024
- Cast : Yumi Kawai , Mizuki Yoshida
- Director : Kiyotaka Oshiyama
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Japanese Movie Director(s) , Asian Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : GKIDS
- Genre : Anime
- Topics : Book Characters , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Run time : 58 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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