By Karen Reyes
Hirokazu Kore-eda has mastered the coming-of-age film. After the impact of 2023’s Monster, Kore-eda returned to the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival with a live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s 2021 one-shot manga Look Back. Following the animated version of the story in 2024, this version of Look Back brought Fujino and Kyomoto to life in a touching reflection on artistry, friendship, love, and grief.
The film begins with a young Fujino (Fuuri Nanase) and Kyomoto (Rokka Okada) and takes us from their childhood into adulthood (where they are played by Natsuki Deguchi and Aju Makita, respectively) as they spend their middle and high school years attached at the hip, working on a manga series that will change their lives. We become part of their world after they meet in elementary school—almost by fate and, initially, as rivals—and grow as people and artists and eventually, into adults with very different goals.
When the time comes to graduate high school and their hard work pays off in an offer to turn their successful manga series into an anime, Kyomoto decides to go to art school instead of continuing this career with Fujino. For the first time, their imaginative world of fantasy and adventure begins to fracture.
Deguchi’s performance as Fujino stands out as the highlight of the film. Happy-go-lucky and extroverted energy pushes her and Kyomoto’s talents into the spotlight and Deguchi expertly portrays Fujino’s upbeat personality. Makita, however, is an incredibly close second and creates a beautiful contrast to Fujino as Kyomoto—a shut-in, introverted, painfully shy girl who doesn’t get out much is literally pulled into the sunlight by her best friend. They each capture the nuances of their characters with great detail and in a way that makes them relatable. Our own memories of life-changing childhood friendships let us identify moments that hit close to home and make these two girls’ relationship all the more emotionally moving.
Kore-eda’s stunning direction and choice to include an animated sequence brings tears and sniffles to the theater when the story takes a tragic turn. As an adult Fujino looks back on their friendship, Kore-eda interjects flashbacks of quiet childhood moments with Kyomoto and even a few “what-ifs” for the audience to consider ways their story may have turned out differently. The animated sequence also drives home what the narrative has built up over the course of the film: The importance of the magical and surreal world that the girls created for themselves through manga.
Look Back is a wonderful portrait of the artist’s journey and the inevitable cost of following your dreams. It’s tailored to audiences of all ages, yet zeroes in on the vivid memories that can only come from a childhood friendship filled with ambition, passion, and a mutual love for the same craft.