Look Back

Look Back follows Fujino, a confident and sociable elementary schooler whose short comics in the class newspaper earn her praise from classmates and teachers alike. Her comfortable position is shaken when another manga appears in the same paper, drawn by Kyomoto, a girl who rarely attends school and keeps to herself. Fujino, stung by the difference in ability, throws herself into improving her drawing, and the rivalry gradually turns into something else as the two discover how much they share.

The film is an adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga and was directed and written by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, marking his first feature as director; his second, Red Memory, followed in 2025. Yumi Kawai voices Fujino and Mizuki Yoshida voices Kyomoto, with a credited cast of 21 and a crew of 64. The production involved Shueisha, avex pictures and Studio Durian, and the film runs 58 minutes.

Released in Japan in June 2024, it drew about 25 million US dollars worldwide, a strong return for a film of its length and scale. On IMDb it holds 7.8 from roughly 21,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 8.2 from around 673 votes. A critics' rating of 8.7 from 25 reviews places it above both audience scores, indicating a more enthusiastic critical than general response.