[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]
Look Back opens with a shot that seems simple at first glance, but gradually reveals itself to be dense with detail. Our protagonist sits at her desk, hunched over a blank sketchbook. Although the “camera” is positioned behind her, the reflection of her face is just barely visible in a nearby mirror, her features contorted in frustrated concentration. Her sock lazily scratches the back of her leg as her pencil traces invisible patterns in the air, drafting potential scenarios in her imagination. Finally, she begins to draw, her foot drumming a beat of excitement and satisfaction on her bedroom floor as her ideas take shape on the page.
This same basic composition recurs throughout the film—both in isolation and in various montages—like the chorus of a song, or a poetic refrain that becomes more meaningful and impactful with every repetition. Indeed, director Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s sublime style elevates the narrative foundation established by author Tatsuki Fujimoto’s source material; he understands that the inherent power and appeal of animation lies in movement, color, rhythm, and expressionism.
Not that the story is any slouch on its own merits. The plot revolves around a pair of young manga artists that frequently compete to get their four-panel comic strips published in their school newspaper; slowly, their initial rivalry blossoms into mutual admiration, then inspiration, and ultimately collaboration, with each girl contributing her respective talent—creative vision and raw technical skill—in order to improve the quality of their combined work. As the years progress, however, conflict—incompatible career ambitions, an inability to separate their personal relationship from their professional partnership—fractures their bond and causes them to lose sight of what motivated them in the first place, leading to resentment, regret, and inevitable tragedy. The movie's unconventional structure emphasizes this core theme: diverging timelines (a gimmick reminiscent of Shunji Iwai’s Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?) force the characters to confront the consequences of their actions and contemplate how events might have unfolded differently had they chosen another path.
Poignant, emotionally resonant, and exquisitely heartbreaking, Look Back is anime of the highest caliber. It has more than earned its box office success and numerous accolades.
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