Look Back

There’s a haiku-like purity to it: Look Back is as neat and yet also as overflowing as the four-panel strips in which its leads once diligently honed their craft.

The heady buzz of creation. The stillness of grief. The heart-expanding-five-times-its-size joy of a perfect day with a friend. It’s all there. I just wanted more of it.

Look Back exudes love for its source material, this medium, and the very act of creation in every frame. It’s crushing and visually vibrant in equal measure, so much so that it may even help AI art freaks inch back a bit closer to the light.

This lilting tale’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it brevity proves inseparable from the lasting power of its punch-to-the-gut impact. Life is short, “Look Back” reminds us in both form and content..

It’s a touching story that’s also a pleasure to look at thanks to director Oshiyama’s springy, supple use of animation.

As the credits roll over a beautifully composed shot that mirrors the panels of a manga strip, there’s a sombre but satisfying sense that nothing else needs to be said. Not a minute more needed from this hour-long experience.

The movie is meticulously designed, focusing on quiet details like the girls' drawing spaces, the weather, and time passing. It's a small miracle.

Look Back is a deep, thoughtful examination of the life of artists, and the contradictions they wrestle with.

This 2024 Japanese anime movie is immaculately paced and powerful in its simplicity.

'Look Back' tells you what it wants to tell you, and also leaves you a little broken inside. [Full review in Spanish]