Look Back Anime Director Hints At The Film Being Different From The Manga

Kiyotaka Oshiyama, director of the upcoming anime film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga Look Back, hinted that he is aiming to create the film differently from the manga.

In his comment, Oshiyama acknowledged the similarities in the creative processes between animators/animation directors and manga artists, saying that they approach their works in an identical manner.

He further elaborated on his personal connection to the story, stating, he could resonate with Fujimoto’s inspiration to create Look Back. And because of this, Oshiyama felt that he could create a movie adaptation of the work, which he could personally relate to.

“When I read manga, I was not only deeply moved by the story, but I also resonated with the passion of Tatsuki Fujimoto, the author of Look Back. That’s why I felt that I could make this into a film that I could personally relate to.”

Expressing his gratitude to Fujimoto for letting him adapt the one-shot, Oshiyama said that he is aiming to create a film that is different from the manga.

“I am grateful to Tatsuki Fujimoto, the monster manga artist who kindly lent me the original work, and I am aiming to create a film that is different from the manga, knowing that I can only do so because I am an artist who has lived in the world of animation expression.”

Going by Oshiyama’s comments, it seems that the director is aiming to offer fans a unique experience when it comes to the anime film. However, it doesn’t really translate to the movie making any major changes to its plot and diverging from the original work.

Oshiyama could also be hinting at having more creative freedom in bringing the one-shot to life, and in the process offering a different sort of an experience than that of the manga (probably similar to how Chainsaw Man‘s anime adaptation was a different experience). The director was a part of the Chainsaw Man anime’s production, as he was in charge of the devils’ designs in the anime’s first season.

Oshiyama has previously worked as a director on Flip Flappers anime. He also served as an episode director in Space Dandy Season 2, and has been involved as an animator in various prominent works.

Look Back anime film is scheduled to release in the Japanese theatres on June 28, 2024. Along with direction, Oshiyama is also handling the screenplay and the character designs of the movie. Studio Duran is in charge of production.

Yumi Kawai, known for her role in Extremely Inappropriate!, will voice Ayumu Fujino. Meanwhile, Mizuki Yoshida, known for Alice in Borderland, will voice Kyomoto, the two main characters of the movie.

Check out the very first trailer of the movie below:

MAL describes the plot of Look Back as:

Fourth-grader Ayumu Fujino regularly draws four-panel manga for her school newspaper and is lauded as having the best artwork in her class. One day, she is asked by her teacher to turn over one of her manga slots in the school newspaper to a truant student named Kyomoto. When Kyomoto’s manga pops up alongside Fujino’s, it receives high praises for its detailed artwork, making Fujino furiously jealous.

Refusing to be beaten by someone who barely attends school, Fujino devotes herself to learning to create manga. As time goes on though, her goal of outshining Kyomoto seems to only get further and further away, and Fujino, now in sixth grade, eventually gives up and quits making manga.

Graduation day arrives, and Fujino is asked to deliver Kyomoto’s graduation certificate to her. Through chance, the two end up coming face to face, and their unexpected meeting will end up having consequences far beyond what either of them could ever predict.

Source: Official Website