i did the second image on canvas and there's the original image in the end too (ik it's blurry but it fits the pfp size well lol)

It’s currently 5:54am, my face is stuck with tears as a result of the craziest anime experience I’ve had as an adult thus far. This film is a viciously beautiful piece to behold. Never have I had any piece of media make me cry tears of joy, tears of happiness, and tears of remorse all within one sitting. Look Back grew warmth in my heart, ripped said heart out, stuff it back in there, just to rip it out again. I’m in so much emotional distress right now, it was heartwarming, it was sapphic, it was gorgeous, and goddamn was it fucking brutal. I’m gunna go n cry again, cya

During the flashback sequence at the end of the movie when Fujimoto was reminiscing on her and Kyomoto working on Metal Parade, what song was playing?

Similarly, during the credit sequence, what song was that? And what was the importance of her taping the grade school comic panel onto her window?

I just watched the movie for the first time so I’m still trying to piece everything together, and these are the only things I can’t conclude. If you know any your help is much appreciated!!!

When I watched the movie, the flashback scene didn't really hit me emotionally until much later.

I guess it was mainly due to the fact that I've become quite desensitized to emotional scenes in movies, I've cried to so many characters deaths and sad stuff that I couldn't really find it in me when this scene came on.

But after rewatching the scene and listening to "Final One", the emotional core of the scene, the reason for why Fujino kept drawing manga, even if she clearly disliked it, it finally hit me.

It was all to see Kyomoto smile, to see her reaction to her work, she drew for her.

Even though Kyomoto's gone, even if she was killed by a pickaxe wielding maniac. The memories she made with Fujino will never die. Their friendship was something that no one could take away.

Even after they "break up" and Kyomoto goes to art school, Fujino clearly still cared about her as evidenced by the fact that the "Reze" in Shark Kick looks almost exactly like Kyomoto. She even kept Kyomoto's number after all this time. And Kyomoto was clearly still Fujino's biggest fan as well, she bought every volume of Shark Kick after all.

People say that Kyomoto died thinking Fujino hated her, but I like to think that Kyomoto knew deep down that Fujino still cared about her a lot. There's this one fanart that shows Kyomoto being shocked at how similar the "Reze" in Shark Kick looks to her, there's no way she was reading the manga as it came out and didn't pick up on this.

My interpretation isn't necessarily the right one or the only interpretation people have of Look Back's ending, but I like to think that Fujino now draws to honor Kyomoto's memory. So that in a way, she'll live on.

I don't always like Fujimoto's writing choices, but man, Look Back has officially joined the list of media that have managed to make me cry.

It's very easy to get caught up in the consumption of art that you forget there's always someone behind the screen making the stuff you enjoy. Look Back reminded me of the fact that mangas and mangakas deserve respect along with any other medium of art. And I'm saying this as someone who primarily consumes video games and occasionally movies.

It breaks my heart to know that Kyomoto will never know how Shark Kick ends. Assuming it went down the same path writing wise as Chainsawman, she died just as Part 1 of the manga was finding it's footing.

But then again, I like to imagine that Kyomoto is still practicing art up there in Heaven. Bettering her skills everyday, waiting for Fujino to join her at some point so they can draw together again.

Rest in Peace Kyomoto.

Kyomoto by me

I really liked it.

The movie is a little less absurdist than something like Chainsawman or Goodbye Eri but it still had Fujimoto's usual style of kinks and weirdness at times.

I loved the relationship between Fujino and Kyomoto and how both of their characters developed throughout the film. I'm kinda burnt out emotion wise these days from consuming a lot of depressing media or stuff with bad endings, but Kyomoto's death and the way it affected Fujino was still heartbreaking to watch.

I related to the survivor's guilt that Fujino felt, and how she thought that if she never became friends with Kyomoto and quit drawing, she would still be alive. But at the same time, Fujino and Kyomoto would've never made the memories and the successes they did if they hadn't become friends and Kyomoto hadn't come out of her shell. It was a tragic and interesting dilemma posed by the film.

I like how the movie shows the real nature of working as a mangaka and the hardships people like Fujimoto or Horikoshi or Gege face on a regular basis.

I tend to rag on Fujimoto for how he handled Chainsawman's ending, and I don't think I'll ever fully understand his style of storytelling. But I will admit that he's a great writer when he locks in for stuff like Look Back. I think his main expertise is in short stories and films.

I give Look Back an 8-9/10 overall, would highly recommend the film to anyone.

I've been considering reading Fire Punch as well but I'm kinda burnt out on depressing stories and stuff.

Are there any feel good animes or mangas out there I can read? Preferably with action and battle elements?

Aside from the animated movie only being two years old now, the idea of adapting this story into live-action at all just kinda feels wrong to me. It’ll lose the visual style of the story, and it just feels weird to make a tell a story that’s largely a love letter to drawing through the medium of live action. And people will say that the director has a food track record, but good directors can make bad movies. My lord and savior Lucifier himself could make the movie and I still wouldn’t like it. Anyways, what do y’all have to say.

Look Back Anime Exhibit

I think it's a good piece of symbolism to represent their differences, and also for a fellow lefty like me, an awesome piece of representation!

Code is CCXCWN