ルックバック

LOOK BACK

ONE_SHOT

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
1
RELEASE
July 19, 2021
CHAPTERS
1

DESCRIPTION

Fujino is a fourth grader who draws a manga strip for the school newspaper. Her art makes her the star of the class, but one day she's told that Kyomoto, a student who refuses to come to school, would also like to submit a manga for the paper...

(Source: MANGA Plus)

Note: The one-shot was compiled in a special volume, released on September 3, 2021.

CAST

Kyomoto
Ayumu Fujino
Otoko
4-Koma no Josei
4-Koma no Dansei
Tannin
Tomodachi no Haha
Obaa-chan

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO LOOK BACK

MOVIE DramaLook Back

REVIEWS

Doyagao
95/100
A thought provoking story of grief and loss that left me craving
Story Summary:A story of two girls. How one out of jealousy sets out to improve and prove herself superior to another only find companionship and comfort in her rivals presence.The story follows Fujino who writes 4-koma for her school newspaper and gets a rival in Kyomoto who starts doing the same every now and then but with some really amazing artwork that overshadows her simple art.She gets jealous and beaten down by others calling her work average and so starts playing eye of the tiger as she grinds out the artist class. She burns out of it eventually and stops in her third year of middle school only to have her rival Kyomoto the truant rekindle her passion for art when Fujino visits Kyomoto to deliver her graduation certificate. The two set out to create manga together and get published over the course of half a decade only to have Kyomoto pull out to pursue an art degree. The two part ways and Fujino continues on only to find out her partner has died in a homicide incident. She spirals into grief and we are shown a could have been only to have Fujino return to reality and decide to continue writing her manga as a final shot of her back as she works, draws the curtains.

Plot and Characters:To tell you the truth I am an absolute sucker for good coming of age stories and stories that have themes of creatives. This scratched both of those itches for me. Yes I am a Fujimoto fanboy but the writing here is pretty well done. The manga creates this timeline of events that you can very easily get lost in but makes sense if you take a step back and look at in the grand scheme of things. The main characters are compelling and likeable with the passionate and hardworking Fujino and the awkward and equally passionate Kyomoto. The two work great with each other and really give a sense of kinship throughout the manga and I found myself getting attached to the two of them just as they did to each other. The time lapses are well thought out and creative but dont get boring even though we get quite a few of them because of how full they are in storytelling. Fujimoto explores a what if here but whereas other writers would make this a sort of time travel plot or some supernatural plot where her strong feelings of regret and grief makes her somehow save her friend he explores the very same sequence of events in a more human and real fashion. By making it a coping mechanism for the grieving character he takes on a journey inside the head of Fujino and explores grief and loss in a truly unique manner. 9.5/10

Art:
Ive always had these things I point out when reading any of fujimotos work but its his hatching, use of silence and paneling. All three of these are ever present in this masterpiece of art.

Fuji does this thing where he will have incomplete lineart and will use hatching to fill in the shape giving it weight and dimension which is something Ive so far never seen any other artist do. Its almost become a given to have clear complete lineart so that people cant call it "incomplete or rushed" fuji however just goes completely against that at times. That very sense of incompleteness is something this man has learned to weaponize to just slay whatever he touches with his pen. Using incomplete line art gives it a special charm you only find in his work while the hatching he uses to bring his objects to life in place of the line art allows him to give them more weight depending on the mood of the scene, which is something he does really well in this one shot(i.e lsd off my rocker hammer man) Towards the last pages after the friend dies He goes ham on the hatching making everything really dark and gritty. Giving emotional and visual weight to Fujino who is going through shit and I just couldnt help but be completely enamored by his use of tone. Sure a lot of artists do this with exaggerated angles and really darkened tones but it usually goes one of two ways, either the character is given a shadow on their face or their background goes dark but fujimoto completely pulls the light out of both his character and the background emphasizing the emotions he wants to get through. This is also something he uses for the more mundane emotions like surprise during the first few pages very effectively. Its ridiculous what this man is doing relatively early on in his career with his art. This man is a national treasure.

The use of silence is another trait thats seen in the one shot. He creates these really easy to understand panels with the stark contrast created with smart use of silence in his art. The scenes in the later timelapse shots with the almost sanitary looking white tile floor is a great example of this. It makes the panels very easy to understand and almost makes the panels move on their own. Another cool thing I noticed was how barebones he kept the hallways in Kyomoto's house. These sorts of backgrounds really just pull the focus into the characters and makes the world feel lived in. Like the shot with the two girls crossing the road. You know there a other people there and you feel the scale of the city yet every fiber of your being is focused on the two girls at the center because of his use of contrast. He frames these characters to fit the mood and tone of the scenes especially well in the scene where Fujino and Kyomoto are arguing and the camera shows this from behind dark foliage and when we shift perspectives to Kyomoto where she is looking up at the hammer maniac.The shots where he frames only the back of Fujino instead of perhaps showing her working through some other angle is also a genius creative freedom he's taken. And the framing of the flashbacks to Fujino and Kyomoto working on their manga and just chilling together just goes to show how close the two characters were.

The paneling for the one shot was absolutely insane. Using his very easy to grasp art with his great understanding of the flow of an image he manages to make me feel like the panels are moving on their own without me having to press an arrow key every now and then. Your eyes move on to the next panel almost automatically as if its second nature and I personally had to think to slow myself down and really observe the panels like I would do when pausing a film to look at the details in the set. Speaking of movies I have never seen anything in the form of still images feel this cinematic in my life ever. Ive read a fair share of stuff but never has a story especially a one shot progressed as if it was living and breathing on its own. This is what people mean when they say giving life to art. Fujimoto with every meaning of the sentence really just breathes life into his art. There are quite a few pages of just 2 frames a page but the staggering amount of attention and consistency in these panels especially the timelapsey ones is really something you need to go back and look at while giving your full attention. How the bookstacks grow,the paraphernalia change in the room. How her desk changes appearances and how she shifts her topic of study are all little details that the people working on this put a lot of work into and deserve to be seen.

All that said the best part for me about this whole one shot has to be the motif of us looking at Fujino's back as she works. Her timelapse through her early years as she grows, feels motivated to draw and sets out to learn, putting in years of her life to her gaining a friend and working together.Growing off of each others company, to the fight and her going back to working alone really puts into effect the passing of time and the course of happenings. And the punchline with one final back shot and one final visit to the motif just ties it all together. Piecing all the events and Fujino's growth over the one shot. Just an amazing device that just punches you in the gut.

Conclusion:This one shot is something I feel any long time fan of the medium has to read. Its something that fully deserves your time and attention because my god will this have you thinking and feeling things. A masterful display of artistic skill and creative prowess Fujimoto shows how to do everything right with a 140 page long oneshot. This is a must read for a Fujimoto fan and something I see myself visiting every now and again.
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AnotherBadger
87/100
A tender exploration of jealousy, loneliness and grief that feels painfully human
“Keep your eyes on my back and you’ll grow too.”
- Fujino
Look Back is, as its name suggests, a story that may require a moment of reflection and potential re-read to fully understand and appreciate what is happening. This is especially true when the second half of this emotional story is taken into consideration. It is a one-shot that tells an emotional story that sometimes becomes a little bit confusing.

Despite being a short story, Look Back weaves a bittersweet tale that empathetically captures the relationship between two girls as their relationship progresses from a one-sided rivalry to a supportive friendship. The growth of their relationship feels natural as they push each other to become better artists and expand their personal boundaries; becoming better versions of themselves. Watching as they find comfort and safety in one another is also portrayed beautifully, with Fujimoto utilising scenery to really convey the emotions that the characters are feeling.

Fujimoto also has the fantastic ability to explore the darker emotions that linger, often ignored, on the fringes of relationships. The mix of jealousy, regret, and loneliness feel realistic and, while not initially in the foreground of the relationship between Fujino and Kyomoto, it can still be sensed; creating a slight unease throughout Look Back. These elements are, however, handled with care and work in synergy with Fujimoto's style; especially his ability to convey emotion through facial expressions and landscapes.

Fujimoto's art is stunning, especially during the quiet scenes where the characters simply exist as themselves. Some of the best examples of this are from when Fujino and Kyomoto are drawing together. This kind of silent companionship can be a difficult thing to convey but, in not relying too heavily on speech, Fujimoto's art speaks loud and clearly. The reader finds themselves also simply existing alongside the characters in these moments.

The latter quarter of Look Back could get a little bit confusing for some, especially since there is no clear break between reality and daydream. However, it adds to the theme of reminiscence and the desire to change things in the past. It may be more impactful on a second read-through as it heightened the emotions of the early pages as well. I think the primary issue could have been averted if the visuals of the scenes had been altered slightly to create a visual distinction between these two although this definitely isn't a necessity.

There is a sense of foreboding throughout the first half of Look Back, although this may be because Fujimoto is known for exploring darker themes within his work. Reading this short story can sometimes feel more like waiting for the other shoe to drop. This doesn't lessen the impact felt when it does, but it can dampen the rest of the story.

This is a story that I found more impactful a second time; especially when knowing what to expect from the narrative and understanding the flow a little better. It also makes the focus on the quiet moments between Fujino and Kyomoto all the more poignant.

Overall, Look Back is an emotive, personal, and thoughtful consideration of the darker emotions that come from relationships. It retains a more optimistic approach to these elements when compared to Fujimoto’s other works, offering an ending that is bittersweet but hopeful. It is a reminder that, while difficult things will happen and the past can offer some reprieve, there is always a reason to continue going forward.
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Nicke
85/100
A story about how unexpecting life is during the journey of reaching the end goal
This Is Not Spoiler Free

I'm a major consumer of Fujimoto's work as I really love his art, how he structures his story from the build up, all the way to the resolution, and most importantly, his outstanding ability of not being afraid to kill off fan favorite characters as if it's nothing. This man will really break your heart and have you coming back for more.

So when he dropped this one shot “Look Back” I was surprised to see the slice of life genre slapped on there. It had me fooled at first, but hey, I ended up loving it in the end. Some of the major key points that I really loved was the focus on the world of a Mangaka, and even life throughout. For instance, let's take a look at Fujino. While art may have been her passion, it was eventually the opinions of others that got in the way. After hearing all the not so great opinions from others in her circle, she felt maybe she should quit, and well she did, and that carried on through graduation. It wasn’t until after meeting Kyomoto and finding out the impact she left on her, that it inspired her to try again.

A little message you can pull from this is that when you live a life leading you to believe what you are doing is useless or nothing but a waste of time, you believe it and it makes you reconsider a lot. I guess a little take away is that having someone tell you they are a fan of your work can really get you motivated, even if what you're doing doesn't seem to be paying off. It really helps to bring the meaning of, if you always let others control your life, you'll never really be you. By doing that, that's how she reached her dream, after releasing many oneshots with Kyomoto, she began her very own successful series even after the two departed.

But this is fujimoto we're talking about, no happy endings here.

The news popped up and reported there had been an incident at an art school, the very one Kyomoto attended. When they started talking about the details of what had happened, I instantly got nods back to the Kyoto Animation Studio incident that occurred on July 18th 2019. Where the studio was burnt down and claimed the lives of 36 innocent people. May they all rest in peace, and their families have a long healthy life. As for the reasoning behind this attack, it was led by a man who had believed the studio stole one of his ideas and set fire to the building.

So much like this, that's what the attack was depicted as in the story, except it was by a man wielding an axe, and it was launched at an art school. So if you already pieced it all together, the one shot was released on the anniversary of this tragedy, which I can't help but feel it was a tribute in a way. So by adding something like this really made the death of Kyomoto hit even more. It also proved that Fujimoto has a great sense of the world, and knew how to write in such an event without making it seem forced.

So as expected Fujino didn't handle it well, she blamed herself and even thought of a way to prevent her death, all while creating a whole new scenario where they ended up making it big together. Which as we all know, life doesn't work that way. We could imagine multiple different scenarios, try and blame ourselves. At the end of the day, what's done is done. No amount of wishful thinking can change that. It really goes to show how powerless we really are, we really are just 1 in a couple billion.

So in all, I gathered the story isn't just about two people who worked together and aspired to make it big and suffered one major loss. It's about how unexpecting life is. How just because something seems out of reach, all it takes is the right push to make it happen. You may not have natural talent, or be able to do something as often as another. So it's important to know that hard work always beats talent, as without the effort put in, there's not really much to show for in the end. Also how someone so close to you might be gone the next day, without a goodbye. As all it takes is just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Life is filled with lots of misfortunes, but it also has it's high points. You can learn from others, get inspired by them, and even change for them. Nothing is guaranteed, but yet at the same time, nothing is denied. Not sure if I hit the hammer on the nail with that one, but that's how I perceived the story. If my time in literature taught me anything, it's that a story can be depicted in my different ways and carry a different meaning for everyone. As the story can be a representation of struggling towards an end goal, and facing many misfortunes and not knowing if the path you chose will work out. While it also could represent jealousy towards those that are better than you, and living with that resentment only to realize it was meaningless in the end.

In the end I loved how she became resolved after visiting her room and finding out how supportive she was of her series. So seeing the little comic strip taped on in front of her desk was just really heart warming.

So as expected Fujimoto really nailed this story as the art and the message it conveyed couldn't have been better. The characters left a certain appeal to them that made them easy to learn from. Even with the environment and how he was able to depict real life events without making it seem forced and unrealistic. Which really says a lot about the society we live in, but let's not step into that minefield.

Anyways, thanks for reading another one of my video scripts that ended up becoming a review here.

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