The 48th Japan Academy Awards ceremony, a Japanese film festival, was held in Tokyo on March 14th, and the animated feature film " Lookback" (directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama ), based on a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto , known for " Chainsaw Man ," was selected as the Best Animated Feature. Director Oshiyama spoke about his thoughts on the film.
Director Oshiyama commented, "Thank you for coming today. Mr. Toshiyuki Inoue, who is here today, is an excellent animator who has supported the anime industry for many years. Animation is an expression that cannot be created without the support of excellent technology. I don't think this work could have been made without the people who were involved in this work and those who support the Japanese animation industry."
"Seven years ago, I worked as an animator on the set of ' The Boy and the Heron?' under director Hayao Miyazaki. When I left Ghibli, I told director Miyazaki, 'From now on, we're going to make our own films.' Seven years later, it feels especially emotional to receive the Grand Prize from Studio Ghibli, which also won Best Animation for ' The Boy and the Heron?' last year. Thank you for allowing me to appear at such a prestigious event today. I would like to express my gratitude to the original author , Tatsuki Fujimoto, and all the staff, cast, and everyone involved."
"Lookback" was released in July 2021 on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump + (Plus)" and recorded over 2.5 million views on the first day. It was selected as the No. 1 in the men's edition of "This Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022" and was also nominated for the "Manga Taisho 2022". The story is about two girls who are single-mindedly passionate about manga, but then an event occurs that shatters everything... Fujino, a fourth-grade elementary school student who serializes a four-panel manga in the student newspaper, is praised by her classmates, but her teacher tells her, "I want to publish a four-panel manga by Kyomoto, a classmate who doesn't go to school."
The anime was directed by Oshiyama, who has been involved as a key staff member in such Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Can (Not) Advance," "The Secret World of Arrietty," and "The Wind Rises," and was also in charge of the script and character design. Studio Dorian, which Oshiyama represents, produced the anime. The fact that Yuumi Kawai plays Fujino and Mizuki Yoshida plays Kyomoto has also attracted attention. Released on June 28 last year, the film was a huge hit, grossing over 2 billion yen.
