It has been announced that the animated film "Look Back" (directed by Oshiyama Kiyotaka), based on a manga by Fujimoto Tatsuki, known for works such as "Chainsaw Man," will be released worldwide on Amazon's video streaming service "Prime Video" from November 8th. A visual drawn by Oshiyama specifically for the release has also been released. It shows Kyomoto lying on a bed in Fujino's room, amazed as he reads Fujino's manuscript, his greatest work, as the first reader.
Director Oshiyama commented, "The film Look Back is a film that adds my own perspective to the powerful story contained in Tatsuki Fujimoto's original manga. It's a short film at 58 minutes, but I was really surprised at how many people came to see it in the theater multiple times. I'm happy that with this worldwide distribution, we can now share the film with even more people, including those who couldn't make it to the theater. I think that by watching it repeatedly through streaming, you will be able to appreciate the film carefully from various perspectives. I encourage you to also look for the various Easter eggs hidden in the details of the film. I hope that the charm of animated films can be conveyed, even just a little, through the power of the images." Author Fujimoto said, "When we were planning the film Look Back, if we filmed the original work as is, it would end up being a short film, and we were told that it wouldn't be commercially viable unless we added 30 to 40 minutes of original elements. This would have significantly limited the number of theaters it could be shown in, and in America, movies under 60 minutes can't be shown in theaters in the first place. But it's thanks to director Oshiyama Kiyotaka's judgment that we were able to release it in its current form and with this quality. I was really surprised that the expressions that I was clumsy at in the manga version and that were hard to convey were easier to understand and more vivid in the film. Also, Haruka Nakamura's soundtrack is so perfect that I couldn't think of anything else to match it. It's all thanks to the two of you. Thank you! And thank you to everyone who went to the theater! For those who watch it on Prime Video, it's an amazing animation, so I hope you'll watch it on the biggest screen possible! Thank you!" This is the first time that Amazon MGM Studios has participated in a Japanese anime production committee, and it will be the first time that a theatrical anime film released in Japan will be exclusively distributed worldwide on Prime Video since "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time," which was distributed in August 2021.
James Farrell, head of international originals at Amazon MGM Studios, said, "We are honored to be able to deliver the animated film 'Look Back' to the world through Prime Video. Following the United States, Amazon MGM Studios will launch an animation planning and production department in Japan at the end of 2022, and have been seeking to build an innovative yet ongoing relationship with the Japanese animation industry, which is attracting attention from around the world. We are very pleased and feel that it is very meaningful to be able to make this memorable start by participating in the production committee for the animated film 'Look Back,' which has 'a hymn to creators' as one of its themes. As Amazon MGM Studios, whose vision is to be a 'Home for Talent' to deliver the works of talented creators from around the world to customers around the world, we aim to deliver touching animated works to the world while enjoying the process of inspiring each other and being creative with Amazon MGM Studios and Japan's proud creators and business partners." "Look Back" was released in July 2021 on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump +" and recorded more than 2.5 million views on the first day. It was selected as the No. 1 in the "This Manga is Amazing! 2022" men's edition and was also nominated for the "Manga Taisho 2022" award, which became a hot topic. The story is about two girls who are connected by their single-minded passion for 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 that "I want to publish the four-panel manga of her classmate Kyomoto, who is a school dropout."
The anime will be directed by Oshiyama, who has been involved as a key staff member in "Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance," "The Secret World of Arrietty," and "The Wind Rises," and will also be in charge of the script and character design. Studio Dorian, headed by Oshiyama, will produce the anime. The fact that Kawai Yumi plays Fujino and Yoshida Mizuki plays Kyomoto has also been a hot topic. The film was released on June 28th and has been a huge hit, grossing 2 billion yen and attracting over 1.17 million viewers.
