A special trailer for " Lookback, " a live-action film directed by Hirokazu Koreeda based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto , known for works such as " Chainsaw Man ," was released on YouTube on December 21st, showcasing footage from the film. The film was shot entirely on film, at Koreeda's request. A video commentary from Koreeda was also released.
The 30-second trailer begins with the sound of someone drawing a manga. Set to music, the trailer shows Fujino's back, Kyomoto's back in his traditional Japanese kimono, and the two of them drawing manga, all depicted as the seasons change, and also includes glimpses of famous scenes from the original manga.
The music for this special trailer was composed by musician Yuta Bandoh , who has worked on such video works as the drama "Towako Mameda and Her Three Ex-Husbands" and the anime " Kaiju No. 8," as well as songs by Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru Utada. Bando has previously contributed music to commercials directed by Director Kore-eda, but this is his first time working on a film. He commented, "Based on the unique story by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the film features fantastic acting, the beautiful Nikaho scenery throughout the seasons, and elegant footage that captures and imprints that time with a careful gaze. I hope to be able to carefully weave this world through the music as well."
Director Koreeda's comments were recorded in Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture during filming in July, and are a two-minute video in which he talks about his thoughts on the manga "Lookback." Filming took place over a long period of time, from February to April 2025, with the winter and spring parts in May, the summer part in July, and the autumn part in November.
"Lookback" was released on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump+" in July 2021, and recorded over 2.5 million views on the first day. It was ranked first in the men's category of "This Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022" and was also nominated for the "Manga Taisho 2022" awards, which drew much attention. In 2024, it was made into an animated film, which became a hit and won the Best Animated Feature Award at the 48th Japan Academy Awards. It has been screened around the world, including at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and has received high praise both domestically and internationally.
The story is about two girls who bond over their single-minded passion for manga, but then an incident occurs that shatters everything... Fujino, a fourth-grader who serializes four-panel manga in the student newspaper, is highly 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 film is directed, scripted and edited by Koreeda, and like the original work, it carefully depicts the trajectory of the two main characters, Fujino and Kyomoto, over a period of 13 years, starting from their elementary school days, against the backdrop of the beautiful four seasons.
