Story
Fujino (voice of Yumi Kawai) draws manga for her school newspaper and basks in the praise of her classmates, who tell her how amazing she is. In contrast, Kyomoto (voice of Mizuki Yoshida) can’t go to school and doesn’t leave her house. But when she begins to draw for the same school newspaper, her manga images attract far more praise than Fujino’s. A jealous Fujino drops everything to spend every spare moment drawing and improving her skills.
When Fujino graduates, her teacher asks her to take a certificate to Kyomoto’s home. This chance encounter leads to a friendship and manga partnership, through which the girls win a manga competition and make millions selling manga series.
When Kyomoto decides she wants to go to university to improve her skills, it threatens her friendship with Fujino. Fujino wants things to stay as they are and believes that it’s better for Kyomoto to follow her and continue as they have been. Kyomoto leaves anyway, and Fujino continues to draw manga.
When Kyomoto is killed in a university attack, Fujino is devastated. She looks back on their lives, blaming herself for the loss of her friend and wishing that she’d done things differently. A final trip to where it all began leads Fujino to new beginnings and to a better understanding of her friend, their friendship and their achievements.
Themes
Anxiety; jealousy; identity crisis; murder; grief; loss; misplaced blame
Violence
Look Back has some violence. For example:
- Two manga characters die following a car crash in which their car rolls, skids and flips. One character is thrown from the car, and the other vomits blood. They die together in the middle of the road in a blood-shaped heart.
- A manga scene shows a meteor hitting Earth and destroying part of Japan.
- Fujino makes a manga scene for Kyomoto. The scene shows enraged stick figures.
- A news report says that students at a university have been attacked with an axe.
- Fujino imagines herself fighting off Kyomoto’s attacker.
- Kyomoto is attacked with a pickaxe.
Sexual references
Look Back has some sexual references. For example, Fujino creates manga stories entitled ‘First kiss’ and ‘Kiss me again’.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no use of substances in Look Back.
Nudity and sexual activity
Look Back has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- A character sits on a toilet, but nothing explicit is shown.
- Fujino sits naked in a bathtub, but nothing can be seen beneath the water.
Product placement
Look Back has no product placement.
Coarse language
Look Back has some mild name-calling and insults, including ‘wimp’ and ‘stupid’.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Look Back is a Japanese anime movie with English subtitles. The movie explores regret, grief and loss. Because of its content and subtitles, this movie is best suited to viewers aged over 10 years.
These are the main messages from Look Back:
- Some things are always beyond our control.
- Persistence pays off.
- Friendships change our lives and leave us forever transformed.
Values in Look Back that you could reinforce with your children include courage, persistence, determination, friendship and helpfulness.
Look Back could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:
- being jealous of other people’s abilities
- attacking other people
- allowing fear or anxiety to imprison you and hold you back from life
- blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control.