With Look Back, the live-action adaptation of the anime and manga of the same name, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda proves once again that he is a master of heartfelt, small-scale storytelling. As with his intimate family dramas like Monster, Nobody Knows, and Still Walking, Kore-eda brings his typical care and attention to detail to Look Back, crafting a cozy world and a film that feels like a warm, gentle embrace.
Look Back follows Fujina, a bright girl and gifted artist who draws weekly manga comic strips for her elementary school newspaper. One day, a rival artist emerges: Kyomoto, a shy shut-in girl who does not attend class, but whose art skills far exceed those of Fujina. This rivalry eventually evolves into a close friendship and a collaborative partnership. As Fujina and Kyomoto grow older, their friendship blooms along with their manga careers. Their future together looks bright, until one day, Kyomoto decides to end their partnership.
Fujina and Kyomoto are played by two pairs of actresses at their various ages—Furi Nanase and Natsuki Deguchi for Fujina, and Rokka Okada and Aju Makita for Kyomoto. The seamless transition between these actresses across their characters’ ages is a testament to both casting and to Kore-eda’s direction of performers. Their chemistry feels authentic, without any of the performers ever veering too far into exaggeration.
Look Back was originally a manga one-shot written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the mangaka (manga artist) behind the popular series “Chainsaw Man.” Ranked among the top manga of the year, Look Back was then adapted into a short anime film in 2024, which was released to universal acclaim. However, fans of the manga or anime who may be worried that a live-action adaptation would lose some of the story’s essential power have nothing to fear.
Kore-eda’s Look Back is a faithful adaptation that honors the original work, repeating and paying homage to many of the iconic shots from the manga and anime. At the same time, it is a fresh and original take on the same material, deepening its characters and emotions. The extended runtime of Look Back’s live-action adaptation is nearly double that of the anime version, which benefits the story tremendously, allowing viewers to sink into the atmosphere of the film. The extended length also enriches the film’s characters, transforming them from one-note caricatures into real people. Kore-eda also tones down some of the overdramatic elements of the anime adaptation, without losing any of the emotion. Both the joys and the sorrows of the story still hit hard.
Kore-eda is a master at capturing the rhythms and mood of daily life, and Look Back showcases that skill at his best. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Senzo Ueno, the film is deeply tied to the natural beauty of the seasons, and Kore-eda uses changing seasons to show the passage of time. Look Back is also an extremely tactile film, with many scenes solely dedicated to capturing the physical nature of the creative process. Little details are captured and magnified, such as how a pencil slides across paper, the splatter of ink from a brush, or the scraping of paint across a canvas. The sound design is exquisite and essential to the world of the film, capturing the sound and tactile nature of creating art.
All in all, this version of Look Back captures the core elements of the original, expanding on the story and imbuing it with Kore-eda’s trademark sensitivity and grace. The result is one of Kore-eda’s best films and one that will surely resonate with audiences across the globe.
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Look Back (Japanese: ルックバック)—Japan. Dialog in Japanese. Directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu. Running time 1 hour 40 min. First released September 7, 2026 at the Venice International Film Festival. Starring Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Furi Nanase, Rokka Okada.
This article is part of Cinema Escapist‘s dedicated coverage of the 2026 Vancouver International Film Festival.