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Tatsuki Fujimoto’sLook Backbegan as a simple one-shot manga but ended up being a hit movie that moved audiences both in Japan and overseas. The film received rave reviews and huge positive responses. The emotional weight carried by the story touched souls.
But why exactly wasLook Backsuch a hard-hitting work? Apart from its exploration of friendship, artistic sentiments, and personal growth, it is also a nuanced story that has captured subtle emotions. The visual storytelling has left an impact on its audiences. The film’s success has exceeded the manga’s and the one to take all the credit is the movie’s director.
Look Back‘s director delved deep into Tatsuki Fujimoto’s life to breathe life into the movie
Kiyotaka Oshiyama is a veteran animator and the director of theLook Backanime movie. The first time he metTatsuki Fujimoto, the director asked him about scenes in the manga that could be interpreted in different ways. He wanted to make sure that it was the interpretation that the author wanted to portray in the movie.
In their next meeting, Fujimoto saw the storyboards and character design. Inan interview, Oshiyama detailed every question that he pestered the mangaka with:
I also asked Fujimoto sensei some personal questions because I wanted to incorporate some of his habits into the film. “What kind of chair do you use? How do you sit in the chair? How do you hold your pen, pencils, et cetera? What kind of equipment do you use? What kind of food do you eat when you’re working?” A bunch of stuff like that.
It was probably the earnest questioning of Oshiyama that madeLook Backthe huge hit that it is. The director not only tried to understand the manga but also the perspective of the author. Just like you cannot understand a literary work without knowing the background of the author or the mood they were writing in, it was important to understand Fujimoto’s personal life and choices before beginning the film’s production.
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In fact, the director even observed the littlest of things about the mangaka. He even picked up on how Fujimoto would massage the area between his eyebrows with his fingers, whether to wake himself up or something else. Oshiyama took great care to incorporate this detail into Fujino, one ofLook Back‘s protagonists, as a tick when she draws manga.
Look Back‘s director implemented Plato’s Theory of Chairs unknowingly into the film
Plato believed that all people can reason, and reason causes a person to have knowledge and move away from focusing on a concrete idea of an object by collecting the universal abstract essence of the form of the thing. For example, a chair can have one leg, four legs, or no legs, but you will still identify it as a chair. It can be made from wood or metal and can be of any color, size, and shape, but you would still identify it as a chair. Even when it goes beyond its primary usage of being sat upon, you know it is a chair because of its essence.
“It’s not a revolution”: ‘Look Back’ May Have Shaken Hideo Kojima to His Core, but Kiyotaka Oshiyama Still Isn’t Sure Why It Worked So Well Outside Japan
This knowledge of form and essence is necessary for understanding and wisdom. Humans need to go beyond their senses to reach the truth via reasoning. Similar to how just focusing on the number of legs of a chair will distract you from understanding what a chair truly is.
Thus, Oshiyama went beyond just theLook Backmanga. Rather than solely focusing on the panels, he began exploring the essence of Fujimoto and what led him to create the series. How he led his life and how it led to the creation of the manga itself. It was this increased insight and knowledge that led Oshiyama to break free from the restrictions of the manga’s pages andcreate a film that brings two mangaka protagonists to life.
Look Backanime film is available to stream on Prime Video.
Aaheli Pradhan
Anime Content Writer
Articles Published :1558
Aaheli is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with 1300+ published articles. With five years of experience under her belt, she is a living, breathing encyclopedia for anime and manga. From Shonen and Shojo to the most niche anime, nothing escapes her radar. Her poisons of choice are Assassination Classroom, Gintama, Ouran High School Host Club and every Ghibli movie ever. She believes in living a slow life, surrounded by incomplete art projects and her beloved cats.
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Tatsuki Fujimoto
