Look Back is a live-action adaptation of a one-shot by manga creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. The film is about two young girls obsessed with drawing manga. Fujino (Furi Nanase) is 10 years old and vaunted for her drawing skills. Her teacher loves her work; even her fellow students are besotted with her manga scripts and ask her for an autograph. She seems unbeatable. 

And then one day, the work of another student, Kyomoto (Rokka Okada), is entered in the same school books, and suddenly Fujino’s esteem comes crashing down. The rivalry with her unseen nemesis sparks a new competitive spirit. But how long will it last?

In a surprising twist, however, the two artists meet, and these potential enemies turn to friends bonded by their obsessive love for drawing a manga together. 

The first two acts of Look Back are a magical experience. You are embedded in this rivalry and this passion to better yourself. You feel Fujino’s frustration at falling from grace, but you revel in her determination to become better. 

There are moments here and there where Fujino’s dedication to her art is questioned, but the majority of the film is about these girls loving their art and pursuing it—together. 

I didn’t get the chance to read the manga, nor watch the anime before catching the live-action adaptation. Life gets in the way. But it’s always an interesting experience to watch an adaptation without reviewing the source material. What works and what doesn’t when you’re going in with a blank slate? 

I was drawn (no pun intended) to the visuals of the film. There were frames of this film as stunningly composed and lit as a painting. You can see the homage writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda is paying to the artistic source of Look Back. 

So much of the film is focused on the girls creating their manga one-shot. We watch them draw the characters, the backgrounds, develop the story, and then begin to use unconventional methods to add texture to their book. It was engrossing. I could have watched the creation of their book forever. 

But none of the story would work if it wasn’t embedded in a deep love of friendship, which is the beating heart of Look Back. We know precious little about Fujino outside of her passion, though we get to see her family. We know even less about Kyomoto, whose family situation is, honestly, questionable. None of which matters because these two grow together as they create together. They’re two halves of the same body, neither can create this story without the other. 

Not only are the young actors a delightful pair, but when Natsuki Deguchi and Aju Makita take over as Fujino and Kyomoto, respectively, we see their chemistry come alive. Their opposing personalities seamlessly blend in just like the art they’re creating. 

But this film is not all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a shocking twist that is unpredictable and frustrating, and unfortunately realistic. It will break your heart. This twist should have led to a powerful denouement, but that’s where Look Back fumbles hard. 

As enthralled as I was by the film, the three major plot twists in the film all came out of seemingly nowhere. Much of that has to do with the fact that Kyomoto isn’t given much screen time nor characterization. She comes across very much like a manic pixie dreamgirl—a plot point to progress Fujino’s journey.

I heard some people say that they preferred the anime, because the ending to the film was too long. I agree. The third act is confused. There were five endings. It was obvious the creative team were struggling to find the best way to wrap up the story while trying to fill the runtime. 

We had a robust and realistic story up until then. Then the third act went into everything from magical realism to surrealism to sentimentality. It pointlessly dragged down an otherwise extraordinary experience. And undermined a deserved emotional ending about female friendship.

This was the biggest disappointment with Look Back. I’m genuinely surprised a producer and editor didn’t get involved in ironing the third act out. It does such a great disservice to the story, and to the viewer. 

I attended the press screening for Look Back, so the gigantic theatre was most likely filled with professional film critics and industry people. You wouldn’t have known it though. There’s a moment in the film when one of the children enacts a gesture. The other asks after it. And immediately, one of the attendees emulated the character. And get this, when the girls practiced the gesture together again, the attendee followed suit. That’s how visceral the experience of Look Back was. We weren’t watching the film, we were hanging out with Fujino and Kyomoto, desperately trying to perfect our skills in a cramped and overcrowded bedroom.

And to continue that refrain, there were few dry eyes at the end of the film. Audible sniffles were heard throughout and several attendees took a while to get up and leave as they recovered their emotions. To reiterate, this was a press screening, and it made us emotional. That’s the power of immersive storytelling. 

Despite the uneven final act, Look Back was a magical experience—a sensational way to kick off my 2026 Toronto International Film Festival experience. It’s beautiful to look at, serene and wistful, just like the central story. The leads have wonderful chemistry and winning personalities. The hyper-focus on drawing and developing their skills was mesmerizing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a story where two girls are allowed to just follow their passion, be obsessed with their passion, and do nothing but practice and improve their passion. It was such a revelation. We need more stories where young girls are allowed to just enjoy doing what they love most. But we need more of them with happy endings. As wondrous as Look Back is, it’s also a heartbreaker.

Stay tuned for more reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival 2026.