look back (2024)
November 8th, 2024
today i watched the movie Look Back, and i have many thoughts i want to share about it.
i see myself in both fujino and kyomoto in plenty of ways. fujino especially reminds me of myself. i started drawing when i was in elementary school, but it was never a skill i wholeheartedly dedicated myself towards. i simply drew the things i liked as a hobby. now, i sometimes see people who are a lot more skilled than me, which makes me wish that i took my art more seriously while i was still in school. this all reminds me of fujino's initial self, who quickly drew her comics for the school newspaper without really thinking of her technical skills until kyomoto started drawing for the newspaper as well. fujino's envy towards kyomoto reminds me of my own reflections i've had regarding my own art.
their first meeting hit hard as someone who is both an artist and has befriended other artists throughout their life. kyomoto was able to admire fujino's improvement during the time she dedicated herself towards improving her art despite the fact that she hadn't drawn for the school newspaper since sixth grade. working with kyomoto to create one-shots rekindles fujino's passion for art, and their different areas of expertise complement each other well. i loved to see the development of their friendship and their art together.
while fujino started to spend more time with kyomoto, i started to see myself in kyomoto as well. like kyomoto, i was also an anxious kid and i had a very select few friends through middle school. while i was never a shut-in as a kid, i was still (somewhat) socially reclusive and heavily disliked public school. another thing about kyomoto that i relate to is that she's a slower artist. it's a small detail in the big picture but it's something i really like being acknowledged, especially with the fast pace artists are expected to push out art today.
i won't talk much about the second half of the story since i think it's something that's much better to experience yourself, and i can't bring myself to say too much about it specifically. the one thing i'll say is that it's absolutely heart-rending.
the art direction of the movie was stunning. each scene looked like it was crafted delicately and filled with lots of love. the animators perfectly captured fujimoto's art style. there are so many small details woven into the whole film, some of which i didn't even really notice until i saw other people mention it.
overall, even if it's short, i think this movie is one of my all-time favorites. i cannot recommend it more than enough, especially to any fellow artists.