Happily putting the misfire of Cannes’ 'Sheep in the Box' behind him, the Japanese auteur recaptures his semi-naïve sense of wonder at life’s beauties and the joy of sharing them with those we love. There’s barely an adult in sight in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Look Back,” where anyone out of school age is marginalized practically to the point of superfluidity. Like much in the first half of this sweet — at times too sweet — adaptation from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga of the same title, also made into an animated film in 2024, the preciousness of a child’s world can create a barrier for those who don’t automatically melt at the sight of a youngster’s smile.
But then, as often happens in Kore-eda’s child-focused body of work, there’s a moment when, unexpectedly, what’s on screen suddenly hits a point of transcendence and resistance falls away. That moment can take a bit of time to come, but the payoff is worth the wait. Fujino (Furi Nanase) is the undisputed star of fourth grade, encouraged by her teacher Mr.
Tamai (Kankuro Kudo) and exalted by her peers for the manga strips she draws and shares at school. She thrives on being the queen, so when impressively advanced manga strips appear in school drawn by Kyomoto (Rokka Okada), a reclusive classmate no one has seen, Fujino is not pleased. In response, she redoubles her efforts, neglecting her friends and family in order to once again be the best.
Two years later it’s elementary school graduation time and Mr. Tamai asks Fujino to deliver Kyomoto’s diploma to her home. Though not thrilled with the assignment, she enters the girl’s home, down a corridor piled high with notebooks, looks at the “do not enter” sign and turns away, but not before one of her manga strips gets blown under the door.
Just when Fujino leaves, out runs Kyomoto in a tizzy — because she recognizes the girl as the creator of the school’s beloved manga strips, a true master, or “sensei.” This adulation is all Fujino needs to take Kyomoto under her wing, and soon the two are inseparable, collaborating on strips where Fujino writes the stories and draws the figures while Kyomoto does the backgrounds. Clearly more advanced than the average schoolgirls, the two enter a competition sponsored by the Shueisha publishing house, whose editor (Masaki Suda) recognizes their talents and publishes their first story. Success comes rapidly to the teens, now played by Natsuki Deguchi (Fujino) and Aju Makita (Kyomoto), but their roles remain the same, which suits Fujino just fine.
When high school ends the Shueisha editor offers them a series, but Kyomoto wants to go to art school instead. Fujino sees it as a betrayal and determines to be a manga star with or without Kyomoto’s help. For all of Fujino’s rather full-on sunniness, the truth is she’s a prima donna who lashes out if she doesn’t get her own way.
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