Look Back (2026)

★★★★

I can be quite impartial when it comes to live-action adaptations of beloved animated movies. They either A) add so much that it misses the entire point of the source material, B) copy it beat for beat where you question why it even exists, or C) tend to look visually awful. In my opinion, the criteria for a great adaptation is the opposite of all three (or in some cases, two of the three). It should capture the essence of the source material enough to make it faithful, stand on its own new merits to make its existence justified, and look good to be interesting.

Luckily for this film, it manages to be great at all three.

Look Back (2026) is a live-action adaptation of the 2021 one-shot manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto and follows the 2024 barely-an-hour-long anime feature. Written, directed and edited by the acclaimed Hirokazu Kore-eda, the film stars Natsuki Deguchi as Fujino and Aju Makita as Kyomoto (with Fuuri Nanase and Rokka Okada playing their younger selves, respectively). Like the manga and anime, the story follows the two girls, outgoing Fujino and reserved Kyomoto, whose friendship grows through their shared passion of drawing.

I’ll admit, I haven’t seen much of Hirokazu’s films other than Still Walking and Broker, but I am very much aware of the humanistic grounded angle he brings to the table through the eyes of found family and friends. In a way, Look Back seems like something that would fit in his wheelhouse, and it does. The way Hirokazu lingers on shots, be it Fujino drawing or an establishing landscape, look gorgeously lush and real. The film also recreates shot compositions from the anime but understands what makes those shots significant and weighty. The story is pretty much the same as well, with its heavy focus on the everlasting power of friendship while hitting those emotional beats.

As for changes, the film adds things and removes others. The main aspects it expands on is Fujino’s relationships with her family and peers as well as the development of her and Ryomoto’s other one-shot mangas. Additionally, it removes the animated versions of the duo’s manga (if you have or haven’t seen the anime, the drawings are animated as the girls imagine it), although there is one brief animation towards the film’s backend. These changes are understandable even if it results in the film being drawn out and a tad colorless. And even though the actors aren’t nearly as expressive as their animated counterparts, they are not without emotion. 

In conclusion, Look Back (2026) is a surprisingly great adaptation that all at once understands what came before it, stands on its own merits, and looks spectacular. I encourage anyone who loves the manga and/or anime to seek this film out when it releases in theaters.