The news was revealed alongside the release of the latest chapter of Fujimoto’s popular shonen manga Chainsaw Man in Shonen Jump+. Look Back tells the story of two young girls—the confident and outspoken Fujino, and the shy shut-in Kyomoto—whose relationship goes from competitive to a beautiful friendship as they connect over their shared passion for drawing. The story is a tender and compassionate look at love, grief, and why we make art. Hirokazu Kore-eda will serve as both writer and director for the adaptation.
Those who have read the original one-shot, or watched the 2024 anime film, already know how emotionally weighty and poignant Look Back is, which makes it a good fit for Kore-eda to adapt despite how initially surprising the news is. The humanist director is himself known for contemplative and sentimental films that will leave a viewer emotionally devastated, and regularly depicts the personal struggles children face, such as with his 2023 film Monster. In this way, Fujimoto’s manga is a fitting one for the director to adapt.
Kore-eda is also no stranger to adapting Japanese comics. He served as writer, director, and showrunner for the television series The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House, which was released on Netflix in 2023, and is an adaptation of Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House.
While nobody predicted a collaboration between Hirokazu Kore-eda and Tatsuki Fujimoto, it is a pleasant surprise that will be certain to tug at heartstrings worldwide. The film is planned for next year, though an exact date has not been announced.
