Look Back Review: Two Girls Who Draw Comics and the Diverging Roads Their Lives Take
by Tatsuki Fujimoto
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Quick Take
- A single volume about two girls who draw; one of the most affecting single-volume manga ever published
- Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man) at his most personal and most quiet
- 143 pages, complete; do not read anything about it before reading it
Who Is This Manga For?
- Anyone who has ever made something and wondered if it mattered
- Readers who want a single-volume, complete manga experience of the highest quality
- Fans of Chainsaw Man who want to see Fujimoto without the action
- Anyone who needs 143 pages to remind them why they do what they do
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Death of a significant character, reference to a real mass violence event, themes of grief and creative meaning
The death is significant and the grief is real.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★★ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★★★ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★★ |
Story Overview
I am not going to summarize this beyond what I've said.
Fujiyama is a fourth-grade girl who draws comics for her school paper and is proud of them. Kyomoto is a reclusive girl who never comes to school but draws at home. When Fujiyama sees Kyomoto's drawings, she understands something that changes her.
What happens between two people who share a creative passion — what connects them, what time does to them, what a door opening or closing means — is what the story is about.
Read it before reading anything else about it.
Art Style
Fujimoto's art in Look Back is his finest work — the 143 pages are structured with careful attention to time and space, the characters are drawn with the simplicity of children's illustrations that become more complex as the story requires, and the final pages use the full page as a single composition in ways that require being seen rather than described.
Cultural Context
Look Back was published as a response to the Kyoto Animation arson attack of 2019 — the manga references a real-world incident of violence against animators and creators. This context is not required to understand the manga but adds specific weight to its subject.
What I Love About It
The door. There is a door in this manga. What the door means depends on which character is on which side of it. Fujimoto uses the door to do something that I have thought about more than almost any single image in any manga I have read.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Look Back was published and immediately described as one of the finest manga ever made. Western readers posted extensively about reading it in a single sitting and being unable to move for a while afterward. It is cited consistently as the most efficient emotional experience in manga — maximum impact, minimum pages. Artists and creators who read it use words like "necessary."
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The final sequence — what Fujiyama does, what it means, what the last image shows — is the manga completing what it set up on page one. Fujimoto earned the final image by every choice he made before it.
Similar Manga
- Chainsaw Man — Same author; completely different register
- Fire Punch — Same author; darker
- Blue Period — Creative ambition, self-discovery through art
- Honey and Clover — Art school, what creativity means to people
Reading Order / Where to Start
Page 1. Do not read fan summaries or reviews before reading.
Official English Translation Status
VIZ Media published the complete single volume. Available.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Single volume — the lowest possible barrier to reading
- Among the finest manga ever published in any genre
- The door sequence is one of manga's greatest single images
- Complete, finished, perfect
Cons
- The death and grief require emotional preparation
- Single volume means it ends before you want it to
- The Kyoto Animation context, while not required, adds weight that the reader may wish they knew going in
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Single Volume | VIZ Media; standard |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
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*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.