Manga artist Tatsuki Fujimoto’s youth story, the animated feature film “Look Back,” has attracted 1 million viewers and become a hot topic after ranking first in the box office revenue rankings for the first three days of its release.

Avex Pictures Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Katsumata Hideo), which is participating in the production committee as distribution and promotion, is pleased to announce that the theatrical anime “Look Back,” based on the original work by Tatsuki Fujimoto, has attracted 1 million viewers on Sunday, August 18, its eighth week since its release on Friday, June 28, 2024.

The animated film “Look Back” was released on Friday, June 28th, and became a hot topic when it ranked first in the weekend box office revenue rankings. Following its top ranking in box office revenue from the first day of release, it rose to first place in the weekend box office including attendance in its second week of release. Furthermore, it received a flood of rave reviews on social media, and word of mouth continued to spread, leading to the film reaching a total audience of 1 million people on Sunday, August 18th.

To commemorate the 1 million viewership, we have also decided to distribute original smartphone wallpapers using the film’s teaser visuals.

■ Comment from Director Kiyotaka Oshiyama
I think that the 1 million audience was achieved thanks above all to the word of mouth from the people who saw the movie. I am very happy that the people who saw the movie are talking about it as their own movie. There are still many difficulties in animation production. Even if you make a good work, it doesn’t necessarily reach many people, but I think it is the result of a series of good fortune. The movie is also starting to be released overseas. I sincerely hope that the charm of animation movies can be spread even more widely around the world.

■ What is a “Lookback”?
“Look Back” is a masterpiece by Tatsuki Fujimoto, a manga artist who has worked on popular works such as “Fire Punch” and “Chainsaw Man,” and who is also preparing for the release of the animated film “Chainsaw Man: Reze.” Released on the comic distribution site “Shonen Jump +” in July 2021, the work vividly depicts the two girls, Fujino and Kyomoto, who continue to create manga with all their heart, while depicting the events that will eventually divide their fates with a strong sense of realism, attracting the attention of many manga fans, including famous creators. For the theatrical animation of this work, Kiyotaka Oshiyama, who has been involved as a key staff member in many popular works such as “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance,” “The Secret World of Arrietty,” and “The Wind Rises,” will be in charge of direction, scriptwriting, and character design.
The film also stars Yumi Kawai and Mizuki Yoshida. Yumi Kawai, the hottest actor right now who made waves with her performance in “Inappropriately Too Much!” (24), and Mizuki Yoshida, an actor who has been spurring on a remarkable career in recent years with leading roles in films such as “A Hot Heart” (23) and “The Song of Kamuy” (24), will breathe life into the characters of Fujino and Kyomoto in the animated film “Look Back.”

■Synopsis
Fujino, a fourth-grader, serializes a four-panel comic strip in her school newspaper. Her classmates praise her work, but one day her teacher tells her that he wants to include a four-panel strip by her classmate Kyomoto, who doesn’t go to school… What connects the two girls is their single-minded passion for manga. But one day, something happens that shatters everything… A heart-wrenching, overwhelming coming-of-age story begins.

■STAFF
Original work: Tatsuki Fujimoto (published by Shueisha Jump Comics)
Director, scriptwriter, and character designer: Kiyotaka Oshiyama
Art director: Kiyoshi Sameshima
Assistant Art Director: Yoshishi Harizaki and Takashi Omori
Color design: Maya Kusumoto
Director of photography: Kazuto Izumida
Edited by: Kiyoshi Hirose
Sound Director: Eriko Kimura
Music: haruka nakamura
Animation Production: Studio Dorian
Distributor: Avex Pictures
Official website:lookback-anime.comOfficial X: @lookback_anime

■ CAST
Fujino: Yumi Kawai
Kyomoto: Mizuki Yoshida

■Theme song
“Light Song”
by haruka nakamura Song: urara

“Look Back” (Shueisha Jump Comics) Comics on sale now

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