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The anime adaptation of the Look Back one-shot story by Chainsaw Man‘s Tatsuki Fujimoto was released in theaters in Japan on June 28, 2024. However, North American fans looking forward to a mass theatrical release of the anime movie are in for a disappointing surprise.
An online user who goes by the name of @/matenboi on X (formerly Twitter) wrote a thread about the Look Back anime movie premiering at Anime Expo 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Kiyotaka Oshiyama, the director, writer and character designer for the Look Back anime movie, answered questions from the audience after the screening was over. One audience member asked Oshiyama if he planned on making the film 60 minutes long. Oshiyama said he wanted to make the movie long enough so that it could be screened at film festivals, but also said the storyboards were 60 minutes in length during the early development process. However, the Japanese filmmaker said that because Look Back doesn’t meet the 70-minute requirement in the United States, it can’t be screened in commercial theaters.
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Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back Anime Movie Can’t Be Screened in American Theaters
Oshiyama’s comments doesn’t mean the Look Back anime movie won’t be available in the U.S. The JAPAN CUTS Film Festival in New York City will screen the movie on July 14, two weeks after its official premiere in Japan. Moreover, given the popularity of the Chainsaw Man series in the West, an English anime distributor will likely pick up the film rights when it can be sold on home media. However, it’s unlikely that the Look Back anime movie will receive a widespread theatrical release in America, like Spy × Family Code: White or Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle.
Look Back’s Artwork Almost Doesn’t Seem Like Anime According to the Movie’s Director
At the Question-and-Answer portion of the event, Oshiyama explained his experience of drawing most of the artwork for the Look Back anime. “There are obviously merits and demerits,” Oshiyama said. “There are some parts of Fujimoto’s work that almost didn’t seem anime. I thought that if I were to do the drawings and designs, then I could make it be like an anime. […] One of the demerits was that things kept changing. The staff would ask me ‘Sensei, what color do we do this?’ and I would have to instruct them.” When asked about any advice for artists who want to work in the industry, Oshiyama referenced a line from the movie: “Just draw.”
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The Look Back anime movie is currently available in theaters in Japan. A limited U.S. screening will be available at the JAPAN CUTS: Film Festival on July 14. The Chainsaw Man anime series is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
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