Chainsaw Man Creator’s Look Back Anime Finds Streaming Home Next Month

October 22, 2024

Look Back — the critically acclaimed anime movie based on a one-shot Shonen Jump story by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man — will soon be available to stream in North America.

Prime Video recently announced the streaming date for Look Back on its YouTube community channel. The animated movie, based on Fujimoto’s one-shot Shonen Jump story, will be available to stream on Amazon on Nov. 7, 2024, a little over a month after the film’s initial North American theatrical release on Oct. 4, 2024. GKIDS, the New York City-based indie distributor recently acquired by Toho Animation, handled the English theatrical release of Look Back. To meet the theatrical screening requirement of 70 minutes in length minimum, a behind-the-scenes featurette with anime director Kiyotaka Oshiyama and voice actors Yumi Kawai (Ayumu Fujino) and Mizuki Yoshida (Kyomoto) was attached to the end of the film.

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‘Look Back’ Was a Box Office Hit Despite Limited Theatrical Release

Amazon's Prime Video announces Look Back anime movie streaming release date

Despite its limited release in the United States, Look Back exceeded expectations at the box office. It grossed over $688,000 during its opening weekend, leading to more screenings and additional dates for what was initially billed as a two-day-only event. “Because of your outstanding support,” GKIDS said on X (formerly Twitter), “many theaters will be adding showtimes past Oct 7 soon. If you want Look Back in your area, contact your local theater and demand it!” Those who missed out on the limited theatrical release can stream Look Back in November on Prime Video.

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s ‘Look Back’ Is Loosely Based on His Shonen Jump Artist Career

Kyomoto and Fujino working together in the Look Back anime movie.

Look Back is a coming-of-age story about Ayumu Fujino, a would-be artist for her school’s newspaper who suddenly feels challenged after an introvert named Kyomoto displays superior art skills to hers. However, after Kyomoto reveals her deep admiration for Fujino and her comics, the two start working together as manga artists. The film is loosely based on Fujimoto’s career as a manga artist for Shonen Jump, capturing the fear, frustration and unexpected loneliness that came from perfecting the craft while also demonstrating the emotional connections that came with it. Anime fans, film critics and top talents in the anime industry have praised Look Back for its near-flawless adaptation of Fujimoto’s story and raw and energetic animation from Oshiyama and Studio Durian — especially at a time when the animation industry worries over the loss of talent in favor of the controversial usage of AI.

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‘Look Back’ Director Declines to Create an Anime Adaptation for ‘Goodbye, Eri’

Eri and Yuta watch a movie in Tatsuki Fujimoto's Goodbye, Eri

While Oshiyama — who serves as film director, writer and character designer on Look Back — received praise for adapting Fujimoto’s critically acclaimed story, he declined to adapt another popular story from the creator of Chainsaw Man. According to Oshiyama, he doesn’t believe his directorial style would fit the story of Goodbye, Eri, which tells the story of a high school student named Yuta Ito who’s tasked with recording the last moments of his terminally ill mother’s life but is harassed at school over the film’s controversial ending. He nearly ends his life but is saved at the last minute by a girl named Eri, who loves his film and persuades him to make another one. Look Back, Chainsaw Man and other Fujimoto stories are available via Viz Media and the Manga Plus app.