Look Back has quietly become a movie well worth keeping an eye on, going by a particularly strong reception in Japan – but the US release might make catching it tricky.
Based on a manga fromChainsaw Mancreator Tatsuki Fujimoto, Look Back centers on two children who bond over their love of creativity. But their companionship grows complicated thanks to a serial killer in the locality, creating a mystifying yet stirring narrative.
So far, theanime moviehas gone down well in Japan.Hideo Kojima, creator of Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid, andTakashi Yamazaki, director of Godzilla Minus One, have both lauded the picture. But while there’s an international release coming, it sounds more limited than expected.
Slight Correction:This “takeaway” was not the full story• While they were shopping around to put it into US theaters, he said it was the “THEATERS HE WENT TO” that turned it down because of the Length of the film not being 70 minutes longThis don’t mean that it can’t be…https://t.co/ZZam1G3din
According to MangaAlerts on X/Twitter, Kiyotakastatedthat companies he approached weren’t interested because Look Back is shorter than 70 minutes. The account makes it clear this doesn’t mean a theatrical run won’t happen – it’ll just be more limited than we’ve become used to.
No doubt this will be disappointing for the many fans who want to check the flick out. The association to Chainsaw Man alone should garner some interest, not to mention the positive reviews.
But the politics around cinemas and distribution can be complex. Factors like length, origin, and who’s handling the rollout can all factor in. Look Back is relatively short and unattached to a major franchise, so it could be a hard sell.
Related:
We’ll have to wait to hear more about when we’ll see the movie for ourselves. Keep an eye on ourupcoming animelist for other releases you should be aware of.
Anthony McGlynn is a Senior Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. An expert on animes like Demon Slayer, Solo Leveling and My Hero Academia, he also has over 10 years experience covering games and pop culture for outlets such as Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PCGamesN, PCGamer, The Digital Fix, and many more. You can contact him at: anthony.mcglynn@dexerto.com
