Look Back live-action film completion event held in Tokyo

At a completion report event in Tokyo, actors Natsuki Deguchi and Ayaju Makita discussed their roles in the live-action film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga, ‘Look Back’. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, the film follows the 13-year journey of two young girls connected by their passion for drawing manga.

Deguchi, who plays Fujino, expressed the immense pressure of starring in such a beloved work, noting that her fear of not meeting expectations initially outweighed her joy. She shared that she underwent intense training to mimic the physical process of drawing manga, even resulting in blisters on her hands. Makita, playing Kyomoto, noted her excitement at reuniting with Kore-eda after their previous collaboration on the Netflix series ‘The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House’.

Original manga creator Tatsuki Fujimoto provided a glowing endorsement, stating that the film successfully captured the atmosphere and reality of the original work without losing its essence. The production, which was filmed over a year across various seasons in Kahoku City, Akita Prefecture, has also been selected for the Venice International Film Festival competition. The film is scheduled for a nationwide release in Japan on September 11.