It has been announced that actresses Natsuki Deguchi and Aju Makita will co-star in the live-action film " Lookback " (directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda), based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto , known for " Chainsaw Man ." They will play two protagonists who are wholeheartedly dedicated to manga, with Deguchi playing Fujino and Makita playing Kyomoto. This will be the first time Deguchi and Makita have worked together since the Netflix series "Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san," both directed by Kore-eda, and they practiced drawing manga for about four months before filming began. It has also been announced that actresses Fuuri Nanase and Rikka Okada will play the younger versions of Fujino and Kyomoto. The film will be released on September 11th.
Deguchi, who plays Fujino, a popular student in class who is good at drawing four-panel comics and becomes engrossed in drawing manga after being inspired by Kyomoto, commented, "After reading the original manga, I was deeply moved by the way the two of them chase their dreams together and move forward with all their might, the fact that they can only move forward, and the straightforward and earnest feelings that fill the work. I was a little anxious about appearing in a work that is loved by so many people, but I was very happy to be chosen for the role of Fujino, and I spent my days practicing drawing manga to get to know what kind of person Fujino is and what she is thinking. It was also an honor to work with Director Koreeda again, and he created an atmosphere on set where I could be myself and be myself, so I enjoyed acting."
Regarding Makida, who plays Kyomoto, she said, "I felt very at ease when I was with Aya. Even when I was filming alone, I was always thinking of Aya and she was with me in my mind, so I think I was able to approach the filming with the relationship between Fujino and Kyomoto. Everyone at Nikaho was really warm and it was a very homey place."
Makita, who plays Kyomoto, a classmate of Fujino's and a big fan of her four-panel comics, but who is a Lookback, recalled his encounter with the work: "A few years ago, Director Kore-eda gave me the original book and said, 'I want to do this project,' which is how I first encountered 'Look Back.' I remember feeling a strong connection to how Fujino and Kyomoto each faced many obstacles, yet still stood up for what they loved and moved forward."
"When I was cast, I felt a sense of exhilaration that it was finally happening, but also pressure because the original work is loved by so many people. However, the warm atmosphere of the Kore-eda team and Natsuki-chan's cheerful and innocent personality that brightened up the set quickly dispelled those anxieties. I was also comforted many times by the cheerful and happy faces of Nanase Fuuri-chan and Okada Rikka-chan, who played the children. The people of Akita, where we filmed, were also incredibly kind to me, and I feel like I've gained a second home. I think this film is filled with the love of all the cast and staff. I can't wait for many people to see it," she said.
Director Kore-eda has offered comments on the two lead actors. Regarding Deguchi, he touched upon her growth since they first met about four years ago, saying, "The fact that she has grown and yet retains her unchanging innocence is very appealing, and she brilliantly portrayed Fujino." As for Makita, he said, "After reading the original manga, I had the opportunity to meet Makita, and I told her, 'If the time ever comes when I can make this film, I'd like you to play Kyomoto.' I felt confident entrusting Kyomoto to her."
Nanase and Okada, who play the younger versions of Fujino and Kyomoto, were immediately recognized by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, who has discovered many talented actors, as the perfect fit for the roles when they met at auditions. Both were 11 years old and in the 5th grade of elementary school at the time of filming, with their birthdays just one day apart. This film marks Nanase's acting debut, and Kore-eda said that her positive, easygoing, and natural demeanor perfectly matched the image of Fujino, making her a great choice for the role. Kore-eda also praised Okada, saying, "She got better and better as filming progressed, so I wanted to see more of her, and we ended up adding more scenes to her than originally planned."
Two teaser visuals have also been released. One visual shows Fujino (Deguchi) and Kyomoto (Makita) intently drawing manga in Fujino's room, and the other shows Fujino (Nanase) and Kyomoto (Okada) as children sleeping with their heads down on the desk where they used to draw manga.
A Teaser trailer of approximately 60 seconds has also been released on YouTube. It begins with the sound of lines being drawn on a manuscript, followed by the four seasons that Fujino and Kyomoto have experienced, and lines that describe their characters. Fujino and Kyomoto continue to draw relentlessly, set to the beautiful music composed by Yuta Bandoh.
"Lookback" was published in July 2021 on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump+" and recorded over 2.5 million views on its first day. It was selected as the number one manga in the male category of "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2022" and was nominated for the "Manga Taisho 2022," which also generated a lot of buzz. In 2024, it was adapted into an animated film, which was a hit, grossing approximately 2.04 billion yen at the box office and winning the Best Animation Film Award at the 48th Japan Academy Awards. It has been screened at various festivals around the world, including the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and has received high praise both domestically and internationally.
The story follows two girls whose unwavering passion for manga brings them together, only for an event to shatter everything... Fujino, a fourth-grader who serializes a four-panel manga in the school newspaper, is praised by her classmates, but her teacher tells her that they want to publish a four-panel manga by Kyomoto, a classmate who is absent from school.
Hirokazu Kore-eda is directing, writing, and editing the film. Like the original novel, it carefully depicts the journeys of the two main characters, Fujino and Kyomoto, over approximately 13 years, starting from their elementary school days, against the backdrop of the beautiful four seasons.
