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Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s Look Back won the grand prix at the third Niigata International Animation Film Festival (Niaff) on Thursday (March 20).

The award was presented to the director on the final night of the festival, which ran from March 15-20 in Niigata, a port city two hours north of Tokyo.

Oshiyama, who was also honoured with the Koji Fukiya prize for his work as an animator, highlighted the importance of hand-made animation during his acceptance speech. “While animating the film, I kept hearing that AI would soon be able to create entire works of animation, which made me nervous,” he said.

The anime film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto 's ( Chainsaw Man ) coming-of-age manga Look Back won the Grand Prix Award in the Feature Film Competition section at the third Niigata International Animation Film Festival on March 20. The third edition of Asia's largest and the world's first feature-length animation-centric film festival was held from March 15 to 20 in Niigata Prefecture. This year's Feature Film Competition section received 69 entries from 28 countries and regions. The jury consisted of film producer Manuel Cristóbal , artist, filmmaker, animator, and educator Christine Panushka , and stop motion animation studio Dwarf producer Noriko Matsumoto . The reasons given for Look Back 's selection for the Grand Prix Awards reads: "Perfect pacing and beautifully rendered characters. A film with new discoveries both in its theme and in its creators. We commend the technology, storytelling, and maturity of this film. Expectations are high for a new work from this fresh and exciting director." The...

Modern anime titles appeal to a wide variety of demographics, including older anime community members. For those who have been following anime since the 80s and 90s, there are still plenty of popular titles that appeal to older audiences. There may seem to be no shortage of titles that appeal to younger audiences. However, that doesn't mean that some of those same series can cultivate a following among older fans too.

Often, series that are successful with older audiences might have a more mature tone and themes. Conversely, they might offer a new twist on established anime tropes. Series like Dragon Ball can appeal to just about anyone, but sometimes that universal appeal can only go so far to interesting fans who have seen hundreds of similar action anime. That's what sets these examples apart from ones with universal appeal.

Delicious in Dungeon is an Underrated Fantasy Anime That Still...

The 2025 Academy Awards have come and gone, and the anime community once more finds itself disappointed with no nominations within the field. The Oscars have had a long history of overlooking anime, but to be snubbed for another year—especially when Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s Look Back was more than eligible for the running—had anime fans everywhere shaking their heads.

Previous anime productions have snagged an Oscar in the past, however. Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away became the first anime feature to win an Academy Award in 2001, followed by The Boy and The Heron in 2024. In recent years, other Studio Ghibli productions and anime films have also contended for the entertainment industry's most coveted award, with some close to winning.

When Marnie Was There Is a Much Deeper Story Than Inside Out Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Story by Joan G. Robinson Image via Studio Ghibli

When Marnie Was There is...

The 48th Japan Academy Film Awards ceremony took place on March 14, 2025 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on March 14, 2025, with free announcer Shinichi Hatori and actress Sakura Ando hosting the show.

“A Samurai in Time” continued gathering awards after the three it netted from Nikkan Sports, Michihito Fujii cemented his place on the top of the current directors, while Yuumi Kawai highlighted that she is the next super star of the local industry. “Kingdom 4″ Return of the General” expectedly won the majority of the technical awards. Here is the full list

Best Picture

A Samurai in Time Fantasia Film Review: A Samurai in Time (2024) by Junichi Yasuda

Best Animation Film

Look Back Anime Review: Look Back (2024) by Kiyotaka Oshiyama

Best Director

Michihito Fujii – Faceless

Best Screenplay

Akiko Nogi – Last Mile Film Review: Last Mile (2024) by Ayuko Tsukahara

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Ryusei Yokohama – Faceless

Best...

The award ceremony for the 48th Japan Academy Film Prizes was held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on March 14. From the five nominees in the animation category, Look Back won the Best Animation of the Year award. Additionally, the eight main animators of Look Back were also selected for the Creative Contribution Award, which was newly established this year to honor engineers who have made particularly outstanding contributions to the films selected for the awards. The eight animators were: Kiyotaka Oshiyama , Toshiyuki Inoue , Yuka Geshi , Takuya Ninuma , Katsuhiko Kitada , Shuichi Ohara , Tasan , and Ayako Hata . Among them, Oshiyama also served as the director, screenplay writer, and character designer of the film. Meanwhile, actor Yuumi Kawai , who voiced one of the film's two protagonists, Fujino, won the Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role award for her role as An Kagawa in the Yu Irie-directed...

The best anime has to offer comes in many different formats — including feature films, which tell some of the medium’s most potent and highly acclaimed stories in a concise, dynamic manner. An incredible way to enjoy a spectacular narrative without excessive time commitments, anime movies also avoid many of the pitfalls longer series run into much more often.

A feature length film doesn’t have the luxury to include sprawling stories or narrative detours, resulting in every scene in the best anime movies being deliberate and serving the purpose of elevating the plot. Representative of many genres — and, sometimes, even entire franchises — the best anime films are faultless from beginning to end, not losing their audience’s attention even for a second.

Perfect Blue Contains Impactful Details in Every Frame Stream Perfect Blue on Apple TV

One of the most esteemed directors in the medium’s history, Satoshi Kon...

It was criminal that the Best Animated Film category didn’t exist at the Oscars before 2001. Iconic films like The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Aladdin, and Mulan missed out on the golden statuette. While Beauty and the Beast became the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture, the absence of a dedicated Animated Feature category left a void in recognizing the artistry of animated films at the Oscars.

The creation of the award, in hindsight, inadvertently confined animated films to their own category. Following the 81st Academy Awards, cinephiles noted that no rule prevented Wall-e from being nominated for Best Picture, sparking debates on animated films’ true recognition.

At the time of the award’s introduction, Disney had cooled off, and Pixar (distributed by Disney) took the reins, dominating with creativity and innovation. Pixar has claimed 11 of the 23 Oscars for Best Animated Feature.

Today, the animated landscape is more competitive than ever.

Prime Video today announced the exclusive global premiere of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX (Jīkuakusu), the latest installment in the legendary Mecha Sci-Fi ‘Gundam’ series.

The series will stream simultaneously with Japan across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Tuesday, April 8.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX represents a historic collaboration between Studio khara, renowned for the Evangelion series, and Sunrise, the legendary studio behind the Gundam franchise.

The series brings together an all-star creative team, including director Kazuya Tsurumaki, writers Yoji Enokido and Hideaki Anno (Evangelion series), with character designs by Take (Pokémon Journeys) and mechanical designs by Ikuto Yamashita.

This dream team of Japan’s top anime creators marks a watershed moment in anime history, uniting the creative forces behind two of Japan’s most influential mecha series. The series was preceded by a theatrical promotion, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-.

This theatrical cut launched in Japan in January...

When the Chainsaw Man anime premiered in 2022, it sparked a full-fledged frenzy, with both manga readers and general anime fans alike losing all composure over its truly unhinged storytelling. It sparked a real drive to find more work from the original manga's author, Tatsuki Fujimoto, a trailblazer who hasn't met a narrative concept he didn't want to snap in half or turn inside out. One of his most beloved works is a paean to the power of making art called Look Back, which officially became an anime feature film released in late 2024, and while it was well-reviewed by the critics that saw it, it came and went without much fanfare. That should be changed, as it's streaming on Prime Video and was one of the best animated films of last year.

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back anime film grabbed quite a few eyeballs. It received praise from both Japanese and international audiences, which might have been the boost that Chainsaw Man needed for its upcoming film.

Along with a promising plot, the new film is being animated by Mappa, a name that already ensures awesome animation quality and style. If season 1 of Chainsaw Man is anything to go by, the Reze arc movie will shake up the anime world and help Tatsuki Fujimoto reach greater heights.

Look Back paved the way for a Chainsaw Man movie Look Back cemented Tatsuki Fujimoto’s name in the anime film industry | Credits: Durian

Tatsuki Fujimoto‘s Look Back film premiered in June 2024 and became one of the most acclaimed movies of the year. It won the Animation of the Year award at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival and was nominated at the Annie Awards,...

The Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie trilogy can’t come soon enough. However, a new critically acclaimed anime movie based on a nearly 50-year-old franchise is giving Demon Slayer a run for its money.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, a theatrical anime movie based on the new Gundam TV series, continues to beat expectations at the Japanese box office. According to Japanese news site Oricon, the new Gundam anime TV series by Sunrise and Studio Khara (Rebuild of Evangelion) has "attracted 1.38 million viewers and generated over 2.2 billion yen in box office revenue" in 24 days. The film opened in Japan on Jan. 17, 2025, and is now being compared to Demon Slayer in terms of its domestic financial success.

RelatedBandai Reveals First Look at New Gundam Anime Action Figures for a Mecha-Friendly 2025

Bandai Spirits reveals new images of upcoming model kits and Metal Robot Spirits figures for the latest Mobile Suit Gundam anime series.

The winners of the 52nd Annual Annie Awards have been announced and despite several nominations, no anime movies took him any awards. Look Back was nominated for Best Feature: Independent category but lost to the Latvian animation film Flow.

Look Back lost to Flow at the Annie Awards | Credits: Durian

Both The Wild Robot and Arcane took home several awards, leaving anime fans a huge blow to deal with. However, with a limited number of anime films released in 2024, the industry already had a huge handicap.

Don’t be surprised by the lack of anime at award shows this year

The anime film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto‘s Look Back one-shot manga received many positive reviews after its theatrical debut. Fans even expected it to be nominated in American award shows like the Oscars and Annie. However, the movie did not even make it to the final nominations list for...

The Wild Robot swept its categories at the 2025 Annie Awards, winning a leading nine awards, including best feature.

The DreamWorks Animation title was nominated 10 times, but two of those nods were in the same category.

Also Saturday night, The Wild Robot won the Producers Guild Award for outstanding producer of animated theatrical motion pictures. And Friday night, it won best animated feature at the Critics Choice Awards.

Other features that won multiple awards from the International Animated Film Society Asifa-Hollywood, which presents the prizes recognizing the year’s best in animation, include two-time winners Flow and Orion and the Dark, with the former winning best feature — independent and best writing — feature.

Flow, which won the Golden Globe for best animated motion picture, and The Wild Robot are both nominated for the Oscar for best animated feature, along with Inside Out 2, Memoir of a Snail and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

The board of Asifa-Hollywood, the organization behind the 52nd annual Annie Awards, pondered, like many other organizers behind events on the awards season calendar, whether the show should be postponed or scaled back because of the devastating fires that ravaged Los Angeles in early January. Many members of the animation community are among those who’ve been severely impacted.

“We represent the animation community and it’s really important to us, especially at this time, that we support them a thousand percent,” says Asifa-Hollywood executive director Aubry Mintz. And after much discussion, the board decided that the show will go on, albeit with a somewhat more somber tone and featuring the announcement of efforts to consolidate resources and support for those in the community dealing with various (and in many cases multiple) losses.

“We discussed this with the board: ‘What are the implications if we go forward with the Annies...

The 67th edition of the Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, has announced its winners on January 28, 2025. The nominees and winners are selected from movies released in 2024 by members of the Association who are film reporters from seven sports newspapers in Tokyo. Indie movie “A Samurai in Time” was the surprise hit last year and has picked up a double win for Best Film and Best Actor. Likewise for Yu Irie‘s “A Girl Named Ann” bagging the Best Director and Best Actress awards.

Best Film

A Girl Named Ann

Abudeka Is Back

Let’s Go Karaoke!

52-Hertz Whales

A Samurai in Time

11 Rebels

Faceless

All the Long Nights

Last Mile

Look Back

Best Director

Yu Irie – A Girl Named Ann

Kazuya Shiraishi – 11 Rebels, Bushido

Ayuko Tsukahara – Last Mile, La Grande Maison Paris

Michihito Fujii – Faceless, 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days

Junichi Yasuda – A Samurai in Time

Best...

The official website for the Tokyo Anime Award Festival (Taaf) announced the winners of its 2025 Anime of the Year awards on January 31, 2025. The awards are given to the most outstanding anime works or individuals from all works that were screened, broadcasted or streamed in the fiscal year 2024. The selection process begins with a vote by anime fans to select the 100 best works (20 theatrical films and 80 TV series). From those 100 works, "Best Work" (Feature film and TV series categories) and "Individual Award" awards were voted on by a wide range of animation industry professionals, including producers, creators, other media and stores handling anime merchandise. Additionally, the "Anime Fan Award" was selected by voting by the general users. The "Best Work" award in the feature film category went to Look Back , an anime film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's ( Chainsaw Man ) coming-of-age manga of the same name. The 58-minute film produced by...

Japan’s box office fell 6.5% to $1.33bn (¥207bn) in 2024 due to a large drop in takings for US features, despite strong earnings for local titles.

Overall admissions were 7.1% down to 144.4 million, according to data published by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren). The figures remain some distance from pre-pandemic 2019, when the gross box office was $1.55bn (¥242bn) from 195 million admissions.

Scroll down for the top 30 titles

It was a positive picture for Japanese films, which took $1bn (¥156bn) at the local box office, up 5.1% year-on-year and comprising 75% of total takings. Topping the chart was anime Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram,...

Will Season 19 of Sister Wives treat viewers to an end-of-season Tell All?

That’s a question on Sister Wives fans’ minds as the season nears its 19th episode.

Sunday, January 26, will mark Episode 19 this season, Behold I Come Like A Thief.

In years past, Kody Brown and his then-four wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn, would sit down with a Tell All host and spill all the post-season tea.

However, producers have shaken things up in recent years, either forgoing a Tell All altogether or implementing a multi-part one.

There hasn’t been any official word yet regarding a Season 19 Tell All, but Monsters and Critics can confirm that Sister Wives will be taking a hiatus next month.

Sister Wives goes on hiatus following the February 2 episode, with Part 2 returning this spring

Additionally, Season 19 will be a two-parter.

The break comes after the February 2 episode, which will be a mid-season...

Last year, director Kiyotaka Oshiyama released his smash-hit anime film Look Back -- an adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's titular manga series. While the 57-minute feature has earned respect and accolades for Oshiyama and Studio Durian, the director claims that luck was a major factor in the production's success.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Oshiyama went into depth about the process behind pitching, developing and adapting Fujimoto's concept for the big screen. Since its 2024 debut, the film has earned over $12 million at the worldwide box office while also enjoying high streaming traffic on Amazon's Prime Video service. Despite the film's overwhelming success, Oshiyama characterizes it as a 'hit' in a 'hit or miss situation.' "You don't know what contributes to [success] and I think I just got lucky," he said. "I am thankful for the praise that I am getting, but I try to tell myself constantly to maintain my mental strength.

With its shocking story and lively animation, Look Back became a fan-favorite anime film in 2024. Ahead of the 97th Academy Awards, fans were excited to see Look Back making it to the nominations list. To their dismay, Look Back couldn’t make it to the list. This has sparked a conversation about the Oscars’ reservations against anime as a medium.

Fujino gets to know about Kyomoto in Look Back | Credits: Studio Durian

Such a discussion is important considering all that the anime film offers in a short span of time. For the same reason, the fan reactions are understandable. However, the worst aspect of this entire ordeal is Tatsuki Fujimoto not receiving his due.

Look Back is sad, beautiful, and truly riveting in many ways

Look Back hit the theatres in June 2024, and quickly garnered massive attention from fans. It follows the story of Fujino, a young artist, and her relationship with her craft.

The announcement of this year’s Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature has sent waves of shock and disappointment across the anime community, with Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back absent from the list.

Ayumu Fujino in Look Back. [Credit: Studio Durian]

Instead, the nominees include Flow, Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot, Memoir of a Snail, and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. No anime movie was on the list.

However, to say that anime and the Academy Awards have a rocky relationship would be an understatement. Every few years, some anime film reshapes popular culture, and Look Back is the latest buzzworthy hit, thrilling fans ahead of Oscars 2025.

Look Back was not nominated for the Best Animated Feature

Flashy titles that came out in 2024 kept many anime fans’ hopes high for the 97th Academy Awards. Yet, it seems next year might follow the usual pattern, with Disney claiming victory. Still,...

The official website of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed a list of nominees for the 97th Oscars on Jan 23, 2025.

While a total of five anime movies, including Look Back, The Colors Within and Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim were eligible for the Best Animated Feature Film category, none of them made the final cut.

The nominations for the Best Feature Film Category include:

Flow Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot

The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy & the Heron won the Oscar Award for the Best Animated Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, held on March 10, 2024. It marked the director’s second win in the category, following Spirited Away in 2003.

It was also the only anime film to...

The list for the 2025 Academy Awards nominations was recently released, and it has been the talk of the town since then. The Oscar 2025 list has many contentious perceptions, but the biggest one is that not a single 2024 anime film made it to the list. This was certainly heartbreaking for hardcore anime fans, considering the fact that anime has become a mainstream phenomenon.

The Boy and the Heron | Credit: Studio Ghibli

While the anime art form is still underappreciated in many different places, 2024 changed it in a major way because of some great pieces of work that attracted a lot of attention. However, the fact that the Oscars 2025 are not nominating a single 2024 anime has a much deeper reason behind it that many anime fans fail to understand.

The main culprits behind this are Hayao Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai, who have been nominated for and even won Oscars in the past.

To say that anime and the Academy Awards have a rocky relationship would be an understatement. Every few years, some anime film reshapes popular culture, and Look Back is the latest buzzworthy hit, thrilling fans ahead of Oscars 2025.

It’s always been maddening how underrepresented anime is during the Academy Awards, but 2025 might just top that. The highly publicized chatter for Look Back was stunned to find out the anime that ruled supreme above others in 2024 was shunned from the Oscars’ Animated Feature category.

Look Back. [Credit: Studio Durian]

Flashy titles that came out in 2024 kept many anime fans’ hopes high for the 97th Academy Awards. Yet, it seems next year might follow the usual pattern, with Disney claiming victory. Still, the snubbing of Look Back from the Oscars 2025 has enraged fans, and they have been speaking their minds online.

Outrage sparks as Look Back Misses 2025 Oscars Nomination

The Academy Awards have had a long,...

Quick Links 'Look Back' Could Have Been a Contender The Academy Awards Celebrate the Best Cinema... To a Degree

The list of anime movies nominated for an Oscar has been pretty scant. In 2002, Spirited Away broke the mold by being nominated and winning Best Animated Feature. However, since then, the only features to be considered are from Studio Ghibli, with an exception in Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai in 2018. Studio Ghibli is a powerhouse in anime, and they craft thoughtful and visually stunning features worthy of consideration. For anime diehards, the famous animation studio created by Hayao Miyazaki is entry-level and predictable when approaching the medium. With how quick the Oscars are to embrace animated features from other countries, Japanese anime seems often overlooked.

Kiyotaka Oshiyama's Look Back, based on the manga by Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto, has impressed fans and has been met with fanfare and critical praise. Its...

The movie that was crowned the best anime film of 2024, Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back, is still making a lot of noise because of the popularity it amassed since its release in June 2024. The anime film has been acclaimed as one of the greatest works by Fujimoto and Studio Durian, and a lot of factors contributed to the overall success of Look Back.

Look Back By Tatsuki Fujimoto | Credit: Studio Durian

From its animation to its story development, everything in the anime film adds to the wonderful portrayal of the storyline from the original one-shot web manga that came out in 2021. However, there is one aspect of the story that was utilized by Fujimoto in the most perfect way possible. This aspect was the symbolism that the story portrayed through different scenes.

One particular scene that grabbed the attention of a lot of fans was when Ayumu Fujino found out...

2024 was definitely a big year for the anime industry, especially for the movies. There were quite a few films that left an impression on the community, but the one that stood above all was Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back. The movie has received worldwide appreciation and has been crowned as the best anime film of 2024 by fans and critics.

Look Back is the Best Anime Film of 2024 | Credit: Studio Durian

Not only that, it even won the Best Anime Film at the Filmarks Annual Awards 2024, proving Fujimoto and Studio Durian’s talent. According to many anime fans, the main reason behind naming Look Back as the best anime film of 2024 was its brilliant visualization and animation. However, it is the only reason why Look Back deserved the title.

There are many other elements that contributed to the success of the Look Back anime movie. But the one that was the...

The 48th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes, also known as Japan Academy Awards, has revealed its nominees for Excellent Animation Award on Jan 21, 2025, with Look Back, Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, and 3 other anime films among the contenders.

The nominated anime films are:

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle Case Closed: The Million-dollar Pentagram Look Back Give It All

In addition to the animated categories, Asuka Saito, Anna Yamada, and Rihito Itagaki, known for their roles in the live-action adaptations of Oshi No Ko, Golden Kamuy, and Cells At Work! respectively, are all nominated for the Best New Actor category.

In the Outstanding Supporting Actress category, Mana Ashida has earned a nomination for her role as Niko Urushizaki in the live-action adaptation of Cells at Work!.

Go Ayano has been nominated for Outstanding Actor for his role as Kyouji Narita in the live-action film adaptation of Yama Wayama’s Let’s Go Karaoke!

The biggest celebration of Japanese film, the Japan Academy Prize, is gearing up for its 48th annual ceremony on March 14, 2025. Ahead of then, the Japan Academy Prize Association revealed the nominees for all the top awards today . The Animation category is filled with some of the biggest anime films from 2024, including Look Back , Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, and more! The full list for Animation of the Year includes: Ganbatte Ikimasshoi Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram Look Back Outside of anime, the latest Kingdom live-action film, Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General , is up for Picture of the Year, with director Shinsuke Sato up for Best Director, lead actor and supporting actor Kento Yamazaki and Takao Osawa up for their respective awards as well as many production awards. The Cells at Work live-action film also picked up a few nominations,...

Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s animated debut feature film Look Back, based on the best-selling manga by Tatuski Fujimoto, is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama that has resonated with moviegoers and at home audiences globally, amassing more than $12 million worldwide and landing a spot on Prime Video. At just under an hour, Look Back follows the popular Ayumi Fujino (Yumi Kawai) who has been long praised for her humorous comics in the school newspaper. However, when her teacher asks her to share panel space with Kyomoto (Mizuki Yoshida), an absent recluse, her beautiful artwork outshines Fujino’s and kickstarts friendly rivalry between them into their young adult years.

Here, Deadline talks to Oshiyama about the significance of Look Back and the highs and lows of pursuing creative endeavors.

Deadline: What was your entryway into Look Back? I understand that you used to do animation work on Chainsaw Man. Did you read it first,...

There’s another medium that anime fans need to check out: Chinese animation, or donghuas, which has fallen under the radar of many Western viewers. However, donghuas availability on streaming services like Crunchyroll with multiple dubbing proves the industry is ready to captivate global audiences. Moreover, although Donghuas were known for their focus on mythology and epic adventures, one of the most recent sequels released in the Crunchyroll winter season of 2025 is a hidden gem that surpasses many animes, and more people need to see.

In an interview with Afp News, Masao Maruyama, founder of Mappa and Studio M2 and co-founder of Madhouse studio, warned how China was on the road to surpassing Japan’s top spot in animation due to the rise of more original projects in the neighboring country, and one of Crunchyroll’s series is confirming that as Link Click has one of the most intriguing and original stories in recent years.

Recently Tatsuki Fujimoto’s name has become known to everyone in the manga community, and for all the good reasons. As the creator of the modern classic, Chainsaw Man, he has consistently attracted more and more fans with his mastery of weaving hard-hitting stories.

Yet, even among his other works, particularly one-shots like Look Back has unexpectedly stolen the spotlight with its spectacular movie adaptation last year. But if you think that must have been Fujimoto’s finest work of all time, you will be greatly mistaken.

A still from Look Back movie | Credits: Studio Durian

Here comes Goodbye Eri, a hauntingly beautiful manga that is actually capable of emotionally dismantling even the most stone-faced manga fans. This gut-wrenching one-shot is a good reminder that no matter how much you think you know Fujimoto, he can still surprise you!

What makes Goodbye Eri stand out more? A still from Goodbye Eri manga | Credits: Tatsuki Fujimoto,...

2024 was a great year for animated films, and few stood out more than Look Back and The Wild Robot. The former was a phenomenal adaptation of the Tatsuki Fujimoto manga of the same name, the latter was largely seen as the best DreamWorks film in years, and both are easy contenders for the best animated films of 2024, if not some of the best films of 2024, in general.

Look Back and The Wild Robot were two of the best animated films of 2024, by far, but one might have overtaken the other in prestige. With 2024 officially over, the full statistics of how certain films performed over the year are finally coming out, and to the surprise and joy of many, Look Back beat The Wild Robot in one of the biggest movie rankings of the year. It’s nothing but a testament to Look Back’s incredible quality, and it says great...

Look Back, the animated movie based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot story, was recently revealed to be the highest-rated anime movie of 2024 in a new ranking reveal. The film’s critical and commercial acclaim sets the stage for the upcoming Chainsaw Man anime movie in 2025.

The official social media account for Letterboxd, the social network website for casual moviegoers and film aficionados, shared its 2024 statistics on X (formerly Twitter). Among the many film categories was the top 10 highest-rated animation of 2024. The Look Back anime movie was #1, followed by The Wild Robot at #2 and Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle at #3.

Related Official Oshi no Ko Artist Reveals the 2025 Anime Movie She Can't Wait to Watch

Even professional manga creators can't wait for the release of one of 2025's biggest Shonen Jump anime adaptations.

'Look Back' Has Been a Hit Anime Praised by Studio Ghibli President, Original Creator & More The Letterboxd 2024 Year in Review: https://t.

If one has to talk about the way that a manga is to be crafted, not just in a visually appealing and artistic manner, but in a way that captures the attention of the fans.

Fujino and Kyoumoto from Look Back. [Credit: Studio Durian]

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s oneshot Look Back has captivated the hearts of fans in such a way, and has succeeded topping trends in Japan and earning widespread acclaim.

Being globally recognized and acclaimed for his work on Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch, Fujimoto is a renowned mangaka legend who once again proved his mastery of storytelling. There is art in every panel, but there is also a well-thought out philosophical essence within the characters’ action.

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back Is a Masterclass in Storytelling

The brilliance of Look Back is not in its visual appeal (which has its own magnetic effect), and it lies not in flashy...

Look Back has been named the highest-rated animated film of 2024 in Letterboxd’s Year in Review.

Gkids, the North American distributor, celebrated the film’s feat with a post on its official X account, noting its impressive rankings in various categories.

Look Back was not only the highest-rated animated film of the year on the platform but also ranked #4 in the highest rated overall film category, and #2 highest-rated Asian film.

Look Back was all over @letterboxd's Year in Review!

Letterboxd released its list of the most-watched actors and highest-rated films of 2024, based on ratings from its 17 million users. Zendaya was the most-watched female actor again, thanks to her roles in ‘Dune: Part 2’ and ‘Challengers.’ Dune: Part 2 was the top-rated movie of the year, with a 4.4-star rating, and its director, Denis Villeneuve, was the most-watched director.

Zendaya’s ‘Dune’ co-star, Timothée Chalamet, was replaced by Willem Dafoe as the most-watched actor. Dafoe appeared in four big films last year: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ ‘Saturday Night,’ ‘Kinds of Kindness,’ and recently released, ‘Nosferatu.’

You can check out the top picks below:

The most-watched actors of 2024 on Letterboxd are led by Willem Dafoe, followed by Timothée Chalamet and Stellan Skarsgård. Other top actors include J.K. Simmons, Josh Brolin, Samuel L. Jackson, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, and Mark Ruffalo.

1. Willem Dafoe 2. Timothée Chalamet 3. Stellan Skarsgård 4. J.K. Simmons 5. Josh Brolin 6. Samuel L.

Megyn Kelly is known for her outspoken views and commentary on her talk shows after a long stint working for news networks. She was also the subject of the 2019 movie Bombshell, starring Charlize Theron as a fictionalized version of herself. However, that did not stop Kelly from feuding with Theron online regarding one incident.

Megyn Kelly is known for her outspoken views (Credit: Megyn Kelly Today | NBC).

Meanwhile, Kelly has now taken shots at the 2024 mystery thriller Conclave and its cast, including Ralph Fiennes. On social media, she took down the movie for its anti-Catholic depiction and other themes that did not sit right with her viewpoint. She used some strong words to criticize the film and here is what Kelly had to say about the Oscar contender.

Megyn Kelly rips apart Ralph Fiennes’ Oscar contender movie Conclave on social media

Megyn Kelly currently hosts The Megyn Kelly Show on Sirius Xm,...

Hideo Kojima reveals his favorite movies and shows of 2024. The legendary Japanese video game designer, inspired by both film and literature, is regarded as one of the first video game auteurs. He joined Konami in 1986, creating Metal Gear (1987), which established the stealth genre. Kojima also produced Zone of the Enders and designed cinematic adventure games like Snatcher (1988) and Policenauts (1994). After founding Kojima Productions in 2005 and leaving Konami in 2015, he independently released Death Stranding in 2019.

Now, a day after the Golden Globes honored the best in film and television from 2024, Hideo Kojima has revealed his favorite films and shows of the past year. For the best movies of 2024, Kojima selected Past Lives, The Teachers' Lounge, Dune: Part Two, All of Us Strangers, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, La Chimera, Hit Man, Gondola, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, The Substance, The Holdovers, and Juror #2. For the best Japanese movies of the year,...

Dandadan manga editor Shihei Lin, also known for editing other major Shonen Jump franchises such as Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man, has revealed that Science Saru's anime series adaptation was even better than anticipated.

Shonen Jump+ editor Shihei Lin looked back on 2024 in a recent X (formerly Twitter) post. The year saw numerous anime developments concerning titles that he personally oversaw; Look Back premiered in theaters to rave reviews, Spy x Family announced a third season, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc premieres in 2025 and notably, Dandadan Season 1 enjoyed massive success. On Dandadan, Lin said, "TV anime Dandadan, which began airing in October after careful and detailed discussions, has also achieved the number one spot on many streaming sites globally ✨. We are also grateful for the large number of reprints of the original comics. It has exceeded the production team's expectations, and we are very happy that people all over the world have enjoyed it.

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Look Back began as a simple one-shot manga but ended up being a hit movie that moved audiences both in Japan and overseas. The film received rave reviews and huge positive responses. The emotional weight carried by the story touched souls.

But why exactly was Look Back such a hard-hitting work? Apart from its exploration of friendship, artistic sentiments, and personal growth, it is also a nuanced story that has captured subtle emotions. The visual storytelling has left an impact on its audiences. The film’s success has exceeded the manga’s and the one to take all the credit is the movie’s director.

Look Back‘s director delved deep into Tatsuki Fujimoto’s life to breathe life into the movie Look Back written by Tatsuki Fujimoto | Credits: Studio Durian

Kiyotaka Oshiyama is a veteran animator and the director of the Look Back anime movie. The...

2024 was a year filled with many film releases, most of them based on pre-existing IPs or sequels. However, there were a few exceptions that completely stole the hearts of critics, moviegoers, and even fellow people in the entertainment industry.

In a feature piece on IndieWire with 65 directors sharing their favorite films of 2024, comedian and director of the critically acclaimed series Barry, Bill Hader, also weighed in. With a multitude of films to choose from, Hader opted for an animated indie film: Flow. The Latvian-directed animated film received critical acclaim and won numerous awards and nods, including a Critics' Choice Award nomination and a Golden Globes nomination.

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Flow tells the heartwarming story of a black cat that finds itself in a flood.

The creator of Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch, Tatsuki Fujimoto, also achieved great success with Look Back, a highly emotive one-shot manga that struck a deep chord with readers all across the world. The story received a lot of praise for its exploration of friendship, tragedy, and artistic growth. However, what really makes Look Back unique is not just the touching story but also the unorthodox strategy Fujimoto relied on for the anime adaptation.

Look Back | Credit: Studio Durian

During production, Fujimoto granted director Kiyotaka Oshiyama a great deal of creative freedom. One of the greatest anime films ever made, this unconventional decision enabled the adaptation to include a unique perspective without sacrificing the integrity of the original manga. The industry norm, where creators often exercise strict control on adaptations, differs greatly from this cooperative approach.

Tatsuki Fujimoto and Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s collaborative vision Fujino and Kyomoto from Look Back...

While he is celebrated for his slasher-style series Chainsaw Man, Tatsuki Fujimoto is multifarious. The mangaka has worked on several notable projects that deserve their due recognition.

The year 2024 is precisely a boon for all the creators including Fujimoto. This is especially true for his film which is making the rounds on the Internet. But there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Fujino and Kyomoto in a still from Look Back | Credit: Studio Durian

Based on the one-shot manga of the same name, Look Back is soaring heights in more ways than one. The film has garnered a positive reception along with accolades. Not only that, Kaiju No. 8 and the film’s success cemented the Japanese animation industry’s glory.

But most of all, it exemplifies the splendid and stellar nature of the studios in reviving manga. Both film and the anime are markers of brilliance and finesse.

Look Back is one of the best anime films of 2024 with its emotional take on building friendships through rivalry and the creative process behind drawing. Fujino and Kyomoto compete against each other but end up realizing they inspire each other and it blooms into a beautiful partnership.

The film encapsulated such an emotional message, both about friendship and the wonders of art, within just 58 minutes. So, imagine the surprise when Kiyotaka Oshiyama, the director of Look Back, didn’t believe it would be successful worldwide.

Look Back. [Credit: Studio Durian]

He believed only people in Japan would’ve gone for a film that’s this short in length. However, he possibly didn’t consider the fame of Chainsaw Man would factor into how many people wanted to explore Tatsuki Fujimoto’s other works, especially when Look Back is so different from the previously mentioned one.

Look Back was a guaranteed success from the premise itself Look Back.

The year 2024 was revolutionary for the anime industry. Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto is no exception to this, especially with the film Look Back. It is a one-shot wonder in more ways than one.

The film spotlights the mangaka through the Oscar nomination. Apart from Hayao Miyazaki, Fujimoto’s movie is boosting the Japanese anime industry on the whole. But there’s a movie yet to be credited for the mangaka’s inspiration.

Denji in a still from the anime | Credit: Mappa

In an interview, Fujimoto revealed a cult classic Charlize Theron film to be the inspiration behind his characters. His Oscar-nominated film is nothing short of a masterpiece in most aspects.

From complexities and conflicts to creativity, the film lives up to its masterpiece status through its impeccable animation. But it has more to do with the mangaka’s exploration of the central theme of dreams and aspirations in the manga.

I think it’s been a great year for cinema. Maybe even better than last year. According to my Letterboxd I didn’t give any film that came out in 2023 the heralded five stars but this year I’ve given that score twice, and a lot of four and a halves to go with. Scores are, of course, arbitrary, but it’s interesting to look back and see how things have played out on a macro level. It’s been a great year for cinema visits too, with lots of screenings locally as well as a day trip to the Prince Charles Cinema in London to watch David Lynch’s Inland Empire. What a wonderful, baffling fever dream (nightmare?) of a film. Watching it on the big screen with a loyal, and slightly stoned, audience was one of those experiences that just got me hyped about cinema again. Will definitely...

An hour-long finale was recently announced for the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 anime, with two back-to-back episodes to close things out for The Conflict on December 28. Ahead of the premiere of episodes 39 and 40, a new "Lookback" trailer debuted during Jump Festa 2025 to zip through the latest events and drum up some more hype. The Lookback trailer traces "all the stunning and shocking moments from episodes 25-38." Naturally, expect spoilers if you're not all caught up on the anime.  Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 Lookback Trailer Related: Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 Anime Announces Hour-Long Finale, New Cast The 13-episode first part of  Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War , which adapts the concluding arc of Tite Kubo's  Bleach  manga series, was streamed on Disney+ and Hulu around the world from October to December 2022. The second part premiered in July 2023 and ran until September. Part 3, subtitled  The Conflict , premiered in October 2024. Hulu...

The nominees are in for the 52nd Annual Annie Awards, which celebrates the world of animation across 37 categories. Among the many nominees are Look Back —the adaptation of the one-shot by Chainsaw Man author Tatsuki Fujimoto—and Ultraman: Rising . Look Back was nominated in the Best Feature - Independent category. Ultraman: Rising was nominated for Best Feature, as well as Best FX - Feature, Best Production Design - Feature and Best Editorial - Feature. Last year saw Takeshi Honda win Best Character Animation - Feature for The Boy and the Heron , which also netted a Best Storyboarding - Feature award for Hayao Miyazaki. We'll find out who this year's winners are when the Annie Awards take place on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Related: Look Back Anime Film Gets Worldwide Streaming Release on November 7 Kiyotaka Oshiyama ( Flip Flappers ) directs Look Back at Studio Durian.