At the
48th Japan Academy Film Prizes , the film adaptation of
" Look Back " was listed as having taken home two
major awards: Best Animated Feature Film and the Creative
Contribution Award , the latter in recognition of the incredible work
of its animation team.
The
following comments were included in the ceremony:
- Yuumi Kawai (voice of Ayumu
Fujino): “ I’m
Yuumi Kawai, and I had the honor of participating in this film as a voice
actress. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart! From the moment I
received the animation before we began recording, I was completely
captivated by the incredible quality of the work. I was excitedly waiting
for the day Oshiyama-san’s film would be released into the world, so being
able to celebrate this moment today fills me with happiness. At the same
time, I feel like this recognition was inevitable. I’m so proud of Look Back
and want to express my deepest respect to everyone who made this film
possible .”
- Ryou Oyama (Planning and
Production): “ Today
we received the incredible honor of winning the Best Animated Feature Film
award at the Japan Academy Film Prizes. Thank you so much. The film Look
Back was born from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga and was created with enormous
dedication by director Oshiyama and the entire animation team, who poured
a part of themselves into it, facing the creative process with total
dedication. Knowing that a work into which so much passion was invested
has reached so many people around the world and has been seen by so many
viewers is something that truly fills me with joy. I would like to take
this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude once again. We will take
this award as an incentive to continue creating with the same care and
dedication in the future .”
Based on
the acclaimed one-shot by Tatsuki Fujimoto ( Chainsaw
Man ), "Look Back" tells the story of Ayumu Fujino, a young
aspiring mangaka who, after meeting the talented Kyoumoto, becomes obsessed
with improving her art. Their rivalry turns into admiration and, over time,
into a life-changing friendship. The film, animated by Studio Durian
and released in June 2024, has been a huge success thanks to its emotional
story and stunning animation.
In the Best
Animated Feature Film category, "Look Back" edged out
heavyweights like "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM," "HAIKYU!!
The Dumpster Battle," "Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar
Pentagram," and "Give It All." But "Look
Back" wasn't the only film to shine. "Kingdom: Taishogun no
Kikan" took home five awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Takao
Osawa and several nods in cinematography, lighting, sound, and visual effects.
And in a
touching moment, the Academy paid tribute to two Doraemon voice legends, Noriko
Ohara and Nobuyo Oyama, by awarding them posthumously. The late actor Toshiyuki
Nishida was also honored with the Association's Honorary Award. The Japan
Academy Film Prizes continue to celebrate the best of Japanese cinema,
maintaining the tradition of honoring major productions. Last year, "Godzilla
Minus One" was the big winner, while Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and
the Heron" took home the award for Best Animated Feature Film.
This
year, "Look Back" undoubtedly stole the spotlight, and rightfully so.
Well deserved!
