[FILM] Look Back (2024)
Despite being familiar with the source material, Look Back still managed to have a strong emotional impact on me. Fujimoto's one-shot is a beautiful story about being consumed by the creative process and the effect this has on the bonds between friends. In animated form, the film manages to elevate the source material even further - characters are drawn in a rough, almost rotoscope-looking way which gives the film a strong sense of style that is different to a lot of modern anime. The film does a great job of fluidly switching between fantasy scenes and realistic scenes in a way that feels emotionally coherent.
The whole thing clocks in at just under an hour long, and in that short space of time it manages to leave more of an impression than a lot of modern feature-length films. It's definitely my favourite animated film of the year, and one of the best films of the year overall.