Chainsaw Man Creator’s Look Back Movie Eligible for the 2025 Oscars

Chainsaw Man Creator's Look Back Movie Eligible for the 2025 Oscars

Key Takeaways

  • Look Back eligible for 2025 Oscars, fans hope for recognition despite rarity of Japanese animated movie nominations.
  • Emotional storyline resonates with fans, film blends art, emotion, and tragedy, creating Anime of the Year buzz.
  • Director Kiyotaka Oshiyama masterfully translates feelings from manga to animation, creating a captivating narrative.

As a long-time anime enthusiast with a soft spot for stories that tug at the heartstrings, I can confidently say that “Look Back” has left an indelible mark on me. The film’s emotional resonance and masterful blend of art, emotion, and tragedy have made it one of my favorites in recent years.


2025 Oscar contenders now include the much-anticipated movie adaptation of “Chainsaw Man,” a highly emotional anime ride for fans. In his directorial debut, Kiyotaka Oshiyama skillfully translated the emotions from the original manga to animation in this film.

Back in July 2021, I stumbled upon an intriguing one-shot titled “Look Back,” published on Shonen Jump+. This 143-page story came out when Chainsaw Man was taking a break after wrapping up the Public Safety Saga. The comic follows the journey of two passionate teenage manga enthusiasts, who initially compete but later find common ground in their artistic talents. They collaborate and nurture their dreams of becoming professional artists together. However, life takes them on separate paths, only for a major twist to shake things up!

As per the latest update on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ website, the film is being considered for recognition at the 2025 Oscars. It’s crucial to note that being eligible merely indicates that the distributors are aiming to secure a nomination for the movie, but it does not ensure a nomination will be granted. Other eligible anime films include “The Colors Within”, “Ghost Cat Anzu”, and “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”.

Real-life inspired tragic story

The next paragraph contains spoilers for
Look Back
. The following paragraphs do not contain any spoiler.

In a somewhat parallel yet distinct scenario, viewers of Fujimoto’s work have pointed out striking resemblances between certain Look Back episodes and the Kyoto Animation arson attack. Both incidents involve a mass murderer targeting artists, with accusations of plagiarism leveled against one character in Fujimoto’s work. Although Fujimoto has not explicitly confirmed any connection, the parallels are undeniably striking. It is believed that he may have lost friends or admired colleagues during the arson incident.

Look Back movie distribution and reception

Back in 2024, I was fortunate to have my debut at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France – the grandest stage for animation worldwide. Although it wasn’t a competitive category, just being there was a massive step forward! A few days after that, I made my Japanese premiere, where I received both commercial and critical acclaim, even extending my run on-screen. What an incredible journey so far!

In July 2024, the film was initially shown at a New York event with captions in English. Later that year, GKIDS acquired the rights to distribute the movie, and it hit theaters in October 2024. The film is now available for streaming globally on Amazon Prime Video.

Favorable responses from viewers may offer some optimism that the movie could receive acknowledgement at the Oscars, as it’s uncommon for Japanese animated films to be nominated, particularly those not created by Studio Ghibli.

Look Back
is available to stream worldwide on Amazon Prime Video, both subbed and dubbed.

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2024-11-24 18:23