This 100%-Rated Anime Masterpiece Just Won the Anime Awards 2025 for Best Movie
Crunchyroll Anime Awards picked its winner in the Film of the Year category – Look Back. It's a touching and heartbreaking story you shouldn't miss, even if you've never watched anime before.
The ninth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards or "Anime Oscar" ceremony was recently held in Tokyo. The main prize in the category Anime of the Year went to the main hit of 2025 Solo Leveling.
Film of the Year went to Look Back. There's no question that it deserved the title and here's why.
What Is 'Look Back' About?
Ayumu Fujino draws yonkoma – short comic strips in four frames – that are published in the school newspaper. One day, the teacher asks the girl to give up one of the columns to another student who does not go to school.
Fujino agrees, but soon sees that Kyomoto draws much better. This motivates Fujino to improve her skills. The unspoken rivalry suddenly develops into a warm friendship that changes the girls' lives.
Hideo Kojima Has Nothing But Praise for 'Look Back'
Hideo Kojima is a video game developer, but he also shares movie recommendations on his X account.
In his opinion, Look Back is unquestionably one of the best anime of the decade and definitive proof of the undeniable superiority of animation over live action:
“I was shaken to my core! The tenderness, the kindness, the strength! Such rich expressions and sensitivity, surpassing even a live-action film!”
'Look Back' Is a Faithful And Outstanding Manga Adaptation
Look Back is based on the manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the author of Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch. The story of school friendship, creativity, and envy was published in July 2021.
It ended the year with top spots in dozens of popular publications and nominations for prestigious awards, including the Eisner, the comics Oscar.
Anime director Kiyotaka Oshiyama masterfully translated the spirit of the original work to the big screen.
A significant part of the running time is taken up by drawing scenes – they are sometimes almost motionless, and sometimes sharp and dynamic, as if the art was created on its own. This contrast reveals more about the nature of creativity than the story itself.
This proves what Kojima meant when he declared that Look Back turned out to be better than a live-action movie. An ordinary film simply cannot convey the beauty of routine and the tragedy of the manga artist's craft.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Look Back'?
The Telegraph critic Robbie Collin wrote:
“Look Back is as neat and yet also as overflowing as the four-panel strips in which its leads once diligently honed their craft.”
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Look Back has 100% from critics and 99% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
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On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.8/10.
Where to Watch 'Look Back'?
Look Back is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
