Despite its 58-minute length, the theatrical anime Look Back generated a remarkable response both in Japan and internationally, surpassing 4.4 billion yen at the box office. Rather than revisiting the completed film, this exhibition turns its attention to the process—shedding light on what emerged during production, as well as what was left unrendered along the way.

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Director Kiyotaka Oshiyama has described Look Back as “a question posed to an era of unavoidable change, and a strategy for survival.” In a time when AI can generate almost anything, the film asks why people continue to draw. Look Back was Oshiyama’s attempt to respond to that question through his own lines.

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Traces of Emotion and Thought Within the Lines
On view throughout the exhibition are original drawings, setting materials, and production notes—numerous artifacts created on the path toward completing the theatrical anime. What often remains invisible in the finished film—hesitation, trial and error, impulse—emerges here as tangible traces of emotion and thought, made visible through line.

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Oshiyama does not reject technology itself. Rather, while acknowledging its power, he believes that the essence of creative work resides in the human decision to draw—to embrace imperfection, awkwardness, and instinct. Drawing, for him, is an accumulation of thought and a direct expression of the body. This exhibition translates that philosophy into spatial experience.

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The Physical Reality of Creation, Where Line and Body Converge
What leaves a strong impression is the way lines appear not as mere visual expression, but as the result of bodily repetition and sensory accumulation. Original drawings and handwritten notes reveal drawing as a constant back-and-forth between thought and physical movement—a process shaped slowly over time.

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Animation and manga do not emerge from individual talent alone. They are supported by layers of collective knowledge built through the explorations and missteps of those who came before. Continuing to draw while making mistakes, resisting the urge to rush toward completion—such attitudes are quietly etched into the depth of the work itself.

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Experiences Unique to the Exhibition and Related Programs
During the exhibition period, live drawing sessions by Oshiyama himself are scheduled, during which he will draw directly onto the wall at the venue entrance. Witnessing the act of drawing in real time—rather than encountering a finished work—offers a rare and intimate perspective on the creative process.

In addition, the exhibition features a shop offering original merchandise, a photo booth where visitors can take commemorative photos within the world of the work, and an audio guide narrated by lead voice actors Yuumi Kawai and Mizuki Yoshida, further deepening the experience.

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Asking, Once Again, What It Means for Humans to Draw
Rather than documenting a finished film, Look Back Anime Exhibition visualizes what was drawn, what was not, and the emotions and thoughts that fell between those states. Every line carries the entirety of its creator.

Through animation—a cultural form deeply rooted in Japan—this exhibition quietly yet powerfully asks what it means for humans to create. Here at Azabudai Hills, that question is posed not loudly, but with sustained intensity.


[Copyright Credits]
© Tatsuki Fujimoto / SHUEISHA
© 2024 Look Back Anime Film Production Committee
© Look Back Anime Exhibition Executive Committee