Hey it's the new year! What better way to start than to cry my eyeballs off!
Well, too bad. I didn't know about it until too late, so instead I bought the translated source material - a humble one shot, smaller in dimension and no thicker than the various BLs I have sitting on the shelf.
Look Back is authored by Tatsuki Fujimoto (who also did the much popular Chainsaw Man) and centers around Fujino, a kid who draws the yonkoma for her school paper. She receives praise and attention from her peers and the adults, until Kyomoto, a fellow school mate who never comes to school 'dethrones' her, so to speak. Kyomoto is skilled in detailed backgrounds, which makes Fujino's art look unremarkable in comparison. Envious of Kyomoto, Fujino focuses on improving her art - and it does improve - just not enough to compete with what Kyomoto churns out. Fujino admits defeat by quitting.
The two eventually meet - and it is revealed that Kyomoto the shut-in is a huge fan of Fujino's yonkoma. This serves as an ego boost for Fujino, and she starts drawing again, this time, together with Kyomoto. They find success in contests and published works, and this partnership would continue, at least until Kyomoto decides to pursue an education in art. Fujino continued her work alone, but it doesn't feel the same without Kyomoto beside her.
Kyomoto is killed in a mass murder incident at her university. Devastated, Fujino puts her manga on hiatus to attend the funeral. She goes back to Kyomoto's house, lamenting that it is she who caused her untimely demise. Art is worthless; what is the point of continuing?
Fujino sees a yonkoma strip on the floor, drawn by Kyomoto. Opening the door to her room, Fujino sees everything - multiple volumes of her manga and the yonkamas she drew for the school paper so long ago, taped to the window. Fujino returns home to her table, continuing her work.
Holy-
This manga is a ride from start to finish. It depicts the common highs and lows of an artist, from the frustration of inadequacy to the elation of receiving praise. The outside perceives it as a waste of time as the artist struggles to come to terms with their purpose. Why are we doing this? Isn't it useless? We keep chasing a goal we can never reach, and for what? Amidst it all, we fail to turn around - to look back.
In Fujino's case, she fails to see that behind her, Kyomoto is desperately trying to catch up. At the end, in Kyomoto's room, she finally looks back and remembers why she draws... she will continue. She must.
To us, it's much simpler - to just look back and see how far you've come. The other people who see you as their goal, just as how you looked at someone else as yours. The reason that started it all. Your love for the craft.
It is not uncommon for people to quit the arts, even if they held some passion for it once. It is infamously a field that rarely puts food on the table, and a career path most couldn't afford. To those who persisted - you will continue. You have to.
No comments:
Post a Comment