This review contains major spoilers. Some people turn to gardening others to journaling or mindfulness practices but for Tatsuki Fujimoto therapy comes in the form of writing oneshots. In a conversation with Blade of the Immortal author Hiroaki Samura he had once put it bluntly. When I draw oneshots Im usually angry . . . theres a lot of angry people on the internet. And I think they can vent their anger on sites like Twitter but I dont really know how to. I put my anger into my manga. From a June 2017 interview with Jump SQ Look Back is the first of three oneshots that Fujimoto created during the Chainsaw man interregnum. While it is certainly an emotionally charged work it is defined by a sense of grief rather than anger and to think of it as a vent would do Look Back a disservice. This is Fujimotos manifesto on arta commanding declaration of intent that reveals at once his dedication to the medium and his place among its masters. Turning the cover of Look Back and arriving at its first page is a reminder of the oftenoverlooked value of physical books. Fujimotos paneling immediately captures the eye offering a natural flow and pacing that even with their awkward zoom features cannot be fully appreciated on digital screens. Though he would go on to master this aspect in Goodbye Eri where paneling sets the pace and creates visual patterns that halt abruptly to heighten story beats and themes Fujimotos distinctive approach to panelbased storytelling is already evident in this first oneshot. Here recurring panel layouts work as motifs linking pivotal moments character themes and even settings to create narrative resonance where the reader might least expect it. 830https://i.ur.com/aXH0EC5.png Fujinos insecurity manifests itself through the need for validation left and her inability to allow her creative partner to flourish on her own right. Just as effortlessly Fujimoto conjures frenetic motion from still drawings by guiding the readers gaze swiftly from one panel to the next shaping his compositions to establish clear eyelineshttps://i.ur.com/e8soudc.png. At times his focus shifts from physical movement to the rhythm of conversation: dialogue bubbles stretch beyond panel borders to convey unwanted exchanges while theyre sharply cut off when a characters confidence falters. 830https://i.ur.com/whln4wu.png The genius lies in Fujimotos inspired use of any panel layout to his advantage: he evokes a sense of cinematic montage through symmetry and repetitionhttps://ur.com/a/hugZ0RD leans on simple structureshttps://i.ur.com/c1lGdoP.png when the situation calls for showcasing emotional themes with clarity and fosters ambiguity by blurring the exact relationship between panelshttps://ur.com/a/bSTDfa4 transferring his characters selfdoubt onto the reader. Just as recognisable as his paneling Fujimotos character designs defy typical animanga conventions favouring proportionate facesnot for realism but for expressiveness. His characters often occupy an emotional spectrum anchored in indifference and apathyhttps://ur.com/a/FzePGDA which serves to amplify moments of transparent emotion in a deeply human wayhttps://ur.com/a/nXbmgEv. Theres often another modulating layer at work with Fujimoto employing harsh straight bold lines to underline shockhttps://ur.com/a/7OYeGNk psychological distresshttps://i.ur.com/zL7xNSv.png and even the sobering cruelty of a careless remarkhttps://ur.com/a/y3VBgqX. These scratchlike lines also extend into the characters eyes with their thickness orientation and arrangement manipulated to give each gaze its own meaning. Yet if the reader lingers too long on these details they might miss Fujimotos real trick: his ability to convey mood attitude and sentiment even in the absence of facial expressions. Much of the story occurs when the characters have their backs turned and now the subtle placement of a foot and a shoulder becomes the vehicle of expression. 730https://i.ur.com/btdYAjC.png As the reader grows accustomed to this recurring visual pattern the room itself transforms into a storytelling device for Fujimoto. By subtly shifting adding or removing elements within this constrained space he can show the passage of timehttps://i.ur.com/7VyEXas.png or hint at characters making planshttps://i.ur.com/qc5JbcL.png all without a word of exposition. Then just as the reader is lulled into this comfortable rhythm Fujimoto turns the screw: he removes previously visible details creating an emotional distance that obscures the characters moods and intentions. Similarly after the reader becomes conditioned to expect Kyomoto in the lower part of a panel her absence makes the room feel impossibly vast and empty all at once. 830https://i.ur.com/kNinJu5.pngg It is precisely because a robust and easily recognisable visual syntax has been established and used with remarkable consistency that subversion or even inversionhttps://i.ur.com/GpHfZ3X.png has a significant effect on how the story is parsed at each stage. In a rather heavyhanded and metatextual way the other major storytelling device in Look Back is the Yonkoma manga and while its appearance in the ending makes for a satisfying conclusion it is its use early on in the story that reveals the most about the characters. By placing Fujinos comical strips and Kyomotos breathtaking but distant background art side by side Fujimoto has already taught the reader much of what they need to know about both of them. It is also no mystery that the pair are an extension of the author with Fujino representing his enduring commitment towards improving his art and his tendency to compare himself to other mangaka and Kyomoto his uncertainty and meekness. There were good artists there so I decided that if I didnt get better than them in four years I would kill them and since I didnt want to go on the run if I was a good artist I just kept drawing.https://swordtranslations.wordpress.com/2021/01/30/fujimototatsukiandsamurahiroakiinterview/ From a June 2017 interview with Jump SQ As the story nears its end the 4koma strip ceases to simply mirror the characters personalitiesor Fujimotos for that matter. It takes on a metaphysical quality becoming a bridge between reality and imagination one that can only be constructed through a shared act of artistic creation. Fujimotos thesis becomes clear and a line he once encountered in a book originally written sarcastically now becomes sincere: Only in creation can you reconcile with death.https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2333061/full/ With a highly acclaimed adaptation now released one wonders if this marks a kind of death for Look Back. As one vision subsumes the other in popular consciousness creation may prove to be a doubleedged swordboth a reconciler and a grim reaper perhaps more than Fujimoto would care to admit. Unhappy with this review? Read mehttps://anilist.co/activity/798743459