Tatsuki Fujimoto is one of the most talented mangakas of the current generation. Literally almost all of his one-shots received some sort of award or another and this is before he created his two biggest works, Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man. Though he’s known more for the latter, Fujimoto has produced and trained enough talented assistants that they themselves went on to create manga on their own, like Yukinobu Tatsu with Dandadan.
One of Fujimoto’s one-shots, titled “Look Back” was recently adapted into an anime movie and was screened throughout the world. It grossed over ¥227 million (around US$1.47 million) in its opening weekend at the Japanese box office and had crossed the ¥1 billion mark after a mere 18 days of screening. A lot of fans would have watched the movie but what many won’t know is that it has a hidden reference to Fujimoto’s long-lost music career.
Look Back recalls Fujimoto’s YouTube channel
Look Back is basically a story of how a child becomes a successful manga author serializing in Weekly Shonen Jump but she loses a close friend and her ex-assistant along the way. The main character, Fujino, has a knack for drawing while also possessing the skills most mangakas do not—communication to others with confidence.
In the movie, fans see Fujino’s email address on her mobile phone and one fan on X noticed that the email address is Fujimoto’s actual username on YouTube (m0satt0n) where he shared videos of him singing. For those who do not know, Tatsuki Fujimoto used to upload videos on YouTube showing himself on camera doing some crazy acts like levitating and other magic tricks.
In his YouTube channel, M0satt0n, Fujitomo uploaded audio clips of him singing some random songs or songs that he made up.
Fujimoto is an avid fan of music and he writes some of his own and adds them for Chainsaw Man, like Sentimental Drive by Asa Mitaka for instance. In one instance, he literally took one song from Maximum the Hormone called “ChuChu Lovely MuniMuni MuraMura PrinPrin Boron Nururu ReroRero” and inserted the lyrics in Chainsaw Man chapter 137.
The depth of Look Back in the eyes of Fujimoto
For the author, Look Back is basically a reflection of his life and his attempt to be normal. Fujimoto was once asked if there’s a contradiction between being normal and being creative. And he said:
When I was growing up, and likely when director Oshiyama was as well, being an “otaku” with a passion for manga and anime was not considered normal. Perhaps that’s why there was a desire to become a normal person. In contrast to Tokyo, where diverse groups exist, rural areas typically have only one dominant group, leading to strong peer pressure among people your age. I was often asked why I was still drawing.
This strong desire to be normal in the eyes of society is reflected in Fujimoto’s works. While Fujino was just a child in Look Back, who gave up on her hobby due to peer pressure, she did it all for the sake of being perceived as normal. Similarly, Denji’s goal in life in Chainsaw Man is to lead a normal life but chaos and destruction seem to be following him endlessly.
One can say that Look Back is an autobiography of Tatsuki Fujimoto but in a fictional setting where he looks back at his childhood days and wonders whether the people around him were correct or not in their assessments. Perhaps this is Fujimoto’s way to wonder where his life would have gone if he pushed on with his musical aspirations.
Look Back is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
