By Owen Glancy Asst. Arts & Features Editor For anyone even remotely familiar with anime, “Chainsaw Man” is surely a name you’ve at least heard before. It took the world by storm when it first started serializing in 2018 and put the name of its creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, on the map. Since then, Fujimoto has created two one-shot manga - “Look Back” and “Goodbye Eri.” These quickly became two of the most popular one-shots in the medium’s history, with “Look Back” receiving an animated film adaptation this year. This is a truly beautiful movie, in nearly every way. The visuals are so subtly smooth and gorgeous, it almost feels as if the characters are real people. Weather is also animated really well here with each day of rain, snow, or sunshine feeling almost too real. I could feel myself getting colder in the winter scenes toward the end of the film, and that is no small feat especially for an animated film. The animation is second to the story, however, so it’s a good thing that this is one of the most compelling stories told in the medium of animation. It tells the simple tale of two girls, Fujino and Kyomoto. Fujino is the artist for her school’s student newspaper and revels in the popularity it brings her. However, when another girl named Kyomoto runs a comic that is far better than hers, Fujino begins to push herself to become better than Kyomoto, only to discover Kyomoto is actually her biggest fan. This is not anything ground breaking, nor is it as epic as something like “Akira” or even Fujimoto’s previous works. However, it is one of the most genuine films I’ve ever watched. I’ve never been an artist. The most I can draw is a stick figure, but I did find my artistic voice in writing. Whether it be a review, a poem, or a short story, I put myself into everything that I write. If you have even one artistic bone in your body, this movie will hit you like a truck. Fujino’s desperate attempt to get better at drawing definitely bears fruit, but her efforts seem laughable when compared to Kyomoto’s skills and natural talent. Despite this, she still manages to keep drawing and to become friends with Kyomoto. The two inspire each other with Fujino helping Kyomoto become more sociable and to fit in with her peers. This relationship is at the very core of why this film is so excellent. There are only these two characters, so if this felt disingenuous or boring, the entire film fails. Thankfully, this is one of the most realistic and heart-breaking relationships in all of film. In the interest of not spoiling anything, I won’t elaborate on where this relationship goes, but just be sure to bring tissues. All of the film’s strengths I’ve listed pale in comparison to one thing - the runtime. “Look Back” is only 58 minutes long, which is the perfect length for the film to make its point and then end before it becomes too much. This may come as a disappointment to some, but to people like me who love shorter movies, this is perfect. “Look Back” is an emotional tour de force that delivers a short yet powerful story that is guaranteed to resonate with anyone who has ever tried to be good at anything in a short and incredibly polished package. For those who may have reservations about watching this because it’s anime or because it’s so short, please give it a watch. What you’ll find is a film that will resonate with you on such an emotional and personal level that it’s hard to forget it even weeks after watching it. Rating: A+ Looking forward to seeing it again!