Look Back anime ending explained: Does Fujino overcome her grief?

Modified Nov 09, 2024 02:32 GMT

Look Back anime is a poignant journey through the canvas of art, friendship, and loss. Written by Tatsuki Fujimoto, this story revolves around the young manga artist Fujino and how she encounters some challenging and isolating moments of creativity.

This is particularly emotionally deep in relation to the devastation of having lost one close to Fujino's heart. As the artist grapples with guilt and self-doubt, one is left to wonder whether she will ever find peace or if her grief will just consume her for the rest of her life. Here's a closer look into the poignant ending for Look Back anime and what it really symbolizes for Fujino's emotional journey.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion and includes spoilers from the anime.

Explaining Look Back anime ending

Fujino Ayumu as seen in anime (Image via Studio DURIAN)

Look Back anime ends by unraveling the complexity of Fujino's bereavement as she moves toward acceptance. Since losing Kyomoto, Fujino has been trapped in a cycle of guilt and sorrow that makes her stop her work and even return to the location where their bond started.

Her grief is so great that she starts fantasizing alternate reality in which she would have successfully rescued Kyomoto. This vision becomes a turning point, highlighting her desperation to be able to rewrite the past and prevent Kyomoto from getting hurt, something which reflects the intensity of her regret at not having been able to in real life.

Yet, the imaginary rescue of Kyomoto by Fujino is only a flight of fantasy and not an actual turnaround of the situation. Such a flashback affords her "what ifs" in their situation to remain atop of her role in Kyomoto's death.

Fujino Ayumu and Kyoumoto as seen in anime (Image via Studio DURIAN)

The scene also acts as a form of emotional comfort, where it is portrayed deep down that Fujino understands she can't change the past, but she can reinterpret it in ways that dull her pain. She sees this imaginary version that the friendship between her and Kyomoto was worthwhile; it was something she couldn't let go of and gave her the strength she needed to carry on.

In the final shot, Fujino returns to work, the subtle but powerful sign of healing. The final shot of her back at her desk declares that while she may never win completely through this, she has learned how to go on living.

Kyomoto's influence in her life and art is something that she should inspire instead of despair, as she begins to celebrate their bond by continuing her journey in manga. That kind of ending makes the idea of going on produce a feeling that loss does not get erased but rather leads it into being something that moves forward.

Ultimately, Look Back anime portrays the grief process as painful yet transformative. Fujino's dream timeline and her return to work represent her coming around. She learns that Kyomoto would not wish her to be swamped by sorrow.

In writing her manga, Fujino pays tribute to Kyomoto in finding the cathartic realization that tragedy, though it rips one's life to shreds, does not have to stop one from living. The ending is bitter-sweet, a measure of the inevitability of suffering in human relationships and how much strength it takes to move ahead.

Final thoughts

In Look Back anime, Fujino traverses her way through pain in the subtle manner of struggle, acceptance, and healing. She's marked by her end when she learns to live with the loss of Kyomoto though in no way removing pain from it but channelling it into her art.

In the imaginary rescue, Fujino achieves emotional liberation, for she comes to understand that she can't alter the past but can celebrate their friendship by moving forward.

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Edited by Bharath S