There have been many reports about crunch working conditions in anime productions over the years. The latest is Look Back, as its director recently revealed that he only completed the film the day before its premiere.
While this movie is only set to be released in Japanese cinemas on June 28, it had an early premiere recently ahead of the Annecy International Animation Festival.
It’s not clear if this meant that the film was shown in an unfinished state, but what can be said for certain is that its director spent many sleepless nights working on it.
Look Back Director Kiyotaka Oshiyama Completed the Film the Day before Annecy Premiere
Look Back is a film many anime and manga fans can’t wait to watch. After all, it’s based on the acclaimed one-shot manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch.
As one of Fujimoto’s most popular works, it’s no surprise that Look Back is getting an anime film adaptation, though it’s not being produced by a big studio.
Instead, it is being made by Studio Durian, a small studio helmed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, an anime industry veteran who has worked on shows such as Devilman: Crybaby, My Dress-Up Darling, and Gurren Lagann.
For this film, Oshiyama not only served as its director, but he also wrote the screenplay and worked on character designs.
While it would be too much to call the film a one-man production, it’s clear that Oshiyama is doing the brunt of the work. This isn’t too surprising given how the film is in many ways a passion project.
In a recent report, Oshiyama revealed that he has been working nearly non-stop on the film, enough that he has stayed in the office for over two months. He also said that he worked on the film until the day before its initial premiere.
Oshiyama’s Crunch Ignites Debate on Anime Production Schedules
Shortly after the interview’s release, anime fans on Reddit had debates on anime’s incredibly difficult productions.
For instance, some were critical of the working conditions, stating that there should be major changes to many studios to avoid this.
On the other hand, some believe that this is a special case and is unlike the reports on crunch in studios such as MAPPA.
That’s because this film is a passion project for Oshiyama. As such, he pushed himself to work overtime instead of it being forced on him.
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