In the live-action film "Look Back," Natsuki Deguchi and Ayuju Makita play two friends dedicated to creating manga. To prepare for their roles, the duo underwent four months of manga training before filming began and spent all four seasons together in Akita Prefecture.
The two actresses previously collaborated on the series "The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House," directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Although they had a brief reunion since then, it has been about five years since they last filmed together for an extended period. In "Look Back," they portray close friends who are also rivals, allowing them more time to interact during filming.
Discussing their manga training, Natsuki Deguchi said that applying screen tones was the most challenging part, and she still doesn't feel she has mastered the process. Ayuju Makita found drawing concentration lines in the backgrounds the most difficult, as the lines must be perfectly straight.
The live-action film "Look Back," directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, is currently in theaters. Natsuki Deguchi and Ayuju Makita also traveled together to Hong Kong to promote the film.