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Plenty has been recorded about the art of running, a restorative movement with ability for cathartic release. In the realm of competitive games, however, the stress of rivalry can cause individuals to overlook of this primary objective. Adapted from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime goes past prizes and accolades to examine the inner motivation that drives an sports star’s dream.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters traces Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose life paths diverge when they enter elite competition. Previously the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi helps the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the duo progress into their teens and their 20s, Komiya consistently improves up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both battle fears and doubts. Covering more than 15 years, the narrative tracks their psychological barriers, laying bare the difficulties of an competitor’s existence, caught in a pattern of media attention, achievement demands and commercial obligations.

Creative Merits

Maybe it’s down to the source material, but the movie’s approach to these complicated problems is a bit simplistic; frequently, a character’s inner doubts just vanish after a extended discussion with a peer or a senior. But what 100 Meters is deficient in plot refinement and rhythm, it makes up for in dazzling visuals. Employing trace-over animation, in which cartooning is drawn atop live-action footage, the film generates stunningly detailed running sequences. The bodily strain of a race is on full display, and the pain and the joy of competition are etched on the athletes’ physiques.

Impactful Sequences

One particularly momentous race finishes in the downpour, with cascades of charcoal lines that engulf the scene. More than any dialogue, these displays of artistic excellence embody the almost spiritual high the movie aims to provoke.

The Sprint Film is showing in the United Kingdom from the 16th of November.