🔗 Share this article

Much has been documented about the practice of running, a restorative movement with ability for emotional liberation. Within the context of elite athletics, though, the strain of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this fundamental aim. Reimagined from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime goes past awards and honors to examine the inner motivation that fuels an competitor’s aspiration.

Plot Overview

100 Meters follows Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose career trajectories diverge when they go pro. Formerly the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi helps the more uncertain Komiya with the basics. As the pair enter their youth and early maturity, Komiya progressively advances up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both struggle with anxieties and insecurities. Covering more than 15 years, the story tracks their psychological barriers, revealing the challenges of an competitor’s existence, locked in a pattern of public scrutiny, performance expectations and endorsement requirements.

Visual Highlights

Possibly it’s due to the base story, but the film’s response to these complex dilemmas is rather superficial; repeatedly, a lead’s mental struggles simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a peer or a senior. But what the anime is deficient in plot refinement and tempo, it compensates for in breathtaking graphics. Using live-action tracing, in which animation is superimposed on real-life video, the feature creates exquisitely intricate dash moments. The athletic effort of a dash is on full display, and the struggle and triumph of rivalry are etched on the characters’ bodies.

Impactful Sequences

One particularly momentous race ends in the rain, with torrents of grey strokes that immerse the frame. More than any dialogue, these bursts of creative mastery encapsulate the near-transcendent euphoria the movie aims to inspire.

The Sprint Film is in UK cinemas from 16 November.