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Plenty has been recorded about the practice of running, a restorative movement with potential for therapeutic unburdening. Within the context of competitive games, though, the stress of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this primary objective. Reimagined from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime goes past prizes and accolades to explore the inner motivation that fuels an athlete’s ambition.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters chronicles Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose personal journeys split when they go pro. Formerly the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi assists the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the twosome progress into their youth and early maturity, Komiya consistently improves up the leaderboard of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both confront worries and uncertainties. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story tracks their mental obstacles, exposing the struggles of an athlete’s life, caught in a cycle of societal observation, result pressures and endorsement requirements.

Artistic Strengths

Perhaps it’s due to the source material, but the film’s response to these complex dilemmas is rather superficial; frequently, a character’s inner doubts simply disappear after a extended discussion with a colleague or elder. But what the film lacks in story nuance and rhythm, it redeems itself with in stunning imagery. Utilizing rotoscoping, in which animation is traced over filmed sequences, the feature produces stunningly detailed dash moments. The bodily strain of a race is visibly evident, and the pain and the joy of rivalry are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.

Memorable Moments

One notably pivotal race ends in the storm, with sheets of grey strokes that immerse the scene. Apart from conversation, these bursts of creative mastery capture the near-transcendent euphoria the film aims to evoke.

The Sprint Film is released in Britain from 16 November.