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Much has been recorded about the act of running, a healing activity with ability for emotional liberation. Within the context of professional sports, though, the stress of rivalry can make people lose sight of this ultimate goal. Reimagined from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime looks beyond prizes and accolades to investigate the core impetus that fuels an athlete’s ambition.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters chronicles Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths diverge when they turn professional. Formerly the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi assists the more uncertain Komiya with the basics. As the duo move through their teens and their 20s, Komiya steadily accelerates up the standings of top athletes, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both confront worries and uncertainties. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story follows their internal hurdles, laying bare the difficulties of an athlete’s life, locked in a pattern of media attention, result pressures and sponsorship demands.

Artistic Strengths

Possibly it’s because of the source material, but the movie’s approach to these complicated problems is somewhat facile; frequently, a protagonist’s uncertainties simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a peer or a senior. But what 100 Meters lacks in story nuance and pacing, it redeems itself with in breathtaking graphics. Using live-action tracing, in which cartooning is superimposed on live-action footage, the movie produces exquisitely intricate dash moments. The physical exertion of a race is on full display, and the struggle and triumph of competition are etched on the protagonists’ forms.

Unforgettable Scenes

One notably pivotal race finishes in the storm, with torrents of grey strokes that engulf the frame. Apart from conversation, these bursts of artistic excellence capture the quasi-enlightened elation the animation aims to provoke.

The Sprint Film is in UK cinemas from November 16.