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Much has been recorded about the act of running, a healing activity with ability for emotional liberation. In the sphere of elite athletics, though, the stress of contests can lead athletes to forget of this ultimate goal. Reimagined from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime transcends awards and honors to investigate the core impetus that fuels an competitor’s aspiration.

Narrative Summary

The 100-Meter Film chronicles Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose personal journeys separate when they go pro. Previously the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi helps the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair move through their teens and their 20s, Komiya consistently improves up the leaderboard of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both battle worries and uncertainties. Encompassing more than 15 years, the tale tracks their internal hurdles, laying bare the difficulties of an athlete’s life, trapped in a cycle of societal observation, result pressures and sponsorship demands.

Creative Merits

Perhaps it’s due to the base story, but the movie’s approach to these intricate issues is somewhat facile; repeatedly, a protagonist’s uncertainties simply disappear after a extended discussion with a colleague or elder. But what the film falls short in plot refinement and rhythm, it compensates for in dazzling visuals. Utilizing rotoscoping, in which animation is superimposed on filmed sequences, the movie generates exquisitely intricate sprinting scenes. The physical exertion of a dash is visibly evident, and the pain and the joy of rivalry are etched on the characters’ bodies.

Impactful Sequences

One particularly momentous race finishes in the storm, with sheets of charcoal lines that engulf the scene. More than any dialogue, these bursts of stylistic brilliance embody the quasi-enlightened elation the film aims to provoke.

The 100-Meter Anime is in UK cinemas from the 16th of November.