🔗 Share this article

Plenty has been written about the art of running, a restorative movement with capacity for therapeutic unburdening. In the realm of competitive games, however, the stress of rivalry can cause individuals to overlook of this primary objective. Reimagined from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime transcends trophies and medals to examine the existential drive that spurs an competitor’s aspiration.

Plot Overview

The 100-Meter Film chronicles Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose career trajectories separate when they turn professional. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi helps the less confident Komiya with the fundamentals. As the twosome progress into their youth and early maturity, Komiya consistently improves up the standings of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both struggle with fears and doubts. Spanning more than 15 years, the story follows their internal hurdles, laying bare the difficulties of an athlete’s life, trapped in a cycle of public scrutiny, result pressures and sponsorship demands.

Creative Merits

Possibly it’s due to the source material, but the animation’s answer to these intricate issues is somewhat facile; repeatedly, a character’s inner doubts quickly dissolve after a lengthy conversation with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the anime lacks in story nuance and rhythm, it redeems itself with in stunning imagery. Utilizing rotoscoping, in which cartooning is traced over real-life video, the film creates exquisitely intricate dash moments. The physical exertion of a dash is on full display, and the suffering and elation of rivalry are etched on the protagonists’ forms.

Impactful Sequences

One especially significant race ends in the downpour, with cascades of grey strokes that engulf the scene. Apart from conversation, these flourishes of stylistic brilliance capture the near-transcendent euphoria the movie aims to evoke.

100 Meters is in UK cinemas from the 16th of November.