🔗 Share this article

A great deal has been written about the art of running, a healing activity with capacity for cathartic release. Within the context of competitive games, yet, the strain of rivalry can make people lose sight of this primary objective. Transposed from the original graphic novel, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime transcends awards and honors to explore the existential drive that drives an athlete’s ambition.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters traces Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose life paths diverge when they turn professional. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi assists the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the twosome move through their youth and early maturity, Komiya consistently improves up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both struggle with worries and uncertainties. Covering more than 15 years, the narrative follows their psychological barriers, laying bare the difficulties of an competitor’s existence, trapped in a cycle of media attention, result pressures and sponsorship demands.

Artistic Strengths

Perhaps it’s because of the base story, but the film’s response to these intricate issues is somewhat facile; frequently, a protagonist’s uncertainties quickly dissolve after a lengthy conversation with a peer or a senior. But what the film is deficient in narrative subtlety and tempo, it makes up for in breathtaking graphics. Using rotoscoping, in which cartooning is drawn atop live-action footage, the movie creates remarkably precise dash moments. The physical exertion of a dash is clearly shown, and the pain and the joy of rivalry are etched on the athletes’ physiques.

Impactful Sequences

One especially significant race finishes in the storm, with torrents of grey strokes that engulf the frame. Apart from conversation, these displays of creative mastery capture the almost spiritual high the movie aims to provoke.

The Sprint Film is in UK cinemas from 16 November.