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Much has been documented about the art of running, a therapeutic exercise with capacity for therapeutic unburdening. In the sphere of professional sports, though, the strain of rivalry can cause individuals to overlook of this primary objective. Reimagined from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime looks beyond awards and honors to investigate the existential drive that drives an competitor’s aspiration.

Plot Overview

The 100-Meter Film follows Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose personal journeys separate when they enter elite competition. Once the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi guides the more uncertain Komiya with the basics. As the twosome enter their teens and their 20s, Komiya consistently improves up the leaderboard of elite competitors, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both confront anxieties and insecurities. Covering more than 15 years, the story documents their internal hurdles, exposing the struggles of an competitor’s existence, caught in a pattern of societal observation, result pressures and sponsorship demands.

Artistic Strengths

Maybe it’s due to the source material, but the animation’s answer to these complex dilemmas is rather superficial; repeatedly, a lead’s mental struggles quickly dissolve after a extended discussion with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the anime is deficient in story nuance and rhythm, it redeems itself with in breathtaking graphics. Employing rotoscoping, in which cartooning is drawn atop filmed sequences, the film produces stunningly detailed sprinting scenes. The physical exertion of a dash is visibly evident, and the struggle and triumph of competition are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.

Impactful Sequences

One notably pivotal race ends in the rain, with cascades of monochrome brushwork that immerse the frame. Beyond spoken words, these bursts of stylistic brilliance capture the near-transcendent euphoria the movie aims to provoke.

100 Meters is released in Britain from November 16.