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Plenty has been written about the art of running, a restorative movement with potential for cathartic release. Within the context of competitive games, however, the strain of competition can lead athletes to forget of this fundamental aim. Adapted from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime looks beyond awards and honors to investigate the core impetus that drives an competitor’s aspiration.

Story Synopsis

100 Meters follows Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths diverge when they turn professional. Once the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi assists the more uncertain Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair progress into their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya progressively advances up the ranking of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both confront fears and doubts. Encompassing more than 15 years, the narrative follows their internal hurdles, revealing the challenges of an athlete’s life, locked in a pattern of societal observation, result pressures and sponsorship demands.

Visual Highlights

Maybe it’s due to the source material, but the film’s response to these complex dilemmas is somewhat facile; time and time again, a lead’s mental struggles simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a peer or a senior. But what the anime is deficient in narrative subtlety and pacing, it makes up for in breathtaking graphics. Utilizing trace-over animation, in which animation is traced over real-life video, the feature produces exquisitely intricate sprinting scenes. The physical exertion of a sprint is visibly evident, and the struggle and triumph of rivalry are engraved on the characters’ bodies.

Unforgettable Scenes

One notably pivotal race concludes in the storm, with torrents of charcoal lines that overwhelm the frame. Apart from conversation, these displays of artistic excellence embody the quasi-enlightened elation the film aims to evoke.

The 100-Meter Anime is showing in the United Kingdom from 16 November.