🔗 Share this article

Much has been recorded about the practice of running, a restorative movement with capacity for cathartic release. Within the context of competitive games, yet, the stress of competition can lead athletes to forget of this primary objective. Adapted from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime goes past awards and honors to examine the core impetus that drives an sports star’s dream.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters chronicles Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose personal journeys split when they enter elite competition. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi helps the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair enter their youth and early maturity, Komiya consistently improves up the ranking of elite competitors, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both confront fears and doubts. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story documents their mental obstacles, exposing the difficulties of an athlete’s life, caught in a cycle of media attention, achievement demands and sponsorship demands.

Creative Merits

Possibly it’s because of the original work, but the film’s response to these complicated problems is a bit simplistic; time and time again, a lead’s mental struggles just vanish after a extended discussion with a peer or a senior. But what the anime lacks in narrative subtlety and tempo, it redeems itself with in breathtaking graphics. Utilizing live-action tracing, in which animation is superimposed on real-life video, the movie creates remarkably precise sprinting scenes. The bodily strain of a race is visibly evident, and the struggle and triumph of rivalry are engraved on the athletes’ physiques.

Memorable Moments

One particularly momentous race concludes in the downpour, with torrents of monochrome brushwork that engulf the screen. Apart from conversation, these bursts of stylistic brilliance capture the quasi-enlightened elation the movie aims to inspire.

The Sprint Film is released in Britain from November 16.