🔗 Share this article

Plenty has been recorded about the act of running, a healing activity with ability for emotional liberation. In the sphere of elite athletics, yet, the pressure of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this fundamental aim. Transposed from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime looks beyond prizes and accolades to explore the core impetus that spurs an athlete’s ambition.

Story Synopsis

100 Meters follows Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose career trajectories separate when they enter elite competition. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi guides the less self-assured Komiya with the essentials. As the duo enter their teens and their 20s, Komiya steadily accelerates up the leaderboard of top athletes, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both battle worries and uncertainties. Spanning more than 15 years, the story documents their internal hurdles, exposing the challenges of an sports professional’s journey, locked in a loop of societal observation, achievement demands and sponsorship demands.

Artistic Strengths

Perhaps it’s down to the source material, but the film’s response to these complex dilemmas is somewhat facile; frequently, a protagonist’s uncertainties just vanish after a prolonged talk with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the anime lacks in narrative subtlety and rhythm, it compensates for in stunning imagery. Utilizing trace-over animation, in which drawn art is superimposed on filmed sequences, the feature generates remarkably precise running sequences. The physical exertion of a sprint is visibly evident, and the pain and the joy of contests are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.

Memorable Moments

One particularly momentous race ends in the downpour, with torrents of grey strokes that engulf the scene. More than any dialogue, these bursts of creative mastery capture the quasi-enlightened elation the animation aims to inspire.

100 Meters is showing in the United Kingdom from the 16th of November.