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Plenty has been recorded about the practice of running, a therapeutic exercise with potential for therapeutic unburdening. Within the context of professional sports, yet, the pressure of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this fundamental aim. Reimagined from the original graphic novel, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime goes past trophies and medals to examine the existential drive that drives an athlete’s ambition.

Plot Overview

100 Meters follows Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose personal journeys diverge when they enter elite competition. Previously the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi guides the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the twosome enter their youth and early maturity, Komiya progressively advances up the ranking of elite competitors, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both battle worries and uncertainties. Spanning more than 15 years, the story tracks their psychological barriers, laying bare the difficulties of an athlete’s life, trapped in a pattern of public scrutiny, result pressures and commercial obligations.

Visual Highlights

Perhaps it’s down to the base story, but the animation’s answer to these complex dilemmas is a bit simplistic; frequently, a lead’s mental struggles just vanish after a lengthy conversation with a colleague or elder. But what the anime lacks in narrative subtlety and pacing, it redeems itself with in dazzling visuals. Employing rotoscoping, in which drawn art is superimposed on real-life video, the film generates stunningly detailed running sequences. The bodily strain of a race is visibly evident, and the pain and the joy of competition are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.

Memorable Moments

One notably pivotal race concludes in the storm, with cascades of grey strokes that overwhelm the frame. Apart from conversation, these displays of creative mastery embody the near-transcendent euphoria the movie aims to evoke.

The 100-Meter Anime is in UK cinemas from the 16th of November.