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Plenty has been written about the act of running, a restorative movement with capacity for emotional liberation. Within the context of professional sports, yet, the pressure of rivalry can cause individuals to overlook of this fundamental aim. Adapted from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime looks beyond awards and honors to explore the core impetus that fuels an athlete’s ambition.

Story Synopsis

100 Meters traces Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose life paths separate when they turn professional. Previously the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi guides the more uncertain Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair progress into their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya consistently improves up the leaderboard of top athletes, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both struggle with worries and uncertainties. Covering more than 15 years, the story follows their internal hurdles, laying bare the difficulties of an competitor’s existence, trapped in a loop of societal observation, performance expectations and endorsement requirements.

Visual Highlights

Perhaps it’s down to the source material, but the animation’s answer to these complicated problems is rather superficial; frequently, a character’s inner doubts just vanish after a lengthy conversation with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the film lacks in story nuance and rhythm, it redeems itself with in stunning imagery. Using trace-over animation, in which cartooning is traced over real-life video, the film creates stunningly detailed sprinting scenes. The physical exertion of a sprint is clearly shown, and the pain and the joy of contests are engraved on the characters’ bodies.

Memorable Moments

One especially significant race concludes in the rain, with torrents of monochrome brushwork that immerse the scene. Apart from conversation, these displays of artistic excellence encapsulate the quasi-enlightened elation the film aims to provoke.

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