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Much has been documented about the practice of running, a restorative movement with potential for therapeutic unburdening. Within the context of elite athletics, yet, the stress of rivalry can make people lose sight of this ultimate goal. Adapted from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime looks beyond awards and honors to explore the existential drive that drives an athlete’s ambition.

Narrative Summary

The Sprint Story chronicles Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths split when they enter elite competition. Previously the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi helps the more uncertain Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair progress into their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya steadily accelerates up the standings of top athletes, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both struggle with worries and uncertainties. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story follows their internal hurdles, laying bare the struggles of an competitor’s existence, caught in a cycle of media attention, result pressures and endorsement requirements.

Visual Highlights

Maybe it’s down to the base story, but the film’s response to these complicated problems is rather superficial; repeatedly, a character’s inner doubts quickly dissolve after a extended discussion with a colleague or elder. But what 100 Meters falls short in story nuance and pacing, it compensates for in breathtaking graphics. Utilizing rotoscoping, in which cartooning is drawn atop real-life video, the movie generates stunningly detailed running sequences. The physical exertion of a race is on full display, and the pain and the joy of rivalry are imprinted on the protagonists’ forms.

Unforgettable Scenes

One especially significant race concludes in the rain, with cascades of charcoal lines that immerse the screen. Apart from conversation, these flourishes of stylistic brilliance encapsulate the almost spiritual high the film aims to evoke.

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