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A great deal has been documented about the art of running, a healing activity with capacity for emotional liberation. Within the context of competitive games, yet, the pressure of contests can lead athletes to forget of this ultimate goal. Adapted from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime looks beyond awards and honors to explore the existential drive that spurs an competitor’s aspiration.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters chronicles Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose career trajectories separate when they turn professional. Previously the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi assists the less confident Komiya with the fundamentals. As the duo enter their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya progressively advances up the standings of top athletes, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both battle anxieties and insecurities. Spanning more than 15 years, the narrative tracks their internal hurdles, laying bare the struggles of an athlete’s life, trapped in a loop of media attention, achievement demands and commercial obligations.

Visual Highlights

Possibly it’s due to the original work, but the animation’s answer to these intricate issues is somewhat facile; frequently, a protagonist’s uncertainties just vanish after a extended discussion with a peer or a senior. But what the anime is deficient in plot refinement and rhythm, it compensates for in stunning imagery. Using live-action tracing, in which drawn art is superimposed on filmed sequences, the movie creates remarkably precise dash moments. The athletic effort of a sprint is visibly evident, and the struggle and triumph of contests are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.

Unforgettable Scenes

One particularly momentous race ends in the storm, with sheets of grey strokes that overwhelm the frame. Apart from conversation, these displays of creative mastery capture the near-transcendent euphoria the movie aims to evoke.

100 Meters is released in Britain from 16 November.