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Plenty has been recorded about the practice of running, a restorative movement with capacity for emotional liberation. Within the context of elite athletics, however, the stress of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this primary objective. Adapted from the original graphic novel, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime looks beyond awards and honors to examine the core impetus that spurs an competitor’s aspiration.

Story Synopsis

The Sprint Story follows Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose career trajectories separate when they go pro. Previously the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi helps the more uncertain Komiya with the fundamentals. As the twosome enter their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya consistently improves up the standings of elite competitors, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both battle anxieties and insecurities. Spanning more than 15 years, the tale tracks their internal hurdles, laying bare the challenges of an sports professional’s journey, locked in a loop of public scrutiny, achievement demands and commercial obligations.

Visual Highlights

Perhaps it’s due to the base story, but the animation’s answer to these complicated problems is rather superficial; time and time again, a lead’s mental struggles just vanish after a prolonged talk with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the film falls short in story nuance and tempo, it compensates for in dazzling visuals. Utilizing live-action tracing, in which cartooning is superimposed on filmed sequences, the film produces stunningly detailed running sequences. The bodily strain of a dash is clearly shown, and the pain and the joy of contests are engraved on the athletes’ physiques.

Impactful Sequences

One notably pivotal race concludes in the rain, with sheets of monochrome brushwork that overwhelm the frame. Beyond spoken words, these displays of creative mastery capture the quasi-enlightened elation the movie aims to inspire.

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