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A great deal has been recorded about the art of running, a therapeutic exercise with capacity for cathartic release. In the sphere of professional sports, yet, the strain of contests can lead athletes to forget of this primary objective. Reimagined from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime looks beyond awards and honors to explore the existential drive that fuels an athlete’s ambition.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters traces Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose life paths separate when they turn professional. Previously the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi helps the less confident Komiya with the essentials. As the twosome move through their youth and early maturity, Komiya steadily accelerates up the ranking of elite competitors, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both confront anxieties and insecurities. Covering more than 15 years, the narrative tracks their psychological barriers, exposing the challenges of an athlete’s life, caught in a cycle of media attention, achievement demands and commercial obligations.

Creative Merits

Perhaps it’s due to the original work, but the animation’s answer to these intricate issues is somewhat facile; repeatedly, a protagonist’s uncertainties quickly dissolve after a extended discussion with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the anime is deficient in narrative subtlety and pacing, it compensates for in breathtaking graphics. Employing live-action tracing, in which drawn art is traced over filmed sequences, the feature produces remarkably precise running sequences. The athletic effort of a dash is visibly evident, and the suffering and elation of competition are engraved on the athletes’ physiques.

Memorable Moments

One particularly momentous race ends in the storm, with sheets of monochrome brushwork that engulf the frame. More than any dialogue, these bursts of stylistic brilliance encapsulate the near-transcendent euphoria the film aims to provoke.

100 Meters is released in Britain from the 16th of November.