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Plenty has been documented about the act of running, a therapeutic exercise with potential for emotional liberation. In the sphere of professional sports, yet, the stress of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this fundamental aim. Reimagined from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime goes past trophies and medals to investigate the core impetus that spurs an competitor’s aspiration.

Narrative Summary

The Sprint Story follows Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths separate when they go pro. Formerly the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi helps the less confident Komiya with the fundamentals. As the twosome progress into their teens and their 20s, Komiya consistently improves up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both confront worries and uncertainties. Covering more than 15 years, the narrative follows their psychological barriers, revealing the struggles of an sports professional’s journey, caught in a pattern of media attention, performance expectations and sponsorship demands.

Visual Highlights

Possibly it’s down to the source material, but the animation’s answer to these complex dilemmas is somewhat facile; time and time again, a protagonist’s uncertainties quickly dissolve after a extended discussion with a colleague or elder. But what the film is deficient in story nuance and pacing, it makes up for in breathtaking graphics. Using rotoscoping, in which animation is traced over live-action footage, the feature generates remarkably precise sprinting scenes. The bodily strain of a dash is visibly evident, and the suffering and elation of contests are imprinted on the protagonists’ forms.

Memorable Moments

One notably pivotal race ends in the storm, with torrents of charcoal lines that immerse the scene. Beyond spoken words, these flourishes of artistic excellence embody the near-transcendent euphoria the film aims to inspire.

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