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A great deal has been recorded about the act of running, a healing activity with capacity for emotional liberation. In the sphere of competitive games, yet, the stress of competition can lead athletes to forget of this fundamental aim. Transposed from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime looks beyond trophies and medals to examine the core impetus that fuels an athlete’s ambition.

Plot Overview

The Sprint Story follows Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose life paths diverge when they go pro. Formerly the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi guides the less confident Komiya with the fundamentals. As the twosome move through their youth and early maturity, Komiya steadily accelerates up the standings of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both struggle with fears and doubts. Spanning more than 15 years, the story tracks their psychological barriers, laying bare the difficulties of an athlete’s life, caught in a cycle of public scrutiny, result pressures and commercial obligations.

Creative Merits

Maybe it’s due to the base story, but the movie’s approach to these complex dilemmas is a bit simplistic; frequently, a character’s inner doubts quickly dissolve after a prolonged talk with a peer or a senior. But what 100 Meters lacks in plot refinement and tempo, it makes up for in dazzling visuals. Utilizing rotoscoping, in which cartooning is traced over real-life video, the film creates remarkably precise running sequences. The physical exertion of a dash is on full display, and the struggle and triumph of competition are imprinted on the athletes’ physiques.

Impactful Sequences

One especially significant race ends in the downpour, with torrents of monochrome brushwork that overwhelm the screen. More than any dialogue, these displays of creative mastery encapsulate the quasi-enlightened elation the film aims to provoke.

The Sprint Film is released in Britain from the 16th of November.