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Much has been written about the act of running, a healing activity with potential for therapeutic unburdening. Within the context of elite athletics, however, the strain of rivalry can cause individuals to overlook of this primary objective. Transposed from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime looks beyond prizes and accolades to investigate the existential drive that spurs an sports star’s dream.

Narrative Summary

100 Meters traces Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths diverge when they go pro. Previously the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi guides the less confident Komiya with the basics. As the pair enter their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya steadily accelerates up the leaderboard of elite competitors, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both battle anxieties and insecurities. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story documents their psychological barriers, revealing the difficulties of an athlete’s life, caught in a loop of societal observation, achievement demands and sponsorship demands.

Artistic Strengths

Maybe it’s due to the base story, but the animation’s answer to these complex dilemmas is rather superficial; frequently, a protagonist’s uncertainties quickly dissolve after a lengthy conversation with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the anime falls short in plot refinement and pacing, it compensates for in dazzling visuals. Employing trace-over animation, in which cartooning is traced over filmed sequences, the feature generates remarkably precise dash moments. The physical exertion of a dash is on full display, and the suffering and elation of rivalry are imprinted on the athletes’ physiques.

Unforgettable Scenes

One especially significant race finishes in the rain, with cascades of grey strokes that overwhelm the frame. Beyond spoken words, these displays of creative mastery encapsulate the quasi-enlightened elation the animation aims to inspire.

The 100-Meter Anime is in UK cinemas from November 16.