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Plenty has been written about the art of running, a restorative movement with potential for emotional liberation. In the sphere of professional sports, yet, the pressure of rivalry can cause individuals to overlook of this primary objective. Adapted from the original graphic novel, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime transcends awards and honors to examine the core impetus that fuels an sports star’s dream.

Plot Overview

The Sprint Story chronicles Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose career trajectories diverge when they enter elite competition. Previously the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi guides the more uncertain Komiya with the essentials. As the twosome enter their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya steadily accelerates up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both confront worries and uncertainties. Covering more than 15 years, the story tracks their psychological barriers, revealing the struggles of an competitor’s existence, caught in a cycle of societal observation, performance expectations and commercial obligations.

Artistic Strengths

Maybe it’s because of the source material, but the movie’s approach to these intricate issues is somewhat facile; repeatedly, a protagonist’s uncertainties simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a colleague or elder. But what the film falls short in plot refinement and pacing, it compensates for in dazzling visuals. Employing trace-over animation, in which animation is traced over filmed sequences, the feature generates stunningly detailed sprinting scenes. The bodily strain of a sprint is on full display, and the suffering and elation of rivalry are etched on the characters’ bodies.

Impactful Sequences

One notably pivotal race concludes in the downpour, with sheets of grey strokes that immerse the scene. More than any dialogue, these displays of artistic excellence encapsulate the quasi-enlightened elation the animation aims to inspire.

100 Meters is in UK cinemas from November 16.