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A great deal has been written about the practice of running, a therapeutic exercise with potential for emotional liberation. In the realm of professional sports, however, the strain of rivalry can lead athletes to forget of this fundamental aim. Transposed from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime looks beyond trophies and medals to investigate the core impetus that spurs an competitor’s aspiration.

Plot Overview

The Sprint Story chronicles Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths split when they go pro. Formerly the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi helps the less confident Komiya with the essentials. As the twosome enter their youth and early maturity, Komiya consistently improves up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both confront fears and doubts. Covering more than 15 years, the story follows their internal hurdles, laying bare the struggles of an athlete’s life, caught in a pattern of public scrutiny, achievement demands and sponsorship demands.

Creative Merits

Perhaps it’s because of the source material, but the movie’s approach to these complicated problems is rather superficial; repeatedly, a protagonist’s uncertainties simply disappear after a extended discussion with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what 100 Meters is deficient in plot refinement and tempo, it makes up for in stunning imagery. Using rotoscoping, in which cartooning is traced over filmed sequences, the film creates stunningly detailed dash moments. The physical exertion of a sprint is on full display, and the pain and the joy of contests are engraved on the athletes’ physiques.

Unforgettable Scenes

One particularly momentous race concludes in the storm, with cascades of charcoal lines that immerse the scene. More than any dialogue, these flourishes of stylistic brilliance encapsulate the near-transcendent euphoria the animation aims to inspire.

100 Meters is in UK cinemas from 16 November.