🔗 Share this article

Plenty has been written about the art of running, a therapeutic exercise with capacity for emotional liberation. In the sphere of elite athletics, yet, the strain of rivalry can lead athletes to forget of this ultimate goal. Adapted from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime looks beyond prizes and accolades to investigate the existential drive that spurs an athlete’s ambition.

Story Synopsis

100 Meters follows Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose career trajectories split when they go pro. Once the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi assists the less confident Komiya with the essentials. As the duo progress into their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya progressively advances up the standings of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both confront anxieties and insecurities. Spanning more than 15 years, the narrative documents their internal hurdles, laying bare the struggles of an competitor’s existence, trapped in a cycle of societal observation, result pressures and sponsorship demands.

Creative Merits

Perhaps it’s down to the source material, but the movie’s approach to these complex dilemmas is somewhat facile; repeatedly, a protagonist’s uncertainties just vanish after a prolonged talk with a colleague or elder. But what 100 Meters lacks in plot refinement and tempo, it redeems itself with in breathtaking graphics. Utilizing rotoscoping, in which drawn art is drawn atop filmed sequences, the feature generates exquisitely intricate running sequences. The bodily strain of a race is on full display, and the struggle and triumph of contests are engraved on the athletes’ physiques.

Unforgettable Scenes

One notably pivotal race ends in the downpour, with sheets of grey strokes that immerse the frame. Apart from conversation, these bursts of creative mastery encapsulate the almost spiritual high the film aims to provoke.

100 Meters is released in Britain from November 16.