🔗 Share this article

Plenty has been documented about the act of running, a healing activity with capacity for therapeutic unburdening. Within the context of professional sports, yet, the pressure of competition can make people lose sight of this ultimate goal. Reimagined from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime looks beyond trophies and medals to examine the core impetus that spurs an athlete’s ambition.

Plot Overview

The Sprint Story traces Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths split when they go pro. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi assists the less confident Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair progress into their teens and their 20s, Komiya consistently improves up the standings of elite competitors, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both confront worries and uncertainties. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story tracks their mental obstacles, revealing the challenges of an competitor’s existence, caught in a cycle of public scrutiny, result pressures and commercial obligations.

Artistic Strengths

Maybe it’s because of the source material, but the film’s response to these complicated problems is somewhat facile; frequently, a character’s inner doubts quickly dissolve after a prolonged talk with a colleague or elder. But what 100 Meters is deficient in story nuance and pacing, it redeems itself with in stunning imagery. Utilizing live-action tracing, in which animation is superimposed on filmed sequences, the feature creates stunningly detailed sprinting scenes. The physical exertion of a dash is visibly evident, and the suffering and elation of contests are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.

Unforgettable Scenes

One particularly momentous race concludes in the storm, with torrents of grey strokes that engulf the frame. Beyond spoken words, these bursts of artistic excellence encapsulate the almost spiritual high the movie aims to evoke.

The Sprint Film is showing in the United Kingdom from November 16.