100 Meters Review – Mesmerising Anime of Young Athletes in Quest for Physical and Spiritual High
Plenty has been written about the art of running, a therapeutic exercise with ability for therapeutic unburdening. In the sphere of professional sports, though, the stress of rivalry can lead athletes to forget of this fundamental aim. Reimagined from the original graphic novel, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime goes past trophies and medals to investigate the existential drive that drives an athlete’s ambition.
Plot Overview
The Sprint Story chronicles Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose personal journeys diverge when they turn professional. Previously the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi guides the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the duo move through their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya consistently improves up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both battle anxieties and insecurities. Spanning more than 15 years, the tale documents their psychological barriers, laying bare the challenges of an sports professional’s journey, trapped in a pattern of media attention, achievement demands and commercial obligations.
Creative Merits
Maybe it’s due to the base story, but the animation’s answer to these complex dilemmas is a bit simplistic; time and time again, a character’s inner doubts quickly dissolve after a lengthy conversation with a colleague or elder. But what the anime is deficient in narrative subtlety and rhythm, it makes up for in breathtaking graphics. Utilizing live-action tracing, in which drawn art is superimposed on filmed sequences, the feature produces exquisitely intricate dash moments. The physical exertion of a race is on full display, and the suffering and elation of rivalry are etched on the athletes’ physiques.
Impactful Sequences
One particularly momentous race ends in the downpour, with torrents of monochrome brushwork that overwhelm the frame. Apart from conversation, these bursts of creative mastery embody the almost spiritual high the film aims to provoke.
100 Meters is released in Britain from November 16.
