Plenty has been recorded about the act of running, a therapeutic exercise with ability for therapeutic unburdening. In the sphere of competitive games, though, the strain of competition can lead athletes to forget of this primary objective. Reimagined from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime transcends trophies and medals to explore the inner motivation that spurs an sports star’s dream.
The 100-Meter Film traces Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose life paths separate when they go pro. Formerly the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi guides the less confident Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair progress into their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya progressively advances up the ranking of elite competitors, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both struggle with fears and doubts. Encompassing more than 15 years, the tale follows their psychological barriers, exposing the difficulties of an athlete’s life, trapped in a cycle of media attention, performance expectations and endorsement requirements.
Possibly it’s due to the base story, but the movie’s approach to these intricate issues is a bit simplistic; time and time again, a lead’s mental struggles simply disappear after a prolonged talk with a colleague or elder. But what the film falls short in story nuance and rhythm, it makes up for in stunning imagery. Using trace-over animation, in which animation is drawn atop real-life video, the film produces stunningly detailed sprinting scenes. The athletic effort of a dash is clearly shown, and the pain and the joy of rivalry are etched on the protagonists’ forms.
One particularly momentous race ends in the storm, with torrents of grey strokes that overwhelm the scene. Beyond spoken words, these bursts of stylistic brilliance capture the near-transcendent euphoria the movie aims to evoke.
The Sprint Film is showing in the United Kingdom from 16 November.
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