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Much has been documented about the art of running, a therapeutic exercise with potential for emotional liberation. Within the context of elite athletics, however, the stress of competition can lead athletes to forget of this fundamental aim. Reimagined from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime goes past prizes and accolades to examine the core impetus that fuels an competitor’s aspiration.

Narrative Summary

The Sprint Story follows Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose life paths split when they turn professional. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi helps the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the duo progress into their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya progressively advances up the leaderboard of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both battle worries and uncertainties. Spanning more than 15 years, the story follows their psychological barriers, laying bare the struggles of an athlete’s life, locked in a cycle of public scrutiny, performance expectations and commercial obligations.

Creative Merits

Possibly it’s due to the source material, but the animation’s answer to these complex dilemmas is a bit simplistic; repeatedly, a protagonist’s uncertainties simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a colleague or elder. But what the film falls short in narrative subtlety and pacing, it makes up for in stunning imagery. Using trace-over animation, in which animation is drawn atop live-action footage, the movie produces remarkably precise running sequences. The physical exertion of a dash is on full display, and the suffering and elation of competition are imprinted on the characters’ bodies.

Memorable Moments

One notably pivotal race finishes in the downpour, with sheets of grey strokes that engulf the screen. Apart from conversation, these bursts of artistic excellence capture the almost spiritual high the movie aims to evoke.

100 Meters is released in Britain from 16 November.