100 Meters Review – Mesmerising Anime of Emerging Sports Stars in Quest for Physical and Spiritual High
Plenty has been documented about the act of running, a therapeutic exercise with capacity for emotional liberation. In the realm of professional sports, yet, the pressure of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this ultimate goal. Reimagined from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime looks beyond trophies and medals to explore the core impetus that spurs an athlete’s ambition.
Story Synopsis
100 Meters chronicles Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose career trajectories separate when they enter elite competition. Previously the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi helps the less self-assured Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair enter their teens and their 20s, Komiya progressively advances up the ranking of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both battle worries and uncertainties. Covering more than 15 years, the story tracks their psychological barriers, laying bare the struggles of an competitor’s existence, locked in a cycle of public scrutiny, achievement demands and endorsement requirements.
Visual Highlights
Maybe it’s down to the original work, but the animation’s answer to these complicated problems is rather superficial; repeatedly, a protagonist’s uncertainties simply disappear after a extended discussion with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the anime lacks in plot refinement and pacing, it compensates for in dazzling visuals. Utilizing trace-over animation, in which cartooning is traced over real-life video, the movie generates remarkably precise sprinting scenes. The athletic effort of a race is visibly evident, and the struggle and triumph of competition are etched on the athletes’ physiques.
Impactful Sequences
One notably pivotal race finishes in the storm, with sheets of monochrome brushwork that engulf the screen. Apart from conversation, these bursts of stylistic brilliance encapsulate the almost spiritual high the animation aims to inspire.
100 Meters is showing in the United Kingdom from 16 November.
