100 Meters Review – Captivating Anime of Young Athletes in Search for Mind-Body Elevation
A great deal has been written about the practice of running, a healing activity with potential for therapeutic unburdening. In the sphere of professional sports, however, the strain of rivalry can make people lose sight of this ultimate goal. Transposed from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime looks beyond prizes and accolades to examine the existential drive that drives an sports star’s dream.
Story Synopsis
100 Meters chronicles Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose life paths diverge when they enter elite competition. Once the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi assists the more uncertain Komiya with the basics. As the duo enter their adolescence and adulthood, Komiya consistently improves up the standings of top athletes, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both battle anxieties and insecurities. Spanning more than 15 years, the narrative tracks their psychological barriers, revealing the struggles of an sports professional’s journey, caught in a pattern of media attention, performance expectations and endorsement requirements.
Visual Highlights
Perhaps it’s due to the source material, but the film’s response to these complicated problems is somewhat facile; frequently, a protagonist’s uncertainties simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what 100 Meters is deficient in narrative subtlety and pacing, it compensates for in dazzling visuals. Using live-action tracing, in which animation is drawn atop live-action footage, the movie generates exquisitely intricate running sequences. The athletic effort of a dash is on full display, and the struggle and triumph of competition are imprinted on the athletes’ physiques.
Impactful Sequences
One particularly momentous race concludes in the rain, with sheets of grey strokes that overwhelm the frame. Beyond spoken words, these displays of artistic excellence embody the quasi-enlightened elation the movie aims to provoke.
100 Meters is in UK cinemas from the 16th of November.
