100 Meters Review – Captivating Anime of Emerging Sports Stars in Quest for Mind-Body Elevation
Plenty has been recorded about the art of running, a healing activity with ability for cathartic release. Within the context of elite athletics, however, the stress of rivalry can lead athletes to forget of this primary objective. Transposed from the original graphic novel, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime goes past awards and honors to examine the core impetus that spurs an sports star’s dream.
Story Synopsis
The 100-Meter Film follows Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths diverge when they enter elite competition. Formerly the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi guides the more uncertain Komiya with the essentials. As the pair move through their youth and early maturity, Komiya consistently improves up the standings of elite competitors, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both struggle with worries and uncertainties. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story tracks their psychological barriers, exposing the struggles of an competitor’s existence, locked in a loop of societal observation, result pressures and commercial obligations.
Artistic Strengths
Possibly it’s due to the source material, but the movie’s approach to these complicated problems is rather superficial; time and time again, a lead’s mental struggles just vanish after a prolonged talk with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the film lacks in narrative subtlety and rhythm, it makes up for in breathtaking graphics. Employing trace-over animation, in which cartooning is drawn atop real-life video, the feature generates exquisitely intricate dash moments. The bodily strain of a sprint is on full display, and the pain and the joy of competition are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.
Impactful Sequences
One especially significant race ends in the rain, with sheets of monochrome brushwork that overwhelm the screen. Apart from conversation, these displays of artistic excellence encapsulate the near-transcendent euphoria the animation aims to inspire.
100 Meters is in UK cinemas from the 16th of November.
