100 Meters Review – Captivating Animation of Young Athletes in Quest for Mind-Body Elevation
A great deal has been written about the practice of running, a therapeutic exercise with capacity for therapeutic unburdening. Within the context of professional sports, yet, the strain of contests can cause individuals to overlook of this ultimate goal. Adapted from the same-named comic, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime transcends prizes and accolades to examine the existential drive that spurs an athlete’s ambition.
Plot Overview
100 Meters traces Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose career trajectories split when they enter elite competition. Once the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi guides the less self-assured Komiya with the essentials. As the twosome move through their teens and their 20s, Komiya steadily accelerates up the ranking of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both struggle with anxieties and insecurities. Spanning more than 15 years, the narrative follows their psychological barriers, exposing the difficulties of an athlete’s life, caught in a pattern of media attention, achievement demands and endorsement requirements.
Visual Highlights
Possibly it’s due to the original work, but the animation’s answer to these complicated problems is somewhat facile; frequently, a character’s inner doubts just vanish after a lengthy conversation with a colleague or elder. But what the anime falls short in narrative subtlety and pacing, it redeems itself with in dazzling visuals. Using trace-over animation, in which cartooning is traced over live-action footage, the movie produces exquisitely intricate running sequences. The bodily strain of a dash is clearly shown, and the pain and the joy of competition are imprinted on the characters’ bodies.
Memorable Moments
One notably pivotal race finishes in the rain, with cascades of charcoal lines that engulf the screen. More than any dialogue, these displays of stylistic brilliance embody the almost spiritual high the animation aims to provoke.
100 Meters is showing in the United Kingdom from 16 November.
