🔗 Share this article

Plenty has been written about the practice of running, a healing activity with potential for cathartic release. Within the context of professional sports, yet, the strain of rivalry can lead athletes to forget of this ultimate goal. Transposed from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s enthralling anime goes past trophies and medals to investigate the existential drive that drives an athlete’s ambition.

Story Synopsis

The Sprint Story follows Togashi and Komiya, early-life buddies whose life paths diverge when they enter elite competition. Formerly the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi guides the more uncertain Komiya with the essentials. As the duo move through their youth and early maturity, Komiya steadily accelerates up the standings 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 internal hurdles, laying bare the struggles of an sports professional’s journey, locked in a cycle of media attention, achievement demands and commercial obligations.

Artistic Strengths

Perhaps it’s because of the base story, but the film’s response to these intricate issues is somewhat facile; frequently, a lead’s mental struggles just vanish after a prolonged talk with a peer or a senior. But what the anime is deficient in plot refinement and rhythm, it makes up for in breathtaking graphics. Using live-action tracing, in which animation is superimposed on live-action footage, the feature generates exquisitely intricate running sequences. The athletic effort of a sprint is clearly shown, and the suffering and elation of contests are engraved on the characters’ bodies.

Unforgettable Scenes

One notably pivotal race ends in the rain, with torrents of grey strokes that overwhelm the frame. Beyond spoken words, these flourishes of creative mastery capture the almost spiritual high the movie aims to provoke.

The 100-Meter Anime is showing in the United Kingdom from 16 November.