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A great deal has been recorded about the art of running, a therapeutic exercise with potential for cathartic release. In the realm of professional sports, though, the pressure of competition can lead athletes to forget of this ultimate goal. Reimagined from the original graphic novel, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime looks beyond trophies and medals to investigate the inner motivation that drives an athlete’s ambition.

Plot Overview

The Sprint Story traces Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose personal journeys separate when they go pro. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi assists the more uncertain Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair move through their teens and their 20s, Komiya consistently improves up the standings of elite competitors, while Togashi is mired in a rut; both confront fears and doubts. Encompassing more than 15 years, the story documents their mental obstacles, exposing the difficulties of an athlete’s life, caught in a cycle of societal observation, achievement demands and endorsement requirements.

Artistic Strengths

Possibly it’s down to the base story, but the film’s response to these complex dilemmas is a bit simplistic; time and time again, a lead’s mental struggles simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a fellow athlete or mentor. But what the anime falls short in plot refinement and pacing, it makes up for in dazzling visuals. Employing trace-over animation, in which drawn art is traced over real-life video, the film creates remarkably precise sprinting scenes. The bodily strain of a sprint is visibly evident, and the suffering and elation of competition are engraved on the protagonists’ forms.

Impactful Sequences

One notably pivotal race ends in the storm, with torrents of grey strokes that engulf the screen. Beyond spoken words, these displays of creative mastery capture the quasi-enlightened elation the animation aims to inspire.

The 100-Meter Anime is in UK cinemas from the 16th of November.