100 Meters review mesmerising anime of young athletes in search of physical and spiritual high

"Adapted from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa's mesmerising anime looks beyond trophies and medals to investigate the existential drive that spurs an athlete's ambition. 100 Meters follows Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths diverge when they go pro. Formerly the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi helps the less self-assured Komiya with the basics. As the pair enter their teens and their 20s, Komiya steadily accelerates up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both battle anxieties and insecurities."

"Spanning more than 15 years, the story tracks their internal hurdles, laying bare the struggles of an athlete's life, locked in a cycle of public scrutiny, performance expectations and sponsorship demands. Perhaps it's down to the source material, but the film's response to these complex dilemmas is somewhat facile; time and time again, a character's inner doubts simply disappear after a lengthy conversation with a peer or a senior."

"But what 100 Meters lacks in narrative subtlety and pacing, it makes up for in dazzling visuals. Using rotoscoping, in which animation is traced over live-action footage, the film creates stunningly detailed running sequences. The physical exertion of a sprint is on full display, and the pain and the joy of competition are etched on the characters' bodies. One particularly momentous race ends in the rain, with cascades of grey strokes that engulf the frame."

100 Meters adapts a manga into an anime that follows childhood friends Togashi and Komiya as their athletic careers diverge. The narrative spans more than 15 years, tracking competitive rise, slumps, anxieties and insecurities amid public scrutiny, performance expectations and sponsorship pressures. Characters frequently confront inner doubts that are often resolved through extended conversations with peers or seniors, producing a straightforward narrative response to complex dilemmas. The film compensates for narrative weaknesses with rotoscoped visuals that render running sequences in striking detail, conveying both the physical pain and ecstatic highs of competition. UK release: 16 November.

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