100 Meters (2025) - A Race to the Pantheon

100 meters is one of those rare dream adaptations. An adaptation of a fairly modern manga that to my knowledge has no existing english translation.

Every aspect of the animated medium is used to full effect. The film has a great look to it in even its most small and simple scenes. But its incredible use of rotoscoping is able to capture the minutiae of human movements. They are important for some of the emotionally relevant conversations, but especially in the scenes of physicality. 

The movie centers on sprinters and the act of running quite a bit. Less on the technical side of the sport, that is likely covered in more detail within the pages of its original form. But instead the way everyone engages with it, the way anxieties about past injuries or acceptance of defeat before a race even starts is all communicated without words. The art style speaks more than the characters are able, and the characters have some beautifully poignant conversations. 

But my love of the art in this film does not end there. The backgrounds are these gorgeous painted pieces, that occasionally shimmer as they are constantly redrawn each frame of particularly important scenes. The rain in a very important race two thirds of the way through the movie is depicted in such an intensely engaging manner. It mirrors the protagonist's emotional state while also being one of the most staggeringly well animated shots I have seen in my life. 

What really does tie the whole thing together are the journeys of the various characters. The story is very concerned with why we do the things we are good at. What drives passion and what results from skill or dedication. What to do with the horizon at the end, and how to sustain yourself off of the race towards it. Many characters have differing feelings on it, and few are ever presented as better or worse than the others. As a viewer you can draw what you please from them and how they have affected each runner's life. 

The final moments of the movie exemplify this the most. It isn’t abstract or surrealistic. But it still assuages literal answers in favour of emotion. It is the final statement on these characters' passions. The different ways they have spent their lives. The miseries, the joys, the way it all brings them to the same point and to the same unspoken conclusion. 

It really is a beauty to behold in each and every way. I ended up treasuring this movie, despite knowing absolutely nothing going into it. It’s fun discovering what feels like an instant classic. It is still too early to see if it gets the credit it deserves or becomes an underrated gem that small circles speak of with glimmering words. But I am happy to stake my claims as early as possible. This film is incredible.

5/5

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