Five years ago, director Kenji Iwaisawa burst onto Japan¡¯s animation scene with ¡±On-Gaku: Our Sound,¡± a film about high school ruffians who discover the power of rock ¡¯n¡¯ roll. Produced by a tiny team over seven years, the scruffy masterpiece announced Iwaisawa as one of the most exciting new voices in anime.
Now Iwaisawa is back with ¡°100 Meters,¡± which adapts the manga by Uoto (¡°Orb: On the Movements of the Earth¡°) about a pair of rival 100-meter sprinters. Unlike Iwaisawa¡¯s debut, ¡°100 Meters¡± is a major production staffed by veteran animators, and yet, it retains the director¡¯s unique style. And though it¡¯s not quite as revelatory as ¡°On-Gaku,¡± it¡¯s still a gripping piece of animation.
The film¡¯s dual protagonists are Togashi (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki and Tori Matsuzaka in childhood and adulthood, respectively) and Komiya (Aoi Yuki and Shota Sometani), who meet in elementary school. Togashi is a naturally gifted sprinter who dominates the 100-meter dash without actually taking much pleasure in it, while Komiya is a plodding runner who nonetheless embraces the sport because it helps him take his mind off life.
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