🔗 Share this article

Much has been recorded about the practice of running, a restorative movement with capacity for cathartic release. Within the context of competitive games, yet, the stress of competition can lead athletes to forget of this ultimate goal. Reimagined from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime goes past awards and honors to investigate the existential drive that drives an sports star’s dream.

Narrative Summary

The Sprint Story traces Togashi and Komiya, youth companions whose personal journeys diverge when they enter elite competition. Once the fastest grade-schooler in Japan, Togashi guides the more uncertain Komiya with the essentials. As the duo progress into their teens and their 20s, Komiya consistently improves up the ranking of premier sportspeople, while Togashi is stuck in a slump; both struggle with fears and doubts. Covering more than 15 years, the narrative tracks their internal hurdles, exposing the struggles of an athlete’s life, trapped in a cycle of media attention, result pressures and commercial obligations.

Visual Highlights

Perhaps it’s because of the original work, but the animation’s answer to these intricate issues is rather superficial; frequently, a character’s inner doubts just vanish after a prolonged talk with a colleague or elder. But what the anime lacks in story nuance and rhythm, it compensates for in stunning imagery. Employing live-action tracing, in which drawn art is drawn atop filmed sequences, the film generates exquisitely intricate sprinting scenes. The physical exertion of a race is on full display, and the suffering and elation of competition are imprinted on the athletes’ physiques.

Unforgettable Scenes

One notably pivotal race concludes in the rain, with cascades of charcoal lines that overwhelm the frame. More than any dialogue, these displays of stylistic brilliance capture the quasi-enlightened elation the movie aims to evoke.

The Sprint Film is released in Britain from the 16th of November.