English Dub Review: 100 Meters


With as many big franchise movies, including big franchise anime, coming out this year, lesser known anime films tend to fall through the cracks, even when they’re destined to be cult hits. One such example is 100 Meters, which just finished its brief theatrical run, based on the short lived manga of the same name. The story follows Togashi, a young boy with running talent who dreams of running the 100 Meter Dash, and meets Komiya, who may give him a literal run for his money. The two part ways shortly after, but meet again several times over their respective running journeys, though getting very different advice from their seniors and thus giving them different views on both running and life in general. That will probably be the thing that helps 100 Meters stand the test of time, as the bits of wisdom it shares don’t just apply to running track, but to any aspect of life that is worth pursuing. We all have things that we start passionately engaged with, then fall out of love only to find that passion all over again. And when we are ambitious about doing the best at it, do we pursue that goal at all costs, even if it will be for a fleeting moment, or do we give it our all anyway just to say we did?

Philosophy aside, this movie is also damn amazing to look at, most notably in the running scenes. There is a notably large amount of rotoscoping used, which was a bit distracting at first, but it makes more sense when you remember that this is meant to focus on movements that the human body can do. Even if it’s animation, this is meant to be about grounded human movement. With that in mind, I’m glad that they still decided to go with animation instead of live action, as it helps to accentuate the more dramatic expressions and moments that live action would struggle with. In addition, scenes that would seem a bit more mundane in live action are more interesting to see executed in animation, such as a scene part way through the movie of a single shot passing through a track as competitors get ready for a race. There are moments where things feel a bit too stiff or even a bit too detailed, though these are few and far between. This movie is deceptively simple in its style at first, only letting its true potential show in small and effective bursts, much like the characters do in each 100 Meter dash that they participate in.

I would say go see this movie whenever you get a chance, though by the time you read this review, it will most likely have finished its brief sprint through theaters, and who knows when it will receive a streaming or physical media release. Still, if you do come across it some day, I would absolutely recommend giving it a watch. While it’s not as flashy as Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man, nor have the franchise cache those movies do, I have little doubt that 100 Meters will be making the top ten lists of anime movies by the end of this year. However, if for some unfortunate reason it remains a niche, little known piece of media from this year, then those who work on it will still know that they gave their absolute all to making this film happen, and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters. Still, please watch this if you find a way, because it is really a treat to the senses and genuinely makes me feel like I can run through a wall.