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A great deal has been written about the practice of running, a therapeutic exercise with ability for emotional liberation. In the realm of elite athletics, though, the strain of rivalry can cause individuals to overlook of this fundamental aim. Transposed from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s spellbinding anime goes past trophies and medals to explore the existential drive that drives an competitor’s aspiration.

Plot Overview

The Sprint Story traces Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose life paths diverge when they go pro. Previously the quickest elementary student in Japan, Togashi guides the less confident Komiya with the fundamentals. As the pair progress into their youth and early maturity, Komiya steadily accelerates up the ranking of top athletes, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both battle anxieties and insecurities. Covering more than 15 years, the story tracks their internal hurdles, laying bare the difficulties of an athlete’s life, trapped in a pattern of societal observation, achievement demands and commercial obligations.

Creative Merits

Perhaps it’s due to the base story, but the animation’s answer to these intricate issues is rather superficial; repeatedly, a lead’s mental struggles just vanish after a lengthy conversation with a peer or a senior. But what the film falls short in story nuance and pacing, it redeems itself with in breathtaking graphics. Utilizing trace-over animation, in which animation is drawn atop real-life video, the movie produces stunningly detailed sprinting scenes. The physical exertion of a sprint is visibly evident, and the suffering and elation of rivalry are etched on the protagonists’ forms.

Impactful Sequences

One especially significant race ends in the storm, with torrents of monochrome brushwork that immerse the frame. More than any dialogue, these flourishes of artistic excellence capture the almost spiritual high the movie aims to provoke.

The Sprint Film is in UK cinemas from 16 November.