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A great deal has been recorded about the practice of running, a restorative movement with potential for therapeutic unburdening. In the realm of competitive games, yet, the stress of contests can make people lose sight of this ultimate goal. Transposed from the eponymous manga, Kenji Iwaisawa’s mesmerising anime looks beyond awards and honors to examine the existential drive that fuels an competitor’s aspiration.

Plot Overview

The Sprint Story traces Togashi and Komiya, childhood friends whose career trajectories diverge when they turn professional. Previously the speediest young pupil in Japan, Togashi helps the more uncertain Komiya with the essentials. As the pair enter their teens and their 20s, Komiya progressively advances up the leaderboard of top athletes, while Togashi is trapped in a decline; both struggle with worries and uncertainties. Covering more than 15 years, the tale documents their psychological barriers, laying bare the challenges of an athlete’s life, locked in a loop of public scrutiny, result pressures and commercial obligations.

Artistic Strengths

Perhaps it’s because of the original work, but the film’s response to these complex dilemmas is somewhat facile; frequently, a character’s inner doubts just vanish after a lengthy conversation with a colleague or elder. But what the anime falls short in narrative subtlety and rhythm, it redeems itself with in breathtaking graphics. Employing live-action tracing, in which animation is drawn atop live-action footage, the film produces remarkably precise sprinting scenes. The bodily strain of a race is on full display, and the struggle and triumph of contests are engraved on the athletes’ physiques.

Unforgettable Scenes

One notably pivotal race ends in the storm, with cascades of monochrome brushwork that immerse the frame. Apart from conversation, these bursts of creative mastery encapsulate the quasi-enlightened elation the movie aims to evoke.

The Sprint Film is in UK cinemas from November 16.