100 Meters Anime Film Gets East Coast Premiere on October 8

The anime film of Uoto’s 100 Meters, known in Japanese as Hyakuemu, is coming to New York. The Japan Society announced on Monday that it will host the film’s East Coast premiere on October 8 at 7:00 p.m., in Japanese with English subtitles, with director Kenji Iwaisawa on hand for a question and answer session afterward. Tickets are available through the Japan Society’s website.

The film has been building momentum since its world premiere at Annecy on June 12, followed by its Japanese release on September 19. GKIDS will bring it to wider United States audiences from October 12 to 14, offering both subtitled and English dubbed showings, with an opening screening in Los Angeles on October 10.

At its heart is a rivalry. Tori Matsuzaka voices Togashi, a naturally gifted sprinter, while Shota Sometani plays Komiya, a determined hard worker whose love of the 100 meter dash sparks the day the two meet in grade school. Years later they face each other again on the track. Iwaisawa, known for On Gaku: Our Sound, directs at Rock n Roll Mountain, with music by Hiroaki Tsutsumi and a theme song, Rashisa, from Official HiGE DANdism.

Uoto, who also created Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, launched Hyakuemu in Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket app in November 2018 as their first series.

My take: Iwaisawa’s On Gaku had such a distinct, handmade charm, so I am very curious how that style suits a sprinting story. A film built around the simple thrill of running fast sounds like a quiet gem.